Sword practice started out, as usual, with attacking the pells. It continued with calisthenics after which came one-on-one sword fights. No one but Tiberio knew who would fight who. He called out the first two names. The two men were closely matched in skill level and fought each other well. Tiberio led the discussion afterward and Uberto was thinking he might be the next to be called. He was, and his opponent was Coco. The two glanced at each other. Coco had already surprised everyone by previously beating a much larger trainee who was considered to be one of the best. He and Uberto left the group to put on the thick leather armor.
They faced off, swords ready, awaiting Tiberio's signal. Uberto sized up Coco. He was smaller than him in both height and weight. He knew he was extremely quick. The signal was given and both fighters stood their ground, not moving. Then Coco thrust forward with his weapon, obviously a feint, that Uberto didn't fall for.
Uberto advanced a short distance and dropped to one knee, the size of the target he presented thereby reduced. He held his shield before him. Coco lowered his buckler and raised his sword. He suddenly caught Uberto's shield with his own and at the same time delivered a powerful downward blow. Uberto instinctively knew it was coming and strong-armed his shield away from Coco's. Coco's waster clattered on top Uberto's buckler, stunning for a moment the hand that held it.
No matter, Uberto was quickly on his feet and thrusting at an angle toward Coco's chest. Coco whirled to the right, away from the blade, but it caught him in the stomach, having first glanced off his shield. Coco regarded Uberto warily, knowing he had narrowly avoided death. He backed off and Uberto cautiously advanced. He knew well the danger of charging a competent sword fighter.
They engaged, shield against shield, both attempting with a downward slice to cut each other's legs. Backing off, they lashed out again, the hilts of their swords catching momentarily as they parried. Standing side by side with swords locked, Coco struck with his knee at Uberto's groin only to have it pounded by the pommel of Uberto's sword. Coco groaned with pain but didn't lose his composure, and as they backed away he brought his weapon down in a wide loop toward Uberto's kidney. Uberto swung away from the strike, managing to get his sword up in time to stop the momentum of Coco's weapon.
Now Uberto was at a disadvantage, with his sword pressed against his shield on his left side. He pushed his buckler at Coco, trying to gain space for his sword. Coco held his ground and with a twist of his wrist flipped his sword squarely onto Uberto's shoulder. Then he quickly pulled it back, a slice that could cut off a head had the blade been steel and not wood. Uberto was already in motion however, bringing his shield up to knock the sword away while at the same time delivering a quick thrust to Coco's heart.
This time, Coco, thinking that he had the upper hand, was not quick enough. He was propelled back by the power of Uberto's stab to his chest, barely keeping his balance. Regaining his footing, he waited. Both men were flushed with sweat.
"Stop!" yelled Tiberio, who added, "Well done."
They went to the side to take off the armor as Tiberio began the discussion that followed each battle. When the lengthy analysis was finished, he dismissed the others but told Uberto and Coco to remain.
Walking to them he said, "I want to commend you two. I have been watching you and I am impressed how you have both put your heart into training. How much you have improved was quite evident today. You two put on a display of some of the best sword fighting I have ever seen. Go on now to supper. I will be expecting both of you to do just as well when fighting from a horse."
Uberto and Coco walked away together toward the gate of the stronghold. They knew Tiberio rarely gave praise, which made his words all the more gratifying.
After the fight
"You almost had me when your sword was on my shoulder," said Uberto.
"My thinking too. Good move you escape."
Uberto said more but realized Coco wasn't understanding much of what he was saying. "Where do you come from?" he asked.
"Over sea," said Coco, pointing in the direction of the Mediterranean.
"But why did you leave your home and people?"
"The Saracens come. Took all wealth. Closed churches. We ran and live in country. They come there too. We escape. Not be Muslem. We Christian"
"There are others?"
"No more. They dead. Only me, woman and child."
"You have a wife and child here too?"
Coco nodded affirmatively.
They arrived at the great hall and Uberto invited Coco to sit with him. Coco declined. Putting some food in a small leather bag he said. "I take food home. You friend. Come home too."
Uberto smiled at the invitation. Holding up his hand, he asked Coco to wait for him. He went to the kitchen, and finding an apron he returned to the table. He picked up meat, vegetables and berries and put them in the apron. Then he left with Coco. They went across the courtyard and out the gate toward a low lying area to the right of the main grounds of the manor. Coco led toward some small trees and on the other side of the trees was his house. Next to the house there was a garden.
Such a house. Small, partially blown over by the wind, it hardly seemed capable of being inhabited. Uberto noted how lopsided it stood. The wind had lifted one side off the ground. The two foot opening created was covered with interwoven branches and sticks. The other side of the house leaned against a tree which, no doubt, had kept it from being blown over completely. As they approached the dwelling Coco lifted his hands as if to say, "Is all we could find."
Before they entered, Coco spoke to someone inside in a strange language Uberto had never before heard. Coco led him in, and, as his eyes adapted to the low light, he saw the interior of the home was much nicer looking than the outside. In the dim light of a single candle he saw a young woman who was as dark as her husband. A toddler, with wavy black hair, held her hand.
"This is wife, Asara, and child, Mora." The woman bowed toward Uberto. Coco spoke to her, and he and Uberto gave her the food they had brought from the stronghold. She spoke to Coco and then turned to where stones and smoking ashes marked their cooking place. She placed the meat and vegetables in a kettle, sprinkled something on them, and added some wood chips to make a fire.
In the meantime, Coco picked up a short section of tree trunk from a corner, set it down, and then got a large round plank that had also been hewn from a tree. It had a hole in the middle, and he set down the plank, aligning the opening with the projection on the tree trunk. He brought pillows filled with straw and invited Uberto to sit with him at the small, low lying table. Soon, Asara was done with warming the food, and she brought it to them along with two tumblers she had filled with wine from a covered crock. She and her daughter did not sit down to eat with them.
Uberto was hungry after the hard fight, and the food tasted better than usual. Something Asara had added made it more flavorful. As they ate, Coco told how they had come to Francia after fleeing from the Muslims in Sardinia. Uberto found it hard to follow his limited Latin. Nevertheless, he managed to understand the following:
Coco and his wife were from a branch of Berber's called Mauri. Originally from Northern Africa, his ancestors were fighting men who were recruited by the Vandals when they pushed from Africa toward Rome. After the sack of Rome in 455 AD, the Vandals extended their conquests into Sardinia and Corsica. The Mauri, Coco's ancestors, settled in Sardinia.
More than two centuries later, the Muslims arrived in the early 700's. They captured the coastal cities, and in subsequent years they began moving inland to consolidate their power. To escape the Muslims, Coco and several others seized a boat and traveled to the mainland of Francia seeking refuge.
Once there, they climbed the hill up to the walls of the fortress town of Nice, but were turned away. They learned that Tiberio's domain to the northeast was expanding, but on their way to it they were attacked by robbers. Coco and his brother and another man battled the six bandits, killing two of them, but not before they had killed his brother's wife and their child.
Coco's brother and friend were badly injured in the fight. They subsequently died of their wounds leaving only Coco, his wife and child. Asara had wisely hidden herself and their daughter in the woods. Almost all their possessions were taken, but they were able to capture the horse of one of the men they had killed. At this point in the story, Coco sadly shook his head and stopped. Uberto was silent, realizing how it must have pained him to tell of the deaths of those close to him.
Author note Hope you are enjoying. (I know, not everybody is into the bit of history.) Think the next part may be titled "Carina's white lie and Uberto's promise." Thanks so much for all your votes. :) :) Comments welcome.
Historical: The Vandals' sack of Rome, their settlement in Sardinia and Corsica actually happened. Then, much later, when the Saracens began attacking Sardinia, some, like Coco escaped to find a land free from oppression.