Thursday, November 24, 2011

Excerpt From Kings and Crusaders

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                                                         On the Walls Of Acre



Saladin and Taqi al-Din walked across the walls; they could see the crusader army from below, and they knew at once that they were still under siege.

"So many men.'' said Taqi al-Din, quaking in fear. He saw the vast numbers totaling tens of thousands in the crusader army. He had never before seen an army so well equipped, so well-prepared and organized, as the new crusader army that had just arrived. His eyes opened widely as he looked at Saladin. ''They are strong.'' he said.

''Especially the new one that has just arrived.This new army must be the army of England. Is this the army of  King Richard of England?''

''Yes, my nephew,'' said Saladin.''This is the army of England.'' He went forward toward the end of the battlements to look closer at the opposing army.''Ah,'' said Saladin. ''Those Kings and Crusaders have arrived.The one whom they call Lionheart is here.''

''May Allah protect us.'' said Taqi al-Din.

''Our men are brave,'' reflected Saladin,''they shall fight to their death if need be.''
 
Imad ad-Din ascended the staircase to the stonewall, and was now with them, for he had overheard the conversation. ''Let us hope they don't have to have to fight till their death.'' he sneered.

''They will all die before I hand over Jerusalem to the Christians.'' said Saladin with a small grin. The two other men partly stared at him for a minute.

Dust blew into Taqi al-Din's face.He covered his eyes until the desert wind was gone. He saw the sun flash, felt the air thickening. He saw the trees twist, trying to overcome their own weakness. Above him the sun was setting, and soon the entire sky was pitch black with no light, except from the torches of the armies in sight. He thought, ''Terrible, this is a wretched place with darkness and hatred.'' He heard the clinking and clattering of  metal from the crusader army as the soldiers organized themselves for battle.

Imad ad-Din backed up.''I'm going to the keep,'' he said fearfully.

Saladin gasped with the dry air, "'Let the Third Crusade began.''





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                                                            Casal Imbert


 King Richard mounted upon his steed outside his tent. He draped his chainmail over himself and his Templar tunic bearing the red cross. ''Wearing 60,000 rings of chainmail is not always very easy,'' he thought.''But at least we don't have to worry about wearing much armor.'' His shield was tied to his back, his sword was in his scabbard, his left hand was holding the reigns of his horse, while his right hand was holding his helmet. He saw his fair wife Berengaria, with a purple dress encircled at the bottom by golden linen running towards him from her tent.

Berengaria looked upon Richard and said, ''Where are you going?''

''Off  to battle,'' replied Richard.''I must fight. Now you and Joan must return to your tents. I'm going toward Acre with my men so that we may take place in this siege.'' He quickly put on his helmet with the crown of England etched into it. He spurred his steed as it started running off  to battle.

A guard ran up to Berengaria.''My queen,'' he said.''You heard the king's order, you are not safe here.
You must return to your tent. The battlefield is no place for a woman.''

''And so I shall,'' said Berengaria. She walked back to the tent she shared with Joan.

King Richard was now with his crusader army which was already formed into many lines by his right hand men. Beside him were Peter de Preaux, Robert de Sable, Robert of Leicester and others. He knew the crusader army at this point of the crusade consisted of 8,000 English men, no more than 5,000 from Germany, 2,000 Frenchmen  that came with King Philip II of France, 2,000 Pisan and Genoewn crossbowmen, and 10,000 more English and French that had arrived  lower than him and before either he or Philip had arrived at Acre. He also knew that King Guy of Jerusalem had had an army of 7,400 when entering the siege of Acre, and was supported by an army of 12,000 soldiers under Marquis Conrad, but most of  those men were probably still not alive.

''There is a 6,000 Muslim garrison inside the city,'' said Earl Robert of  Leicester to Richard, "do you also realize that Saladin has 20,000 Muslim garrisons inside the cities of  Ascalon and Jerusalem, with an army of  30,000 soldiers?''  

''Did Joshua have the greater army when defeating the armies that totaled as many as the sand on the seashore at Merom?'' asked Richard. ''Did David have tough and slick arms to kill a giant, or was it because God took one who was weak and made him strong? Better to have many men serve God than some, but we know that that will not happen, and so we are forced to fight evil with the little we have. It is of no concern which army is the largest, but rather more important is the one that has a greater reason and worthy cause for fighting.This is a holy war, and so we have a great reason for fighting.We fight so that Christians may be set free, and we fight to preserve the land of our Savior's birth.''

Robert of  Leicester nodded and scratched his head.''I think I understand now, sire,'' he said.

''Good,'' said Richard.''May God always protect us and the mother always look over us. ''He looked around at his army as his voice deepend and the leadership of a commander fell upon him. ''Men of  England, France, and across Europe!'' he exclaimed. ''Men of  Christendom! Today we fight to set those Christian people who are captives to the Muslims free! We fight because we are crusaders! We fight because we are part of God's army.'' He pulled out his sword as fast as lightning and then he yelled,'' We are part of God's army and through God's army Islam shall fall by the grace of  God!'' He spurred his horse riding to the front line of his men as he always did in battle. They cheered, and Richard yelled ''Attack Acre!''

The crusader catapults unleashed their stones which stormed upon the walls of  Acre. Crusader ladders came up on the walls as knights and men-at -arms climbed up them to fight the Saracens. The Muslim troops upon the walls poured down burning oil on the crusaders, threw rocks upon them, and tried to shoot them with their arrows.

King Philip saw the battle rage and yelled to his men to charge as he and his men of France shortly thereafter attacked the walls, as well.

Siege towers came up to the walls, and a battering ram was being constructed by engineers. At least three Norman knights were on top of one siege tower before it was destroyed by a rock from a Saracen catapult.The knights on top of the siege tower died, as well.

King Richard saw that the fight on top of  the walls was vivid but far from finished.

Earl Robert of  Leicester who was next to him said,''I have to admit it. I'm not so for certain that we are going to take Acre.''

''God wills it,'' said Richard. He looked around at his army and yelled,''to the walls!''

The fight was becoming more bloody after Richard's recent yell. He looked at Robert of Leicester and asked,''Where is my royal standard bearer? Where is Peter de Preaux?''

Robert shook his head.''I don't know."


    From Kings and Crusaders, Part Two, Chapter Ten: The Arrival of  Kings.                      








               

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