A Crusader with System in the Middle Ages

Bohemond continued, ”Come on, give me the paper. What does it say? Someone read it to me. No, never mind. I’ll sign it.”

Alexios smiled and nodded, as if he had expected this. A Greek Bishop then hurried over with the document.

Bohemond glanced at Raymond and even gave him a wink. He set down his gloves, picked up the quill, and ceremoniously drew a large ”X”. ”Come now, are there any more? I’ll sign them! Whatever you want me to sign, bring it here. Let’s get this business settled right now.”

(The ’X’ represents the Andrew Cross. In the Middle Ages, the nobility would use an ’X’ to signify their consent when signing documents.)

The oath of fealty was handed over, and Bohemond signed his name again. Then he turned to Raymond and said, ”You see? It’s nothing. Painless. No divine punishment has rained down. Just for signing your name or drawing an X, you get ships, good food for the soldiers, safe passage, and maybe even meet a few women?”

Bohemond laughed heartily and turned to Alexios.

Emperor Alexios was quite pleased with this performance, but Bohemond seemed not to notice. He waved the ostrich quill in front of Raymond’s nose. ”Come now, Count of Toulouse, how could you possibly find a better master than Alexios?” He leaned closer to Raymond, nudged him with an elbow, and whispered, ”What is this piece of paper compared to the grace and glory you’ll win in Jerusalem?”

Raymond shot an impatient glance at Bohemond and Alexios. The Emperor was watching him, his expression full of expectation.

Finally, Raymond took the quill, stepped forward, and signed his name. Alexios breathed a sigh of relief, descended from the altar, and embraced Bohemond, and then Raymond.

”Yes, yes, I love you too,” Bohemond said as Alexios kissed him. ”I love all Greeks, Syrians, Jews, Moors, even the Turkic People, as God is my witness. Now, provide our soldiers with fresh horses and ships, and we will swiftly depart your city to reclaim territory for you and for Christ. What do you say, Your Majesty Alexios?!”

”You are my sons,” Alexios said, his accent thick.

”I am my father’s son,” Bohemond replied. ”My father was once your enemy, but that’s all in the past, isn’t it? Now we’re all friends, working for the cause of God.” He looked up, made the sign of the cross, and then let out a laugh so wild that all the other nobles couldn’t help but join in.

......

Back at the encampment after leaving the palace, Count Raymond’s face was still dark as he unsaddled his horse. He was in a foul mood, accusing Bohemond of failing to support him and of defying his wishes.

”Lord Earl,” Bohemond said, placing a hand on his shoulder. ”My father, the saintly Robert Guiscard, once invaded this damned Empire. He told me, ’The day Constantinople falls is the day the world ends.’ Alexios understands this, and so do we. That signature saved the lives of more than a thousand of your soldiers.”

”But the oath?” Raymond asked.

”This oath?” Bohemond said with a smile, holding up the parchment scroll. He called for a soldier, who led over a mule.

As the mule was led over, Bohemond kissed the oath Scroll, which was tied with a golden ribbon. ”To the great King of Greece, Alexios Komnenos!” he proclaimed with false ceremony.

Then Bohemond lifted the mule’s tail and carefully shoved the parchment into the mule’s anus. ”There we go,” he said. ”It’ll stay right there.”

After saying this, Bohemond burst into laughter again, even more delighted than before.

”We are running out of time. The Emperor of Germany and the King of the Normans have already crossed the strait—one heads east, the other south.

We must also set out at once to fight the Turkic People. If the Holy City is reclaimed by those two rulers before we get there, our expedition will be a joke, and all our sacrifices will have been meaningless. Arguing with Alexios is pointless; we don’t need to make another enemy for ourselves on top of the Heretics.

Tomorrow, we will take Alexios’s ships across the Bosphorus Strait and make camp at Pelecanum in Anatolia. There, we will fight alongside the Turkic People loyal to Alexios to win Ankara City for him. This will be our first step into the Holy Land.

Our pilgrimage has truly begun. Our mission is reclamation. Our goal is the Holy Sepulchre of Christ.”