Chapter XCVI
Karl only stayed for a day and then left for Jerusalem, for it was obvious that the Sultan would attack that city next and although Karl had sworn not to take arms against the Sultan again, he felt that if the lord of Ibelin could be absolved of his oath, so could he and Jerusalem needed him.
"God curse these unbelievers," Babrak growled when he and I were alone. "You can never trust them, for if they swear to you by God and by their prophets they go the next day to a priest and obtain this 'absolution' and their oath means nothing."
I shrugged. "And if Mecca was in danger and we had sworn an oath to the Franks, would we keep it?"
"Of course not!" Babrak sounded horrified. "But that's different: everyone would know that such an oath was worth nothing."
After ten days Hilmi came to visit us and bring us news and left, promising to come again the following week but on the appointed day he did not come, for barely two weeks after Ascalon surrendered the Sultan and all his army arrived outside al-Quds and laid siege to it.
Babrak and I rode there to see this wonder and enquired in the army for the Emir ibn-Hamza. He was busy overseeing the men who were building stone-throwing machines but he greeted us warmly and at mid-day, when it was too hot to work or fight, he took us into his tent and refreshed us with food and water. We asked him concerning es-Sid and he promised to make enquiries for us after Jerusalem was captured and we rode back to Gibran to report to Trudy and the steward.
Two weeks later Fatima arrived at Gibran, weeping, to bring the news that after only twelve days Jerusalem had surrendered and all the Franks were taken captive. All the great lords and churchmen bought their freedom on generous terms from the Sultan but thousands of the ordinary people were taken away into slavery.
"Those great ones left, carrying their wealth with them, when they could have ransomed everyone," Fatima said bitterly.
"How did you escape?" Trudy wanted to know.
"I stayed in the house," Fatima replied. "When the Sultan's men entered the city in peace they came into all the houses and looted everything there. When they came to the house of es-Sid I met them and told them that I was merely a servant in the house and also that I was of Islam and they let me alone, but men are men and when I found that a company of twenty soldiers were going to live in the house I said that I had to go to the bazaar to buy food for them and just walked out of the city." She laughed. "They are probably still waiting for their dinner."
"What happened to Hilmi?" I asked.
"Hilmi?" Fatima's eyes widened. "I do not know. I did not know that he was in al-Quds during the siege. Mind you," she added after reflecting for a moment, "during the siege it was not safe for a Muslim to wander in the streets. I was all right, as a woman, but it would not have been wise for Hilmi to venture out."
To our relief he arrived the next day very worried about Fatima, for he had gone to es-Sid's house after the city was captured but found only the Sultan's men there, in very bad humour because, they said, the servant girl whom they had captured had disappeared. When I reassured him and even more when Fatima herself came down from Trudy's room and greeted him his joy was so great that I wondered at it.
"Come back to al-Quds with me," he said to her. "My mother will welcome you and you will be safe in our house."
Hilmi stayed overnight and told us all the news, how the great cross was taken down from the Temple and dragged through the streets of al-Quds for two days while men beat it with sticks and with their shoes, how there was an emir at each gate and none went in or out without the Sultan's permission, how the great ones had permission to take all their goods provided only that they paid the agreed ransom.
"By God," he said, "truly all is changed, but whether it is for the better or the worse is known only to Allah. Even though I am of Islam, I had to pay four dirhams to the guard on the gate before they would let me through; at least with the Franks you did not have to bribe anyone for such small things."
In the morning he rode off with Fatima mounted behind him in the Frankish manner. We waved them off and when they were out of sight Trudy sighed deeply.
"I hope they will be happy," she said.
I raised my eyebrows and she laughed and poked me in the ribs with her finger.
"You mean to say that you haven't noticed?" she demanded. "You men are blind! Hilmi has been making eyes at Fatima for the last year or more."
I shook my head in wonder. "No, I never noticed a thing," I confessed. A moment later I added, "That only leaves Babrak."
"And my father, and Konrad, Louis and Phillipe," Trudy said quietly.
Babrak came to me the next day and asked to speak to me privately. We went out into the field behind the house and sat in the sun, for it was starting to grow cold in the mornings.
"You know that Fredegund is gone?" he said quietly.
I turned to him in surprise. "No, I didn't."
"Before the Sultan came to al-Quds," Babrak said. "Her mother left with a convoy going to Tyre and Fredegund went with her."
"But I thought . . ." I protested.
"So did I, Babrak said. He was silent for a moment. "Now that our master is no longer here I have no purpose. Unlike Charles or Hamed or even Hilmi, I do not have a woman waiting for me and with no king, no kingdom and no lord, there is no longer hope of advancement. I am minded to go and join myself to some emir in the Sultan's service - but I do not like to go empty handed."
He paused and I chuckled. "You want a gift from es-Sitt," I said.
Babrak shrugged. "You are the one who has the ear of es-Sitt," he said. "If you speak to her for me, she will be generous."
For a moment I thought of showing him Guy's seal and letting him know that it was I who could give or withold, but I thought it best not to boast. I promised that I would speak to Trudy - and indeed I did, for I ate breakfast with her in her appartment each morning. With her approval I told the steward to give Babrak sixty dinars and he gave great thanks to es-Sitt and left that same day.
