When Henry woke up in the morning, he felt surprisingly well rested and in a good mood, despite the serious conversation he had had at night. With the light of day, his courage returned and he easily believed that they would somehow manage and everything would turn out well. The good mood lasted until he pushed through the horses and opened the barn door so he could go relieve himself.

Cold air, smelling of rain, hit him in the face. It seemed it had rained all night. Dirty pools of water stood on the ground and everything in sight glistened with moist. Henry sighed and quickly did what drove him out of the warm hay. On the way back inside, he met one of the guards who was heading out with the same goal in mind.

"What a day for traveling, eh?" the man said.

Henry just grimaced in response and nodded.

As they prepared for their journey, it started to rain again. They just stood in the doorway for a moment, watching the drops fall into the pools in the yard.

"How long is this going to last?" asked Hans Capon.

The guards looked up and surveyed the sky.

"Certainly not for too long, it's been raining since night."

"Look, the clouds are already parting there."

Henry looked in the indicated direction. The monotonous gray of the sky was disrupted by a few lighter clouds. The claim that the clouds were parting seemed a little bold though. However, the thought of huddling in a musty barn for half a day without any means of distraction made him disobey the voice of reason in his head.

"I say it has to stop raining any moment now."

When Henry looked around, he saw the same doubts he felt mirrored in the faces of his companions. But everyone seemed determined to fool themselves. In the end, everyone's eyes turned to Sir Capon. He looked rather unhappy for a moment but then ordered:

"Mount up, gentlemen and let's go."

Henry listened to the squelching of horses' hooves on the muddy road wondering if such dampness could harm them. He didn't know much about horses himself but he remembered a trader had once explained something like this, back then in Skalitz. He would have to ask Vashek in Uzhitz about it.

Then he turned his attention to the bridle in his hands. He noticed that it was cracked in several places. Leather also suffered in dampness, didn't it? No matter how hard he tried, his thoughts always turned to the pervasive rain. At the beginning of the journey, he put on a woolen cloak he had had the presence of mind to pack, but it was already soaked through and although it warmed him still, the moistness was annoying.

Sir Capon's voice tore him from his thoughts:

"Henry, can you remind me again, please, why I volunteered for this task?"

"Umyou wanted to convince Sir Hanush that you were a competent and responsible adult?"

"I'm not sure if catching cold and dying somewhere along the way will impress him."

"Hmmthen you longed for adventure and wanted to acquire some exciting stories that you could later share in a pub?"

"The only exciting thing that happened to me on this trip so far was the one in the Kuttenberg baths. And that is not something to share!" snapped Capon. "Anyway, it was more of a rhetorical question."

Henry laughed. They must have been all equally miserable, but no one could complain like Capon. They had passed through several villages since morning, but none were worth a stop. Henry was starting to get hungry, but he couldn't imagine just stopping and eating in the open air.

"How far is it to Jičin?" he asked Jakub, one of their guards who was their guide having traveled through this region before.

"Few more hours I'm afraid, sir. Especially in this weather," replied Jakub and sneezed mightily. "But if I remember correctly, there should be a village with an inn a short distance ahead." He barely finished, sneezed again and then coughed.

Henry perked up a little, picture of hot meal fixed in his mind. And he was not alone. The others straightened in the saddles and stared ahead, as if they were about to see the pub at any moment.

"I suggest we hurry up. This part of the road looks solid enough," said Sir Capon and they spurred the horses.

That evening they finally arrived in Jičin. Henry could remember only a few journeys worse than that one. They had found the inn Jakub had mentioned, but it had been crammed with people. So they had devoured their hot soup while standing and set off again into the rain. The rest of the journey gradually blurred into a long wet misery.

Henry was also worried about Jakub. His cough had been steadily getting worse and when they finally arrived at the first inn in town they could find, he just slid off his horse and remained sitting on the wet ground. Fortunately, it turned out that there were rooms available. Jakub's friends helped him into a room and took care of all their horses and also the pack animals. It was left to Henry to take care of his own and Capon's. The nobleman just threw him the bridle and disappeared inside.

As he groomed the two animals, he wondered what happened to their agreement made last night. It seemed that each of them understood it a little differently. Sometimes he felt that perhaps they could be friends, but the young nobleman always did something to build the wall between them again. Henry decided to give Capon one last chance. He would wait until they returned to Rattay. And if nothing changed by then, then it would be time to end this one-sided friendship. But for now, he didn't want to think about how it could be done. The only thing that occurred to him was leaving Rattay forever. And that wasn't really worth mentioning. Well, at least it was quite warm in the stables and the physical activity warmed him further, he mused.

When he entered the taproom, he saw the remaining three men from their entourage sitting there. A mug of beer stood in front of each of them and when they noticed him, they waved cheerfully. They looked ready to enjoy the evening. Sir Capon was nowhere in sight. Well, Henry had had enough and he certainly wasn't in the mood for drinking. So he sat down with them to eat dinner and then had a servant show him to his room.

As it turned out, he shared it with Sir Capon again. Capon was already lying on his bed, facing the wall. Henry didn't even try to talk to him. Capon was obviously not in the mood and he himself was feeling on edge at the moment. It was clear to him that if any of them spoke, it would inevitably turn into an argument. Instead, he just undressed and also turned his back to the room, just in case. And so they just lay there and there was a strange and uncomfortable silence between them until Henry fell asleep.

The morning next day started almost as badly as the previous day ended. Henry and Sir Capon dressed in silence and went to the taproom. There they were to meet their companions but the room was empty except for an innkeeper who was stirring something in a large pot.

"Where are our men? They should have been waiting for us here," Henry addressed her. "And where is everyone else?"

"Oh sir, if only you knew," the woman began, "my husband and all the menfolk are lying with fever and they can't keep anything inside. It must be the mushrooms they ate yesterday. Your men had them too."

"What mushrooms?" asked Henry, horrified, quickly trying to remember if he had eaten any.

"Don't worry, sir, you didn't eat them. But the men were drinking late into the night and got hungry, so I cooked for them and threw in the mushrooms. A man sold them to me the other day. He claimed that they were miraculous mushrooms that would cure a hangover." Here the innkeeper frowned. "That crook! And what a silly goose I am to trust him! I poisoned the whole inn. Now leave me, please. I have to cook something for their stomachs." She turned to the pot and continued to stir, adding various herbs.

Henry turned and looked at Sir Capon.

"Did you hear that, sir?"

"I did," confirmed Capon. "We should go and check on them"

Henry nodded and they both went upstairs. There they met several maids carrying stinking chamber pots. When they opened the door to their guard's room, it was immediately clear that the maids weren't there yet. The smell of vomit and something even worse permeated the room. Henry inadvertently took a step back and bumped into Sir Capon.

"What is it, Henry?"

Henry just motioned to him silently and Capon squeezed around him to have a look inside. Immediately, he jumped back and, with his face twisted in disgust, he said:

"I'm not going in there. You'll have to check them alone."

Henry looked into his eyes for a moment, then asked quietly: "We do everything together, sir?"

Let it be said that Capon didn't look away. They stared at each other for a moment, then Capon closed his eyes as if praying. Finally, he growled:

"To hell with you, Henry!" and jumped into the room. Henry watched as he ran to the window and opened it wide. "What are you waiting for?" he called, head stuck out.

Henry took a deep breath and hurried inside. The guards lay on straw mattresses on the floor and they all looked very miserable. Two of them slept restlessly, the third stuttered an apology, then leaned to the chamber pot and began to vomit. The last of them, Jakub, wasn't vomiting but he wasn't well either. Henry knelt beside him and put a hand on his forehead. Heat radiated off of him. The touch must have woken him as he opened his eyes. It took him a while to get his bearings.

"Water," he rasped. Henry looked around to see where he could find some and saw Sir Capon standing next to him, handing him a cup. He accepted it silently and helped Jakub to drink.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not going with you to Trosky today. I can barely sit. I certainly won't be able to stay in a saddle."

Henry got up and went with Capon to the window where they could breathe with more ease. They conferred for a while. Neither of them was sure what to do. In the end, they decided to go to Trosky alone and had Jakub describe the way. They both listened, to make sure they got it right, and had him repeat everything several times. Then there was a brief argument when they realized that they would have to pay for the accommodation and meals of their guards. In the end, it was Henry who had to empty half of his pouch, because Sir Capon found out that the amount of money his uncle had provided him for the trip had thinned considerably.

"Right. We have to go right!"

"Really?" asked Henry. "I clearly remember Jakub saying something about left."

Sir Capon just rolled his eyes. "Sure you do, you moron. He said that we should go past the rocks and leave them on the left that means going right! "

They stood at a crossroads and not far from them, several rock towers rose among the trees. The journey there passed quickly and they had even managed a somewhat friendly conversation on several neutral topics, but the fragile truce between them seemed coming to a quick end if Henry didn't do something soon.

He raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture: "You're right, sir. I remember it now."

Capon frowned at him but then turned his horse and continued on his way. Henry just sighed and followed him. Of course, he was the one leading their pack-horse. He didn't try to catch up with Capon, on the contrary, he made sure that there was a distance of a few horse lengths between them.

Henry didn't understand when it had all gone wrong between them. The enthusiasm, with which they set out from Rattay, had long since faded and instead of enjoying the journey, he began to wish he had stayed at home. He stared angrily at Capon's back. It was all his fault, he thought. All that complaining, ordering him about, laughing at him all the time

For the next few hours they rode without a word between them, only briefly and curtly asking fellow travelers for direction few times. During that time, Henry stewed in his feelings of being wronged and recalled every stupid little thing Capon had ever done to him, real or imagined. He quite forgot that he had wanted to reconcile with the young man. He was replaying in his head their first hunt together when the object of his contemplation interrupted him: "Henry! I have a feeling we need to talk again."

Henry just shrugged and followed Sir Capon who dismounted and led him a short distance into the woods. There they tied up the horses and stepped aside. Capon folded his arms and looked at him with what Henry thought of as a stern expression.

"What's your problem, Henry?"

"I ' ve got a problem?!" shouted Henry.

"I've heard you fuming behind my back and you haven't spoken to me in a few hours!"

Henry's yes widened. He couldn't believe Capon's hypocrisy.

"Ah so when you're not talking to me, sir, then it's okay, isn't it?"

Now it was Capon's turn to look incredulous. "I was tired yesterday and I don't have to answer to you at all!"

"Neither do I!"

"Cheeky bastard - !"

"Conceited brat - !"

Silence fell for a few seconds and then they pounced on each other. Later, Henry wasn't able to tell who had moved first. He only noticed that there was a desire in Capon's eyes to beat the shit out of him. And he felt the same. Fortunately, their weapons hung on their saddles, so they just rolled about, kicked and pounded each other with their fists. Their furious struggle drove them further into the woods. Suddenly Henry was the one above and raised a fist to hit Capon in the face. Capon jolted hard to get rid of him. Henry started to fall. He panicked and tightened his grip on Capon's clothes. And then they tumbled down a cliff.

They didn't fall long. The steep slope was covered with bushes and long grass which slowed them down considerably. When he finally stopped, Henry rolled onto his back and lay still. He closed his eyes and waited for his head to stop spinning. He could feel Capon's body next to him. All the fury left him, but he fought with other thoughts and feelings that were creeping in its place. The most persistent one was whether he had just killed a nobleman.

Then, fortunately, Sir Capon spoke: "Hal, we are the two biggest idiots in all of Rattay, aren't we?"

"We sure are."

The next few moments they lay in silence and Henry finally allowed his feelings to overwhelm him. In his mind he berated himself. What, in god's name, had led him to attack a nobleman? No one would believe or care that the Capon attacked him at the same time.

"We should get up, it's a bit damp here."

Henry wondered for a moment if it would be better to just lie here and die of shame but when Capon prodded him with his foot he opened his eyes and stood up. When he looked around, he saw that he was standing in a shallow ravine. Its bottom was covered with burdock and, as he stepped forward, there was a squelching sound that only one thing could make.

"Shall we go back to the horses?" he asked, avoiding Capon's gaze. The young nobleman nodded and together they climbed back up. There they found out that they had not gotten very far. When they reached their animals, they stopped and looked at each other properly for the first time. And they started laughing. And they laughed and laughed until Henry couldn't catch his breath and Capon was wiping tears from his face.

Finally, they calmed down and tried to assess the damage. Sir Capon had a bruise on his face that was just beginning to bloom and a scratch just above his eye from which blood flowed and occasionally dripped down. Henry had a split lip which would surely swell by evening and grazed skin on his temple. When he touched the place, he hissed in pain. They preferred not to count the many bruises and scratches on the rest of their bodies. The clothes they wore looked like they belonged to a pigsty. They even smelled that way.

"What do we say at Trosky? We can't show up there like that," sighed Sir Capon. "Uncle will really kill me this time when he finds out what we did."

"And does he have to find out? We'll say we were attacked by Cumans. Or some bandits. Because we didn't have guards with us, we were outnumbered but we still managed to drive them away. But in the meantime, they managed to give us a thrashing," said Henry.

A light of hope shone in Capon's eyes. "Good idea!"

Before they mounted their horses, they considered a change of clothes. But they both had only one spare set with them and that wasn't meant for travel. Armor they rejected immediately. So, in the end, they set out as they were. And then they finally talked.

Henry told Capon how he felt when the nobleman mocked him and treated him like his servant, even though at other times he behaved almost like a friend. And Sir Capon confided to Henry how stupid and inferior he felt every time Hanush told him how Henry was the better of them two in everything and that he should take him as an example.

Henry let go of the bridle for a moment so he could grab his head and groan. How would they get out of this?

"Sir, I know there are many things I have no idea about and in which you are much better than I am. And you always will be," he said at last, surprising himself by the honesty in his voice. And he really meant it. "I've learned a lot from you."

Capon looked startled by his statement, but then recovered a little. "Thank you, Henry. I appreciate it. Really. In the few months we've known each other, you've shown me your friendship over and over while I've often repaid you with ridicule." Then he straightened in his saddle and looked Henry straight in the eye. "I don't know if I can change, but I will try. From today, I'll be more careful about how I speak to you. And be a better friend. And I give you the right to tell me if when I cross a line."

Henry was astonished. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. And I give you a right too. You can tell me off all you like if when I do something really stupid."

"I don't need your permission for that, blacksmith," said Capon sternly, but then he laughed.

Henry laughed with him and suddenly a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders, one he didn't even know was there until it was gone.

"Let's go, Hal. We better reach Trosky today!"

AN: This translating is harder then I thought. I guess it's because in the original I wrote so many intricate sentences and now I have no idea how to translate them. Also there is the difficult decision about translating names. In the end I decided to use translation where it is already established - like in the game or the more famous names of river and cities etc. The rest has their original names.