Stories thread - King of the Romans PBM

[Kagemusha]

Home coming

After the battle of Durazzo, Jonas had quickly turned the control of Austrian army to Austrians and started travelling North with only his closest men,escorting a wagon pulled by two oxens,carrying the earthly remains of his eldest son.
An native Croatian elder man named Mirco had also joined the the escort to guide them through Austria safely to Prague,where Erhart Von Mahren was to find his final resting place.
Jonas had been very silent mostly, but not completely. Von Mahren had never spitted in the pint before and after the events of Durazzo his drinking had detoriated to the point where after nights of heavy drinking and burts of rage,the whole party had to wait untill noon sometimes before Jonas could get out from bed. Then he would ride silently or muttering to himself untill the first resting place along the way. Then everything would start again from sipping of beer and wine for the headache,then to lame jokes that drunken people tend to have and many times after the stop for the night ending into uncontrollable rage or sadness that formed by Jonas sitting near the wagon and him talking to his dead son for hours sometimes,untill the mercy for the night would come in form of passing out.
Days turned into weeks as the funeral escort rode through Austria. From the Dalmatian coast and its fresh sea air,to the the mountains of Croatia,crossing the fertile plains around Tonava. Through the Hungarian Pusta,climbing on the forested hills of Bohemia and finally they were infront of Prague.
There Jonas stopped as if he was scared to enter the city. He stubbornly found excuses not to enter inside the walls.The men reminded him that during the summer time human bodies wouldnt last long before decomposing and that Erhart should be buried so he could rest in peace. Jonas didnt listen to his men. The only one alive he talked mostly was Mirco. The old man had told that not long a go he had lost his entire family in a Hungarian raid and the two bonded in their misery,finally on the second night infront of Prague after the wife of Von Mahren had sent messenger asking what was keeping them,Mirco convinced Jonas to enter the quiet city.
The city was in mourning.All the flags were dropped in half and when the small escort entered the city,there was not usual sounds of night,but the city was like a tomb,people were home and there were no usual drunkyards travelling the streets,singing nasty songs that dunks know the best.
The messenger his wife had sent escorted Jonas to a large house in the middle of the city,while the others went towards the city church to put Erhart in the crypt to wait for his funerals to take place.
Jonas entered the room and there was only Willelda von Mahren in the room besides the unlit fire place. Only few candles were set alight to give some light on the large room.
Jonas walked to his wife and their eyes met for the first time in decades. Willelda was still beutifull,while age had left its marks on her. But her eyes were cold and the expression on her face didnt show any kind warm feelings towards the new comer.

"Wellcome Mi Lord."

Willelda sayed with cold voice. Jonas decided that it was better to stay silent.Willelda continued with now ironic voice.

"So you are back from you glorious quest to Holy land?I hear that you were mighty succesfull and people will long remember the mighty deeds of German crusaders."

Now Willelda´s voice turned deeper and her eyes fixed on Jonas.

"I hear you rendevouzed with my son near Durazzo.Its a shame that you too couldnt spend more time before you got your own son killed."

Next Willelda started screaming so furiously that Jonas took one step back.

"Why didnt you die yourself?! Why you couldnt die in Holy land,so my son wouldnt have died becouse of you bastard?! We had everything allright here before you stupid fool arrived back in Reich. Can you see that your other children are not here to wellcome their father? It is becouse they hate you,you murderer!"

Jonas just stood there as the woman before screamed and cursed to him. He stood there with a face like stone,eyes focused on the woman before him. Willellda continued.

"I hope that you will soon leave for the stinking hell hole of Magdeburg you love so much. You are not the man i married and bared children to. You are nothing but stinking murderer and it would be better for all if you would just die and go to hell where you belong!"

This was too much for Von Mahren. His eyes enlargened and he took a quick step forward and punched Willelda straight to the face.Willelda dropped on a floor, her nose and lip bloodied. Before she could get up.Jonas leaned towards her and sayed with silent but determined voice. With the expression of a madman on his face.

"Woman.Your wish is granted. I will leave from here and never come back. You are dead to me for now on. I hope that you will restrain on visiting in Magdeburg and i will stay out of Prague. I buried Erhart already on our way here,im sure you can do the honours for his remains in here."

After saying that Jonas turned around and walked away from the room,leaving Willelda crying on the floor.As he came out from the building,others had come back from the church and Wolf the trusted Teuton of Jonas started.

"Your son is now in the crypt.."

In the middle of the sentence Jonas interrupted Wolf and sayed.

"Yes.Now we are leaving to Franconia.Ready your horses we will depart to Magdeburg immediately"

Wolf muttered.

"But sire,the funeral? We cant leave now.We have to bury Erhard."

"Shut up!"

Jonas sayed and continued.

"We buried that boy in the field of Durazzo. There is nothing for us here now. We will leave now and thats my final word.Any who doesnt want to come can stay. I will not talk about this more. And last, any man that mentions my family ever again in my presence will taste my sword. I will swear this."

Jonas quickly mounted his horse and started gallopping out from the city.The rest looked at each other with stupified expressions on their faces. After a moment Rudolf the old Veteran captain of Jonas sayed with loud voice.

"Follow the Count! We cant let him ride alone at that state!"

After Rudolf´s words,the whole escort mounted and galloped after their leader,also Mirco joined the group. Soon after, first Jonas and bit after the rest of his men galloped out from the gates of Prague disappearing in the midst of the night and leaving the shocked night guards sitting on their arses near the gate as Jonas Von Mahren and his men headed towards North.