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"The King and the mounted knightsyes." Then he realized what Alinor was asking, without wishing really to ask. "The common soldiers did thethe other work. They sang and laughed at it. Perhaps we nobles live too soft and listen to too many tales of high chivalry." He grinned wryly. "I was not the only one who emptied his belly all over the field." Then he rubbed his face against Alinor again. "But God is good to me. I have the cure of all my ills right here." |
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"Not if you do not let me take off this shirt and clean you," Alinor said tartly. She was relieved when Simon's arms dropped and he smiled almost normally. |
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However, he was not completely cured and might never be until they left this overripe land. At first, wherever Alinor led the talk as she treated his wounds, he kept returning to the sea of blood. It was not the thing itself that disturbed him, Alinor was pleased to discover. To be soft-hearted is all very good, but a man so soft-hearted that he lost sight of the purpose of a hostage or the danger of a large mass of prisoners left behind in hostile territory was soft-headed too. Quite literally the quantity, the too-muchness, of dead people and spilled blood had overset him. |
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Even her questions regarding how he had convinced the King to write kindly to Berengaria led back to the sea of blood. |
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"I? I did nothing," Simon said. "I think if any man had said that poor lady's name this past week it would have been his death. It was after we hadhad finished. We returned to the encampment and it was as if the King had thrown off a great weight. He began at once to plan our march south to Jaffa, whence he hopes to strike east to Jerusalem. Then suddenly he turned to me and asked if I would ride a message for him. I was a little surprised. There are messengers in plenty. But when he said to ride here with a letter to the Queen, I saw he meant kindly to me. He wished to |
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