Thursday 20th July 1021


It was a hot summer's day for the citizens of the city of Regensburg. The sky was a soft blue and completely void of clouds and the sun beat down in all its majesty. Niklaus von Geslau hoisted himself out of the Danube which ran through the city and rolled over, exhausted, on the riverbank. In his hand he clutched a small silver brooch in the shape of a lion, its metal head reared imperiously. He was soaked through; the water dripping from his clothes pooled around him.

After a moment Niklaus sat up and reached for his boots. They had been all he could afford to take off before urgency made him dive into the river. Their weight was comforting; they made him feel solid and stable again. He felt the brooch in his hand and smiled.

The riverside was quiet today. Niklaus knew this was mainly due to it being market day, and so everyone would be closer to the centre of the city. On other days, however, it was common for people to sit beside the river in small groups or alone and watch the barges as they passed through the city. Niklaus preferred the quiet, though occasionally a trip to the market lifted his spirits. When he was in the city, that was.

His master was away on important business - but Niklaus found it hard to fathom just what such business could be, that the man did not want his own squire to accompany him. Sir Bernd was a knight, the greatest that Niklaus had ever met. Niklaus himself had been poor and unhopeful before Sir Bernd had found him and taken him in, and the boy was ever-grateful for the kindness he had displayed. Since then he had gone on countless ventures with his master and seen many places and things. As was considered only proper, Niklaus would accompany Sir Bernd wherever he went. But not this time.

Sir Bernd had been gone for two weeks, and beneath the concern and the curiosity Niklaus felt forgotten. He was confined to the city now, his orders coming from a stricter comrade of his master's, a knight called Sir Konrad. These orders were basic chores, like tending to horses and fetching certain supplies. Niklaus was bored. He wanted to explore, to see the world again. He wanted to be free of stone city walls.

That day had begun with the usual prayers and meal. Niklaus had returned to his chamber after breakfast to write a letter to his mother. He always felt some small degree of guilt when he wrote to her telling her of his adventures, and he wished sometimes that he could share it with her properly. Sometimes, on darker days, he told himself that he had abandoned her. He had left her behind, forgotten her - just as he felt Sir Bernd had recently done to him. Her return letters always reassured him, however. She seemed bright and cheerful when she wrote about the new animals she had purchased, and about how Niklaus' younger brother was developing into a playful little boy. He was satisfied that she was living the life she deserved, as he was.

When he had finished the letter he paid a messenger to deliver it, and then walked through the city to the crafter's workshop where he had left Sir Konrad's brooch. The small trinket was a family heirloom, he had been told, and Niklaus had been tasked with finding and paying a skilled crafter to fix the pin on the back, which had come loose. It seemed that the young squire had found the right man, as the brooch was now in perfect order. He left the workshop and made his way to the riverside, where he decided to take a stroll. Half way back to Sir Konrad's dwellings, however, the pouch on his belt which contained the brooch had fallen open, and the brooch itself plunged into the river. Panicked, Niklaus had shed his boots and plunged after it.

Half an hour of desperate searching later and Niklaus was continuing on towards Sir Konrad's dwellings, brooch held tightly in hand. He kept a small distance from the water this time, nervously contemplating what it would be like if he had to dive back in.

Soon the majestic form of the Regensburg Cathedral rose up nearby, and as he passed it Niklaus heard a sound. It was a curious sound, gentle and yet somehow sad. He looked around and his eyes came to settle upon a girl of about his age, sat on the riverbank with her bare feet dipped in the swirling waters. Her head was bowed, and Niklaus realised suddenly that she was crying. He froze.

What do I do? he thought to himself, suddenly very self-conscious. Does she know I'm here? In those moments he visualised several different scenarios, many of which did not end particularly well. He found himself completely confounded. Then a thought suggested itself to him. It wouldn't be chivalrous to walk away, would it?

Taking a deep breath, he tried to look courageous and determined. Then he walked over to the girl, faltered for a second, and then sat nervously down beside her. She didn't look up at him.

What now? thought Niklaus, becoming a little flustered. His cheeks burned as he realised he did not know what to say. He tried to clear his throat, though it turned instantly into a small cough. Then he said the first thing that came into his head.

"So what's your name?"

Her head swung round and she threw him a stony glare. He immediately shrank back, terrified. She maintained her gaze for a few seconds longer, and then her expression softened, a fresh wave of tears forming in her eyes. She looked back down at her feet in the water. For a long moment there was silence.

Then, meekly, she said, "Elisa."

Niklaus stared at her, realising for the first time how beautiful she was. Then, realising she had spoken, he regained himself and stammered his own name in reply.

"Why are you crying?" he said after another long moment.

Elisa was hesitant to reply. "I think..." she began, "I think I've heard something I shouldn't have."

Niklaus relaxed his shoulders a little as the words began to come easier to him. "What is it?" he asked. When she did not respond he added, "I'm the squire of an important noble. I'm sworn to secrecy about many things."

There was a pause. And then Elisa began to talk.

"I was hiding... from my little brother, we were playing a game. I was hiding in an abandoned old storehouse behind some crates. And then two men came in..." She bit back a sob. "Two men came in and started talking. I didn't get a look at them, I was too scared." She turned to Niklaus as if realising for the first time that the person sitting next to her was an actual human being. Tears fell freely as she went on, "They were talking quietly, but I heard them. I think they were planning on killing someone!"

Niklaus stared at her and, realising she probably expected him to be shocked, feigned a look of complete surprise. "Really?" he said, intending to keep up the façade, but it came out sounding more patronising than surprised. Elisa frowned at him. She wiped away the tears and raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Well," said Niklaus, sounding slightly cocky now, "there was this time... Me and the master needed to enter this little French town near Lourdes, discreetly. I was told to hide in the cart of a couple of merchants along with some vegetables, and I swore then that the merchants looked completely innocent. Completely normal and harmless, just like your average merchants. Anyway, we were nearing the town and it turned out one of the men had recently deserted his wife. You honestly would not believe some of the things he said about her..."

There was a pause. And then Elisa laughed.

It was a small, strange little sound, though Niklaus thought it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever heard. He laughed too then, and when they both stopped there was silence between them again.

Elisa had stopped crying and wiped away the last of the tears. She sniffed, and then frowned again. "You smell," she told Niklaus.

Niklaus sniffed too and realised that she was right. "I had, err... I went fishing." He held up the brooch so that Elisa could see. "In there," he added, gesturing at the Danube. Elisa immediately withdrew her feet. Niklaus smiled.

As the day drew on they sat there, occasionally exchanging words and looks, and eventually they entered into a deep conversation. It was when the sun began to set and the air turned slightly cold that Niklaus decided that he should get back to Sir Konrad with the brooch.

"I should go," he told Elisa. She nodded and they both stood up. There was a moment of awkwardness between them as they stood there.

"I live just west of the cathedral," said Elisa, "in case you have more stories."

Niklaus smiled, nervous again. "I shall remember that," he said. "Goodbye then."

He turned and walked on towards Sir Konrad's dwellings, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He looked over at the cathedral as he passed by it and realised just how uninteresting it was compared to the one image now imprinted on his mind.

Maybe it isn't so bad I've been forgotten, he thought to himself.