The Strange Tale of Val Bona

[Cecil XIX]

In 1100 A.D. King Alfonso fell in battle against the Moors, having overestimated the strength of his bodyguard. Immediately thereafter, an army dispatched from Granada avenged him. From their ranks a man named Val Bona was adopted into the royally by Areas Tarcia, son-in-law of Alfonso. Religiously active, loyal beyond question, and a proven commander, Val had all the makings of a superb leader. Val’s first order was to construct watch towers along the west coast of Iberia.

But for Val Bona, fate turned down a strange road the following year. A Moorish diplomat named Ubaid Ismail approached him, and for reasons known only to them, Val defected. His army was again dispatched from Granada, this time with the sad task of hunting down one of their own, but was called off when it became clear that they could not stop Val from rendezvousing with a Moorish army near neutral Valencia.

Over the next decade Val Bona would lead a series of battles against Valencia and they would all follow the same pattern. Val would besiege the castle, and El Cid Campeador would sally forth and send Val fleeing. This series of engagements did little for Val or the Moors, but it did inspire the Cid to improve the infrastructure of Valencia considerably, so that he could train all manners of soldiers.

While this was going on, a loyal Spaniard named Gomes Oares raised in army in Corduba and proceeded to march into Africa. The adopted son of King Alfonso, Gomes was a skilled General. He defeated the Moorish armies that blocked his way, and took control of Marrakesh. During this campaign he defeated two members of the royal family including Miswar the Merciless, Sultan of the Moors. With the ascension of Sultan Qasim, Val Bona found himself the new Crown Prince of the Moors.

As Gomes Oares advanced on Algiers to take the last of the Moorish lands, Val recruited three mercenary regiments of spearmen and again marched on the castle at Valencia. This time the Cid was not there to defend his lands, having died peacefully and triumphantly some years before. Without his divine guidance, Val succeeded in taking Valencia for the Moors. The following year, Gomes defeated Sultan Qasim and occupied Algiers.

Val Bona has found himself in a truly unique position. Born in Alfonso’s united kingdom of Leon, Castile and Galicia, he never the less became Sultan of the Moors. Val quickly made plans to organize the remaining Moorish forces into an army led by Aswad Ouaziz. Aswad attempted to take Toledo, but was repulsed. After receiving substantial reinforcements, he marched northeast to the Pyrenees. Meanwhile, the new Crown Prince Khayri was leading a Jihad across Africa to Baghdad, never to be seen again. Val also began recruiting more soldiers at Valencia, to be ready for the day when Prince Gomes arrived.

That day came when Val was 41 years of age. Prince Gomes' veterans consisted of seven regiments of spear militia, two wings of jinetes, and a wing of mailed knights. To defend his castle, Val had one regiment of mercenary spearmen, four of sudenese javelinmen, and three wings of desert cavalry. Val Bona’s men were outnumbered and outclassed, but they made the Spaniards pay for every inch of the streets. Val’s bodyguard charged into the ranks of spearmen as they approached the center of the castle, single-handedly blocking the way and killing a third of the invaders.

Alas, it was all for naught. As the sun set Val lay dead, having taken seventy percent of the invaders with him. It was the end of a man who went from being a soldier in King Alfonso’s army to the last Sultan of the Moors.

A strange journey, wouldn’t you say?