Aenis' tale of the double-dealing of Pope Paschal and the abduction to St.Bartholome as recalled by Anselm

"Remember my dear Brother Lethalde and we his Pagan Jongens were hired as lansquenets by Roger, the respectable Count of Sicily. Lethalde was appointed captain of a troop, Zeki became his squire and I, after making a vow never to kill a man, neither in a quarrel nor in combat, became the apprentice of a famous Muslim feldsher. Later I joint my father's troop because I wanted to stay with my Zeki."

The times were cruel in the dark middle age and Lethalde's task was to pacify and secure the borders of Roger's principality, which comprised not only the island of Sicily itself but the southern part of the Italian peninsular. In no time the boldness and trustiness of Lethalde's small army spread and became known not only in Roger's realm but also in the neighboring Duchies and last but not least in the counties constituting the essentials part of the Pope Paschalis' area of influence."

"Pope Paschalis had followed Pope Urban, the instigator of the first crusade. However, neither the regime of Pope Urban nor that of Pope Paschalis was beyond dispute in Catholic world. There always were other church dignitaries contesting the legitimacy of the bishop of Rome as the head of the Christendom. These adversaries called each other antipopes. Pope Paschalis' antipope was Pope Sylvester and vice versa. While Sylvester was supported by the Emperor of the German Empire and aristocracy of Rome, Pope Paschalis was backed by the Norman-French monarchs, the count of Sicily and the countess of Tuscany."

"Pope Sylvester, the archpriest of St.Angelo was enthroned in the Lateran in the absence of Pope Paschalis. Receiving this message Paschalis returned immediately to displace the usurper from Petri's chair. Immediately he was not successful as the Emperors troops, essentially the soldiery of the Count of Acona and of his captain Berto, defended the antipope Sylvester. As soon as the count's lansquenets joint forces with the soldiery of the nobles of Rome Paschalis had to take shelter in San Bartolomeo all'Isola, a monastery on an island in the river Tiber. There he held court in the gloomy premises waiting for the troops of his allies to relieve him and secure his regime."

"Patrolling the northern border of Count Roger's kingdom Lethalde and his troop were immediately dispatched by his sovereign to relieve Pope Paschalis and to oust Antipope Sylvester. Count Roger wasn't the only ally of Pope Paschalis. While the Kingdom of Sicily was in the South of the Papal State, Tuscany was in the North. The Countess Mathilda of Tuscany was an enemy of the German Emperor and supported Pope Paschalis."

"Arriving in the Holy City and Lethalde and his troop forced their passage through the heavily guarded southern town gate. The troop got a hearty welcome from the citizens of the poorer quarters, like day laborers, craftsmen and farmers. The common people hailed the troop and offered water to the thirty soldiers and their horses. This changed as Lethalde's troop made it closer to the center of the city. The small houses mutated to small mansions, to fashionable palazzi and finally to castles encased by walls and moats. With the size of the mansions the attitude of the citizens changed. Now the troop was welcomed by tirades instead of cheers, by rotten vegetables and dead cats instead of bread and of flowers and the jugs of water changed to chamber pots full of piss and shit. Disgusted and more than tired from the offensive welcome of the nobles of Rome the troop finally crossed the bridge to the Island of San Bartolomeo."

"Now I got completely shocked. Instead of the expected clean and well-ordered military camp we had to move through an agglomeration of stalls and shacks and multicolored tents. Soldiers seemed to make up only a small minority of the population, most of the folks seemed to be peddlers, quacks, shams and what irritated me even more was the sheer number of common women and harlots identifiable by yellow ribbons. Some of the harlots didn't seem to be older than eight- or ten-years others were old toothless wrenches. Even young boys did carry these yellow ribbons, marking them as available to everyone for a copper coin."

Before we even could settle down Lethalde was ordered to appear before Pope Paschalis. I later I learned it was not because of his fame as the first knight to enter the Golden City but as the protector of the Pagan Jongens. This was the name known for Zeki and me throughout Italy."

Anselm wondered, "They named you his Papan Jongens? Zeki and you? You still were not respected as Lethalde's righteous sons? They still called you pagans, heathens? They still thought of you as monsters?"

After a second thought however, Anselm was not surprised anymore, because he remembered, Aenis was talking about the times of around 1100 AD and today this time is known as the dark middle ages. Therefore, Anselm shrugged the shoulders as Aenis just retorted, "Even so! Pope Paschalis held court in the basilica. The nave was murky as hell, with small darkened windows, illuminated by flickering candles only. At first, I could only detect his throne set up in the front of the high altar. The throne was high and looked empty. But then I could sense someone crouched in the dark hole of the throne and then I came aware of the refection of the candle lights in the eyes of a dark shape staring at me like a sorcerer. Then a pale hand emerged out of the dark shape. The spidery fingers mentioned me closer, not Lethalde, not Zeki his squire, NO! The spider fingers waved me closer and closer and then touched my face. A squeaky voice asked, "You are the heathen declining our Lord mercy?" The squeaking voice and the icy fingers let my hair stand on end. I got even more frightened when then the voice uttered, "Your skin is soft!" When he started to ruffle my hair and his voice went on, "Your hair is soft like the coat of a newborn lamb!" I backed off an inch. The pope took hold of my hair. "You smell sweet and young and innocent! You have to share my bed tonight, pagan boy!" Then a head emerged from the bundle of cloth he had been hiding in and I saw the face of Pope Paschalis for the first time. A face with a crooked nose, like the peak of an eagle and lips so small you could hardly discern them in the face. He leaned over to a Cardinal by his side, "Make sure the little pagan shares my bed tonight! I need his blood!"

Just in this moment a horn signal drew the attention of the audience to the entrance of San Bartholomae. Through the open church gate, a company of colorful dressed soldiers approached on horseback headed by a boy of about 12 to 13. He was riding a white gelding on a saddle adorned by silver, fitting to his chain mail of silver. He didn't wear a coif. Instead his blond hairs fell in curls to his shoulders.

Immediately I was of no interest to Pope Paschalis anymore. He shooed me away while his eyes lit up. Rising from his throne he rushed to the incomers and embraced the dismounting boy. He kissed his brow and patted him affectionately under the chin. Then Pope Paschalis guided the boy to the throne, where they took place side by side. From this moment on neither I nor Lethalde or Zeki were of any interest to Pope Paschalis. We left. Later I was told the boy was the nephew of the Countess of Tuscany and the pope's preferred toy."

This vivid report saddened Anselm and embracing Aenis he became aware his new brother was shaking. "Should we go back to the monastery? Look Aenis, it's still a shorter way to go back, then to hike to the top." But Aenis declined. "It's time to visit Zeki's last resting place. We have to hurry up to get there and greet the rising sun together with him."

Aenis rose and Anselm had to drag him, because suddenly the strength of his body seemed to dwindle. They hardly made it to the next bench some hundred meters further up to the top of the Königsstuhl. While they paused for breath Aenis let him know the next part for his adventure that finally ended on top of this mountain.

"During this night the island of St.Bartholomae was attacked from three sides. While foot soldiers attempted to cross the bridge to the island, boats manned with archers approached the island from the water. Pope Paschalis concerned with the security of his young guest, the Duke of Tuscany, appealed to Lethalde to rescue his toy boy, get him out of Rome and escort him back to the countess of Tuscany. Lethalde didn't hesitate a moment and in the gray morning we took our way across the Ponte Cestio to take the road to the castle of the center of Mathilda's realm."

"Our charge was wearing the gray cowl of a novice with his hair covered by a hood. Nobody of our troop could see his face. Also, the white gelding wasn't used therefore everyone watching us, should have been confident a common novice was riding behind Lethalde. Our troop counted about two dozen lansquenets. Zeki, my friend Khaled, a black skinned giant from beyond the Mediterranean Sea and I took the rearguard."

"While the fight around the island was raging, we crossed the bridge the hoofs of our horses covered with soft cloth to deaden the noise. At first all went well. The narrow streets were deserted and the only sound disturbing the peace of the night was the plop-plop of the bandaged hoofs of the horses on the cobbled paving."

Aenis looked up to the nightly sky. Dark firs concealed the moon and only some stars were twinkling. He tried to smile as far as Anselm could observe. Anselm touched Aenis hand. The touch startled his new brother out of his thoughts. He cleared his throat. "When we were halfway to the gate in the city wall, horn signals alarmed the night. At first the signals came from the northern part of the city only, soon however others were coming from the southern quarters also. "They are coming!" Zeki warned us. "The hunt is on its way!" We tried to up the speed of our horses. Then, however we came to circular place with a fountain in its center and about five alleys running in different directions. We were lost. Which way was leading to the city gate? While he thought we were stranded, the young monk took the lead shaking down his hood and pointed to the second alley. "Let's take this one, it leads us straight to the gate!" he hollered. Immediately we knew, the Pope had cheated us, he had committed a fraud. The alleged novice wasn't the nephew of Mathilda of Tuscany, it was one of the boys earning their living as joy boy. None the less Lethalde took the road, just as sound of our hunters was drawing nearer."

The Porta Settimania leading out of Rome was closed for the night. Lethalde tried persuading the guards to open the gate showing a letter of Pope Paschalis granting free passage. It didn't work. Therefore, he forced them to open up the small door beside the main gate with bare blade. While most of the lansquenets managed to squeeze through the narrow opening, the rearguard, that was I, Zeki, Khaled and two more lansquenets were still inside the city wall when the mercenaries of the Count of Acona arrived and cut us off."

Immediately a tough fight between us and the count's mercenary broke out. Zeki and Khaled tried to defend me, knowing that I never was reared using a sword or any other deadly weapon. While I was attacked from behind Khaled was deadly wounded giving me shelter by his body. "

"What happened then I can't remember. When I regained consciousness, I saw Khaled and the two other soldiers on the ground stabbed by swords and Zeki with bound hands and feet thrown over the back of a horse. Still before dawn Zeki and I were presented hogtied to Berto the Captain of soldiery of Werner the Count of Acona. At first Berto tried to interrogate Zeki, however my dear brother had lost blood to an extent that he fainted continuously despite Berto's men tried to keep him awake by pouring cold water over his head. Then Berto turned to me, asking with harsh voice what our task had been. At first, I declined to answer, then I tried to fool him pretending we were on our way back to the Kingdom of Sicily. However he knew better. A spy or Pope Paschalis himself had sent to him the purpose and destiny of Lethalde's convoy. His only answer was, "Don't fool me boy, the famous Lethalde had to escort the Price of Tuscany safely to his mother." I shook my head. Initially I didn't want to betray Pope Paschalis, despite his double-dealing. However, as Zeki's health got worse and worse, I told him of the Pope's fraud. Thinking over the details of my account, Berto decided, "Your brother is severely wounded, go ahead and try all you can to keep him alive! Dead hostages are not worth a bulrush to the Count of Acona."

"Three days later, Zeki's condition had change to the better, Berto ordered us to get on a small two-wheeled dungeon car. "It's the Emperor's will, not mine! It's his order! He wants everybody to see with own eyes the two pagan boys, who survived the conquest of the Lords City by our Holy Army. He has given order to put you on display in a dungeon car in every city, every village and at every fair all over his empire."

From this moment on, my wounded brother and I were displayed behind bars like wild animals. We were displayed like tiger, lions and bears. Even worse! The dungeon car was marked with the following inscription: HEATHENS! HUMAN TRASH! SCUM OF THE EARTH! We were exposed to the curiosity, the hatred and spitefulness of nobles, citizen, farmers and vagabonds on the way across the Alps and along the river Rhine River. Our guards had a hard time to defend our life. The ordeal ended when the Prince Archbishop of Mainz decided to give us into the custody of the newly founded Monastery of St. Bartholomew. That was our luck, my luck at least."

"In the care of the friars my body was able to recover from the deprivations of this ordeal but the health of my dear Zeki took a turn to the worse. His physical strength declined from day to day and on the thirtieth day in the care of St. Bartholomew Zeki was only the shadow of his own."

"In the night following this thirtieth day he asked, "Dear Aenis before I wilt away, I have to see my hometown again!" I knew I wouldn't be able to fulfill his last wish. He was far too weak to master this dangerous voyage back to the Golden City. I racked my brain to find a way to fulfill his last wish. I tried to do the best in my power. I carried him to the top of the Königsstuhl to watch the sun rise in the east, in the hills behind the Golden City. I did it and he stayed at this place forever."