Buzzards, Hawks and Ravens

(Account of Six Friends' Lives in the "Dark" Ages)

by

Ruwen Rouhs

Chapter 14.2

- Clandestine in Trescrossing –

 

- Jaco in the Castle – Friar’s Anselmus Unholy Trinity -

 

Birdsongs raised Jaco out of his deep sleep. The first daylight seeped in through the narrow cracks of the window shutters and filled the room with dim morning light. He felt perfectly happy. Marti was holding him tight and warm. His big friend was snoring openmouthed and his breath smelled slightly of roast beef and wine. Jaco felt safe and assumed that Marti’s interview with the commander of the Archbishop’s army had wound up in a feast.

The bedstead was hardly wide enough for one person much less for two, therefore they had resumed spooning, much to Jaco’s great pleasure. He wriggled into Marti’s lap. Feeling at ease and curious as well, he pushed his bare bum back against the mercenary’s crotch. That felt good. However there was something hard. Groping gently with his left hand, he was soon sure that it wasn’t a piece of oak, that it was Marti’s hard wood. Curious he maneuvered till the hard pole was aligned with his crack and then began to slide his bum up and down Marti’s wood. He was careful because he didn’t want to rouse his big friend, being not sure his friend would like this kind of treatment. But Jaco couldn’t help it; this felt really good and his own three inch pecker became hard as a dagger.

Suddenly the snoring ceased. Jaco froze out of fear but then something unexpected happened. Marti’s left hand began to search its way from Jaco’s bellybutton down to Jaco’s pecker. Probing Jaco’s the little soldier thoroughly, the big mercenary began to giggle, “Never in my whole life had I expected to get raped by a boy, while sleeping!” After the next fit of giggles, he added “I didn’t know yours was so big already. Tiny Reedy has a really big one.” Then he began to lick Jaco’s neck, to suck his earlobes and finally began to hump his bum. “Do you mind me humping you, my little Reedy? I really need to do this now. You feel so hot and I haven’t cum in days!”

Jaco was happy, and turning his head, he smiled his consent. While humping his little friend’s bum vigorously, Marti took hold of Jaco’s wood and jacked him off, never missing a beat of his humping. Not too long afterwards Jaco’s backside was squidgy with Marti’s cum and Marti’s hand slippery with Jaco’s watery boy-juice.

Recovered after a short doze, Jaco and Marti turned up at Mother Amy’s kitchen, hand in hand. Sitting at the kitchen table, they wolfed down loads of delicious porridge, watched closely by Mads and Anno. Being a wiseacre, Mads whispered to Anno, “Look brother, the mercenary and his little the soldier bride!” This was overheard by sharp eared Mother Amy. Pulling Mads´ earlobe she hissed, “Don’t you dare to insult my friends. Do it again and you will empty latrine pits for the rest of your days!”

Later, left alone by Marti, because of the mercenary’s new appointment as a captain in the Archbishop’s army, Jaco decided to discover the secrets of the castle all by himself. The first object of his curiosity was the chapel. The ancient three-aisled building was dimly lit by candles burning at the altars and by light passing through the small loopholes in the side-aisles.

*.*.*

 

After Jaco had adjusted his eyes to the dim light, he began his investigation in the left aisle. He was stunned. The walls between the small windows were covered by frescoes. In the very first fresco, an atrocious lindworm offered a red apple to Eve, while Adam tried to fight off the beast. The second fresco depicted the boarding of Noah’s arc. Paired animals climbed up the ramp of the ship, while Noah prayed with raised arms on its stern. Jaco had seen most of the animals before, at least in pictures, the wolves, the bears, the banded tigers and the freckled hyenas. But there were some beasts which were new to him, a gigantic grey animal for example, with a nose down to the earth and tusks longer than a man. Another beast had a neck up to the sky, higher than the arc itself. On top of its tiny head it wore a crown. The most stunning beasts however appeared nearly humanlike. They were walking on two legs but were hairy all over. One had big tangling boobs and a swollen back-side shining in red and blue. The other sported a thin, feet-long waggling prick with a blue tip. Jaco couldn’t believe his eyes. Who had dared to paint such devilish animals on the wall of a church? Staring at the painting, Jaco couldn’t help it, and sported a raging hard-on.

*.*.*

 

Stupefied by the ugly sight, he was scared by a hand tapping on his shoulder. A stern voice asked, “Hey boy, what are you after in my chapel? Are you skipping your lessons? Are you ditching school?”

Jaco nearly pissed his pants. When he turned anxiously, he had to look up to meet the blue-grey eyes of a slender man two heads higher than Jaco. In his black tunic, the man looked like a monk, but he was clean shaven, his hair was long and he didn’t wear a cowl.

“Have you lost your tongue, boy? Who are you? And why are you not in school?”

“I don’t go to school, Father. I am----” Jaco stuttered, “I am --- a page. I am the page of the mercenary, Marti!”

“Then that was you, who rescued the charmerchande for my midnight dinner? The boy called Reedy?” For the first time the monk smiled down at Jaco.

“Yes, yes I am Reedy. But my real name is Jaco. My master nicknamed me Reedy, because I am skinny!”

Studying Jaco carefully, the monk smiled “Amy told me you are not only nice to look at, but also quick of mind! Can you read?” Holding onto Jaco’s shoulder the monk urged him forward to the altar. The altar was decorated with the painting of a young man chained to tree and pierced by arrows. “That’s my favorite saint,” the monk told Jaco. “I know this isn’t a painting young boys like you would like. Do you know the saint’s name and his fate?”

When Jaco shook his head, the monk pointed to banner flying on the panel. “The banner shows his name! Read it!”

“I can’t!”

“Try it!”

“The first letter is S, the next E! But I don’t know the last one and the sixth!”

When the monk was sure Jaco wasn’t able read the full name, he told him, “It is Saint Sebastian, the martyr!” Then he switched the topic, “How old are you, Reedy, nine or ten?”

“Father I don’t know for sure. I am thirteen or so. My parents abandoned me, when I was a baby.”

“Already thirteen and you can’t read? Then it’s high time for you to start with school! Aren’t you curious about St. Sebastian and the other Saints? You have to attend school. You have to learn to read and write! Let’s start today!”

“But Father, I can’t pay the fee and Marti, the mercenary, can’t either. Furthermore, I am his page and he needs my help.” Looking a little sheepishly he added, “And he likes me!”

“Let the fee be my worry! Now, let’s get going. The first lesson is nearly over by now. We’ll have to hurry!”

*.*.*

 

Passing by several dark corridors, the monk, still holding onto Jaco’s shoulder, pushed open a door to a bright classroom with about twenty pupils, reciting a lesson in front of a grey-bearded monk. When the door flew open, the fourteen to sixteen year old lads turned their heads to the people entering, as if on command. The teacher monk hurried to the door, kneeled down and kissed the ring on the tall monk’s right hand, “Your Eminency, we are honored by your visit! All the students are doing well, exceedingly well!”

Only now Jaco realized the monk was the Archbishop, his Eminency the Archbishop Casmir. He got shaky knees, remembering his disrespectful behavior in the chapel. When they left the classroom, he tried to keep one step behind the Archbishop to show his obedience. But no, his Eminency took hold of his left shoulder and used him as a living walking cane.

The students in the next classroom they were Jaco’s age. Immediately, Jaco looked around for his future chair as a scholar. In the second row, beside a blond boy, there was an empty seat. Would this chair be his? Jaco contemplated. Obviously this was not to be the case, because it seemed to be the chair of a dark-haired boy who was serving a sentence, kneeling in a corner of the room.

When they left Jaco was slightly disappointed. The next classroom was crowded with kids, real kids. The nine to ten year old boys were chasing each other over tables and chairs and the teacher, a young monk, was standing at his desk screaming his head of. “We are playing “Chase the Rabbits” and Peter and Paul are the rabbits!” He welcomed the Archbishop and Jaco with a deep bow.

Clapping his hands together, the young teacher stopped the turmoil and the kids took their seats. Bowing in front of the Archbishop and kissing his ring, he asked, “Eminency, are you bringing us a new student?” Eyeing Jaco curiously, “He seems rather old and I doubt that he will fit in with my students.”

“Dear Friar Anselmus, Jaco, the Reed must! Sure, he is already thirteen, however he never attended school and has to start from scratch! Be strict with him, Friar! Reedy has to catch up to his peers in just one year!”

Turning to Jaco, he ordered with stern voice, “Reedy, you will report to me every week! If your learning progress is not good enough, you will get detention! Remember that!” With those words he pushed Jaco forward into the room and left. Moments later the Archbishop’s head emerged again through the open door, “Report to me on Saturday, young man! Meet me after the midmorning prayer, in front of St. Sebastian’s altar!”

The only seat left was at a desk just in front of the teacher. It was at the desk of the smallest students, Peter and Paul, the rabbits. These two were the smallest boys in the class, however, not the youngest. Soon Jaco found out they were Friar Anselmus’ favorite students. They were clever, witty and always good for a prank. Peter and Paul looked absolutely alike, same size, same features, and same curly hair. They looked like mirror images and this was enhanced by the simple gray tunics all students of the Archbishop’s school had to wear. Jaco guessed they were twins and he was not mistaken.

Jaco felt uneasy and humbled being placed with two boys several years younger and nearly a head shorter. His uneasiness increased, when the teacher presented him with a wax tablet, a stylus and a sheet of parchment covered with letters and ordered “Copy this, Reedy, while I teach the others.”

Jaco tried to concentrate. Handling the stylus was his first problem. His fingers seemed not to fit the slender pen. They seemed to be clumsy as a bear’s paw. While he tried to manage this task, the other students began to recite a prayer in Latin. He didn’t understand a word. He had heard the lines before in church, but didn’t know their meaning.

Nervously he began to copy the first letter. His first attempt seemed to last for hours and the result was catastrophic. The scrawl on his wax tablet didn’t resemble the letter on the parchment at all. He was hopeless! How could he ever be able to write?

Peter, or was it Paul, sitting beside him, began to giggle. “That’s P, the letter P! It’s not the gallows! Try again!” The other, Paul, or was it Peter, leaned forward, hissing “You are using the stylus like a dagger! You are supposed to write on the wax tablet and not to stab it!” Interrupting the recitation, the young monk commanded, “Peter and Paul, if you want to tutor Reed, do it noiselessly.”

Eagerly nodding, Peter, or was it Paul, motioned Jaco to change seats with him. Framing him, the twins began the first tutoring of theirs lives, nearly unheard by the others but with great success. At noon, Jaco was already able to write his first word flawlessly. It was the word “Pater”. The teacher was pleased and encouraged him, “Well done, Reedy, most students need more than a week to manage to write their first word.”

Peter and Paul needed the whole afternoon to teach their student to read this word, and to write and read the next one. By the end of the day, Jaco was able to write and read the first two words of the Lord’s prayer, “Pater noster”.

After school Jaco first headed to Mother Amy. He was excited! He was proud! He was a student now! He already knew how to write and read two words, “Pater noster”! Entering the kitchen he nearly killed her with his excited words. Amy interrupted his verbal assault, smiling mysteriously, “Sit down first and have your supper; you must be starved!” Turning to Mads, “You, rascal, go and get Marti!”

*.*.*

 

Smiling happily, Jaco met Marti in front of their hovel. Opening the door, they both backed up in surprise. They couldn’t believe their eyes. It was still the same small apartment, but now thoroughly cleaned. The floor was covered by a straw-mat. The rough wall of the rear was concealed by an embroidered wall hanging. The small table had been replaced by a writing desk with an oil lamp and the broken stool with two chairs. The bedstead was covered with a dark green blanket embroidered with a wheel, the emblem of the bishopric.

Jaco didn’t dare enter till Marti nudged him over the doorstep. Together they went to the desk. On top of it they noticed a wax tablet, several styli and some inscribed sheets of parchment. Something was written on the wax tablet. Jaco couldn’t read it and Marti had to decipher it:

For a good start, Jaco the Reed!

Earn it!

No sweet without sweat!

To Reedy and his big friend, Marty!

CCdO

The signature CCdO was written in majuscules.

Struck with surprise they turned to Mother Amy, who was waiting at the door. Marty began to rant, “What the heck does this mean? Who is spoiling Reedy, my Reedy, and me as well? Who is CCdO?”

“Can’t ya guess? Tell me, who is the Mightiest around here?” Mother Amy giggled, “His Eminency, Count Casmir d’Ogmund, CCdO. He likes to treat good men like good men need to be treated and he likes to encourage promising boys!” Giving Jaco a big smile, “Now Reedy, open the chest. The Archbishop’s student needs a uniform!” There, in the coffin, was the grey tunic of the student! Jaco could only say, “Wow!”

The Archbishop’s generosity fired up Jaco’s studiousness and at the same time forced Marti to rekindle his long unused knowledge and skills. “Let’s start learning, Reedy! I will dig up all my fallow knowledge and teach you whatever I know, and that’s a lot! CCdO will be flabbergasted by your fast progress!”

Huddling together under the warm covers at the end of this eventful day and enjoying the soft caresses of his big friend, Jaco asked Marti inquisitively, “Did CCdO think of these kinds of lesson too, my big Marty?”

“Ask him on Saturday!” the mercenary laughed, “Some holy men even know the taste of love!”

Now both Jaco and Marti had an unexpected problem. Was CCdO really the grim enemy of their friend Berrit and his family? Was he responsible for Anzo’s ill fate? Hadn’t CCdO promoted Marti to the rank of a lieutenant and given him the responsibility for troop of newly signed-on horseman? Hadn’t CCdO offered Jaco the chance to study after knowing him for just a moment? Hadn’t CCdO showered them with presents? Could CCdO really be such a devilish monster? Neither Jaco nor Marti was able to articulate his doubts. Without consulting each other, they decided to wait and see.

*.*.*

 

The next few days Marti was fully wrapped up in drilling the raw recruits and converting the bunch of clumsy lads into a combat-ready unit. And Jaco? He headed to school every morning with gleeful anticipation. His seat was now permanently between Peter and Paul, his special tutors. In the meantime, he could now tell apart both, because only Peter had a red scar on the back of his left hand. Due to his tutors and the lessons given to him by Marti in the evening, Jaco’s progress was fast.

But all the learning didn’t keep Jaco from committing mischief together with Peter and Paul. Sticking together all the time, they were soon known as “Friars Anselmus’ Unholy Trinity”, the FAUT.

Until Jaco’s arrival, the twins had always had to play the part of the rabbits in the cruel game of “Catch the Rabbit”. This didn’t change now. However, the game was now modified. Jaco, being one of the biggest students in the class, took over the role of the big black wolf, the defender of the poor rabbits. Jaco shielded his two friends successfully against cruel assaults by the other pupils, the hound dogs.

Since the time of its foundation, the attendance of the arch-episcopal high school in the castle had been a privilege allowed only to the son of nobles and wealthy citizens. Only lately the Archbishop had decided to open his school to sons of less privileged citizens, but so far no commoner had been allowed to attend this high school. Now Count Casmir d’Ogmund had opened the school to a boy of unknown descent, an abandoned child as the rumor said, to a boy who was the page to a mercenary and who had even worked as a scullion. While the younger boys didn’t mind Jaco’s origins, the conceited teens at the highest level were furious, and decided that Jaco had to leave “their” school. Discussing the problem amongst themselves, they decided Jaco had to be forced into starting a schoolyard fight. This very serious misdemeanor would inevitably cause his expulsion from the school.

For two days they tried to fool Jaco into a fight with verbal slander. In vain, as Jaco was clever enough not to start a fight when verbally affronted by stronger pupils. Then one of the young nobles came up with a new proposal. “Let’s bully Peter and Paul!” he told his fellows, “and Jaco the Reed will surely come to rescue his two tutors.

In the next break two of the bullies took the smaller two of the FAUTs and put them in headlocks. Alarmed by the screaming of Peter and Paul, Jaco rushed to the battle ground to help his friends. Immediately he was intercepted by the strongest of the teens. A fierce fight resulted. The bully was cheered on by his friends and, strong as he was, knocked Jaco nearly over. Being on the verge of losing, Jaco put all force he had left into it, and with a last punch hit his opponent’s nose. The blood streamed, the bully cried and together with his companions fled to the classroom to spread the news to their teacher, the headmaster.

“Rules are rules” the head-teacher proclaimed, “Bring the culprit to the detention cell and remove his school tunic!” he ordered the school-beadle, “This boy is not worthy of attending the Archbishop’s prestigious school. Give him a whipping on his bare backside, ten lashes, and then kick him out into the ward!”

Meanwhile, Peter and Paul had alerted Friar Anselmus. “Please, please come help Jaco. He is getting punished wrongly. The big students put us into headlocks and Jaco came to rescue us!” The young monk, Anselmus, knowing the nasty character of the conceited aristocrats from his own experience, rushed to the detention cell and got there just in time to prevent the worst.

Jaco had already received three lashes. “Stop this, you fool!” Friar Anselmus ordered the beadle, “Jaco is not the culprit. Tell the headmaster he has made a big mistake. I will inform his Eminency! Reedy is not the culprit! He just tried to support his friends Peter and Paul!”

Back in the classroom, Jaco tried his best not to show his pain. However, due to the bruises on his backside, he was not able to sit down. When he refused to go back to his house and take the rest of the day off, Friar Anselmus allowed Jaco to attend the instructions and use his standing desk.

*.*.*

 

On his way back to Amy’s kitchen, Jaco limped more than he walked. The news of the incident had already spread throughout the castle and Mother Amy had prepared Jaco’s favorite dish, toasted bread in wine sauce. However, before she served the delicious treat, she ordered him to pull down the breeches and treated his battered backside with a sweet smelling ointment, prepared from the fat of bear cubs, mixed with lavender and honey.

“Oh, that hurts more than before; Amy, do you want to kill me?” Jaco complained.

“Cry a little bit, my baby, but this will help and if you marry next Sunday your bride will not notice the slightest scar!”

Naturally Jaco did not plan to marry next Sunday, but he got a surprise from Marty he never expected. At bedtime the young mercenary asked compassionately, “Show me your lesions, poor brat, I know a remedy you never dreamed of before!” Curious, Jaco rolled over on his belly and showed Marty his mistreated bum. “That really looks bad, my Reedy! All red and sore!” Because of Amy’s salve Jaco’s bum smelled sweet as a meadow in spring. Marty couldn’t help it. He had to kiss the welts running across Jaco’s mounds. Without forewarning, he began to plant soft kisses on them, from left to right and then back again.

“What are you doing Marti? That’s feels funny. That’s nice! ---- Your beard stubble is scratchy! Stop tickling me!” When Marty paused, Jaco began feigning a baby and pleaded, “Please, please Mammy, don’t stop. Please, more kisses and the pain will go away!”

Marti laughed outright, “You spoiled brat!” He tried to turn Jaco around, but struggling like a baby would, Jaco warded of Marti’s attempt. The fine cleft between Jaco’s mounds smelled even sweeter then the welts. Marti couldn’t resist this sweet temptation. First he planted kisses along the tight cleft and then took a first lick. Every lick along the tight cleft made Marti more curious. Sniffing like a little dog, he parted Jaco’s mounds a little bit more and with the tip of his tongue licked Jaco’s bum hole. Oh Lord, the tiny hole smelled like lavender and tasted like honey; no moldy smell, no revolting taste.

“Stop this, don’t get pervy! Stop it! Or I will get a hard-on!”

“You are already hard! You always have a hard-on anyway, all day long your breeches are tented!”

Jaco turned around and poked his tongue out to Marty. “Yuck, you are always hard too!” Marti blushed and shook his head, denying this accusation furiously, but Jaco insisted, “I know this for sure! All night long you have a hard-on! You are hard whenever we spoon!”

This banter resulted in a lengthy horse-play and finally both fell asleep, exhausted.

*.*.*

 

Next morning in school, Peter and Paul inquired about the state of Jaco’s bum, “Does it still hurt? Do you have blood-shot streaks? Blue and green marks? Are the streaks swollen?”

“I am fine, but the marks are itching! They are healing, thanks to Mother Amy’s salve and Marti’s treatment!” Opening the jar with the salve, he invited to Peter and Paul, “Take a whiff of the salve. It’s made of lavender and honey.”

“Oh, it smells sweet. I like it!” Scratching his backside, Paul begged, “Can you apply the ointment to my bum? It’s itching too!” and Peter demanded, “The salve smells so sweet. Please do my bum too.”

In the lunch break the FAUTs headed off to their small hide-out in a hazelnut thicket in the garden. “Let us see your bum first!” Peter and Paul demanded.

Wiggling his bum, Jaco pushed down his breeches. “That looks pretty good already! The marks are nearly gone!” Pete stated, touching Jaco’s bum. Then he sniffed Jaco’s bare bum, ”Oh your bum really smells nice!” With a quick move he pulled his own breeches down to the ankles. Kneeling down he raised his bum into the air, “Hurry up and grease my backside too, Jaco, please!” he begged impatiently.

Paul, copying his brother, demanded “Do to me first, it was my idea!” and showed Jaco his fine bum.

Greasing the two bums carefully, Jaco remembered the funny feeling he got, when Marti rubbed his bum-hole. Taking a big blob of miracle ointment with the tip of his forefinger, he began to rub Paul rosebud teasingly. “Stick you finger in a little bit; I like it!” Paul begged. “Deeper, deeper, that feels great! Please!” Peter, keeping a jealous watch on his brother, demanded, “Me too, me too, Reedy! Do us both!” Jaco enjoyed the task of a healer and got a hard-on.

Unfortunately the bell announced the end of dinner break and the TAUTs had to stop their game. Before pulling up their breeches, the three friends checked up each other. Three hard peckers were pointing straight to heaven. Giggling, they rubbed the tips of their peckers together and then pledged to each other, giggling, “We’ll stay friends forever!”

With some delay, the FAUTs arrived back in the classroom, giggling and with beaming eyes. Sizing the boys up from head to toe, Friar Anselmus, their beloved teacher, asked, “You are late again! Where did you hang out my friends? Do you want to stay after school?” The FAUTs answered in unison, “We tried Mother Amy’s miracle ointment. It works wonders! Do you want us to try the ointment on you Friar Anselmus, after school, please?”

Much to their regret, the young teacher didn’t take up their offer. Did he suspect an unholy assault? Who knows?

*.*.*

AUTHOR NOTE

I would like to express my special thanks to B. for doing an unbelievable great job by correcting all the wrong expressions and the punctuation used by a non native English writer.

Comments, reviews, questions and complaints are welcomed. Please send them to ruwenrouhs@hotmail.de. And I would like to add, thanks for reading.