AN: Hi, I attempted to translate my previous work into english. I used google translate and than tried to polish it a bit. I was suprised how good the translation actually was. The tool really improved over the years. However I am aware that it is not perfect and neither is my attempt at improving it. So please excuse any mistakes and bad phrases and read at your own peril. If you could let me now how bad (or possibly good?) it was, I would much appreciate it.
A group of men crept through the darkness to the walls of Talmberg. The silence of the night was occasionally broken by a louder rustle of clothing or a whispered curse from a couple carrying a ladder. They walked slowly, carefully, as the slope below the walls was littered with boulders and smaller loose stones. One careless step would be enough and everything could be lost. So when one of the men's leg twisted on a stone hidden in tall grass, his companion, walking right behind him, did not hesitate for a moment and quickly caught the falling body before it could hit the ground causing a disaster.
"Lord Capon!" blurted Henry, clenching all his muscles to keep the two of them from rolling down the slope. "Careful now, I don't want to fish you out of the creek down there," he continued as he helped Capon back to his feet. "Perhaps you should have changed your mind about going with us, those rocky slopes cannot be compared to the Rattay's..." Henry's voice gradually faded. He didn't see anything in the dark, but he could literally feel Hans Capon glaring at him.
"Henry," the young nobleman said condescendingly, "don't you worry. My abundance of night experience is yet to come to play! How many times have you had to sneak through the night? Being faithful to your Theresa…" Before Henry could answer, Capon continued. "Pribyslavitz doesn't count, that was only once and you had more luck than common sense."
Henry wisely decided to remain silent and not to start another quarrel, which he could not win. Unless he wanted to confess to his secret night errands for millers from around the Sasau river. And since he was now the son of a nobleman (albeit illegitimate), he certainly did not plan to. So he just sighed, patted Capon on the shoulder to indicate that he was giving up in this verbal battle and continued to plod upward.
The whole group stopped at the walls and they waited in silence, watching the lights flicker above them marking the passage of the guards. After a while, they were assured that the patrol system matched what the captured messenger had described to them. All of them breathed a sigh of relief. The chances of success seemed to have just increased. The men with the ladder began to raise it, and Henry remembered how they had gotten this far.
After Henry volunteered for the night raid and Sir Divish approved it, he wanted to go that very night. However, he soon realized that it would not be so easy. Ladders had to be found, but there were none long enough in the whole village, so they had to have them made. Furthermore, Sir Robard had to select a few other men who would have experience with this type of attack. Several were found, but after the night battle at Vranik and then the long march on Talmberg, they were simply too tired to launch another night attack. It was also necessary to set up camps for the army, provide supplies, get the necessary equipment… Before Sir Robard finished with handing out the tasks and listing everything that needed to be arranged Henry's head was already swimming. He knew he should go to rest. His whole body still ached after Istvan's lackey had beaten him on Vranik. Participating in the battle didn't help either, but he couldn't imagine lying down and falling asleep. He felt a strange restlessness both in body and soul. He couldn't stop thinking about what Istvan Toth had told him, rather maliciously, as he had hung helplessly from the beam. In the heat of battle, he focused only on the present to keep himself alive, but now that the fighting had passed, a whole range of conflicting emotions came upon him. Anger, betrayal, sadness at the loss of his father, but also joy of getting a new one, uncertainty of what it would all mean for him, fear that Radzig would die before he could save him and leave him with a lot of unanswered questions, forever thinking of might-have-beens. Sir Robard's voice tore him from this whirlwind of thoughts.
"Henry, come here!" As he approached, Robard continued: "I have a task for you. Seeing you, you don't look like you're going to bed. Even if it is the most sensible thing you could do... So you'll join the men I'm sending to Rattay. You'll pick up the equipment you'll need tomorrow night. "
"Tomorrow?!" Henry interrupted in surprise. Before he could protest, Sir Robard's raised hand stopped him.
"That's right, tomorrow. If you haven't understood already, men must rest, the assault must be planned. Sir Divish has given me command in this matter, so either you will follow my orders or you can forget being part of it. And do not even think of doing something on your own!" Robard accompanied the last sentence with a frown and a warning finger raised.
Henry remembered guiltily the day he had defied Robard's orders, and what it led to. From the way the knight looked, it was clear to him that he was thinking about the same thing.
"Don't worry, Sir Robard. I won't let you down again. It's just… I'm worried about my... father." The word still didn't roll smoothly from his tongue.
"I understand, boy. And you can rest assured, we will save Sir Ragzig and Lady Stephanie. But we must not underestimate anything. So, will you go to Rattay?"
"Yes, sir." Henry did not hesitate.
"Very well. They know you well in Rattay so it will be easier for you to get what we need. Stop by Captain Bernard first. He'll give you a credential to show the warden at the guardhouse. You will fing everything you need there." Robard paused for a moment, then continued. "You've got experience, so I don't have to remind you but still – black, or at least dark, light clothes, no metal."
"Trust me, sir. I know exactly what to take," assured Henry the talmberg captain confidently. Robard nodded thoughtfully.
"All right, Henry. Leave as soon as possible and do not linger anywhere along the way. I'm awaiting you back before sunset." Robard waited until Henry confirmed with a slight nod that he understood and then immediately turned away and set out to give further orders.
Henry checked the sun and thought it was almost noon. They should be able to get back long before dark without any problems. Preparations for the journey took only a moment and then Henry, with four men on his heels, set off in the direction of Rattay. They rode in silence, everyone was tired, but determined to do their job. They arrived in Rattay an hour after noon and decided to stop at a pub for something to eat before they went to the guardhouse. And some beer, or two. Henry was not at all surprised when he came across Sir Hans Capon in the pub. He sent his companions to go and eat without him and sat down across from Capon, who was already waving at him.
"Henry, you're just in time! I have been getting bored out of my mind. A messenger arrived in the morning, saying that you had won at Vranik, but then you had to quickly leave for Talmberg…, and no news have arrived since. So tell me what happened?" Henry just sighed, wondering where to start. First he ordered some meal and then he briefly described the whole situation to Capon. During his narration, the young nobleman became more and more agitated, until he finally couldn't stand it and shouted in indignation:
"Well, that's rich! Everyone goes on such a magnificent quest and Hanush leaves me at home! How can I prove to him my worth if he always lets me sitting on Pirkstein while there is a fighting somewhere." Immediately afterwards, he scratched his neck in embarrassment and added: "I'm sorry about Lady Stephanie and Sir Radzig, of course." Then he peeked at Henry as if he has just remembered something. "Listen Hal, what do you think of Radzig being your father?" I can't believe it!"
"Please, sir, I'd rather not talk about it right now. I don't know what to think about it. It's too fresh for me." While saying that Henry looked everywhere but at Capon and changed the subject quickly. "And you don't sit at home all the time. When Wolflin of Kamberg was looting the farms here, you rode with Captain Bernard too."
"All right, Henry, you've escaped this time, but we'll get back to it," Capon threatened him in good-naturedly. "And about the robber – remember that in the end there was no fight. Someone just walked into the middle of their camp and convinced them to leave. Well, that's all in the past. The important thing is that this time no one will leave me behind. Hanush is not here to forbid me anything, so I'm coming with you tomorrow night. I will help you save Radzig and Lady Stephanie," he said firmly, accompanying his words by pounding his fist on the table so strongly that the beer mugs rattled.
At first, Henry was speechless and just stared at Capon. Then he cleared his throat and asked cautiously: "Are you sure, sir? It will be dangerous," he added rather simply, but nothing better came to his mind at that moment.
"Of course I am. Don't you even try to talk me out of it, I've already made my mind." The young nobleman finished his beer and stood up. "Enough talk. I'm going to order the grooms to get my horse ready and we'll meet at the guardhouse. I have to choose something there, too." After these words, he walked away from the pub with a light step and apparently in a great mood. Henry hid his head in his hands. How is he going to explain this to Sir Robard?