Baldwin was not very accustomed to the atmosphere of the English, especially the drunken and profligate appearance of the northern lords, and even the usually serious Earl of Northumbria reached out to the maid with a round belly and a large wine jar, and touched her thighs wrapped in a tunic all the way to her buttocks. The musicians played the lute and the more traditional Fidel, which were popular at the Saracen court, and the beautiful maidens who danced the dot and circle dances, their legs raised high, and they jumped and stepped like deer, literally as they pleased.

If it were a different time, such a temptation would definitely make this young man with a strong blood lose his temper, but Baldwin's heart was still excited about tomorrow's sword salute. The ceremony was expensive, and even though his father had amassed a great deal of wealth over the years, it was a great deal of blood to organize the ceremony for him, but he could also receive many gifts in return for the canonization, such as Flemish lords who usually gave Semite silk and horses of all colors, and English nobles who liked to give them ornate robes and new armor.

"My lord, next is a special performance specially arranged by His Majesty." One of the court tains reminded him that the English knight, with his gold and silver helmet, shiny waist-length armor and his left sword neatly tucked in his sheath, was one of the few people present who remained awake at all times.

Baldwin withdrew his gaze from the women around him, and although there were ladies and beauties in the Frankish court, the knights' communication was limited to conversation, probably to praise the beauty of the most outstanding ladies and ladies, and where would it be like this, young men and women were affectionate and close to each other, and the warriors who performed the most in equestrian and jousting during the day would also be sought after by many women, wrapped in the luster of red squirrel skin, Zendar silk, Lisserus silk, ferret, peridot, red zircon, and topaz.

The show begins with a sudden appearance of brocade castle, where noblewomen and unmarried maidens are housed, and the warriors attack with a variety of "weapons", including apples, nutmeg, figs, bouquets of roses, and vases containing balm, rose water, merilot, and dried lilacs, until the fall of the ladies' fortress and the victory of the love game.

But tonight's revelry apparently did not culminate in this, and after the fall of the castle of love and joy, everyone peeked out from the red cloth and the silk of Baghdad, and looked up at the sky as if they were expecting something.

A miracle happened suddenly, with a loud explosion like thunder, colorful flames rose into the air, and the "court judges" responsible for maintaining the order of the game had to immediately stabilize some overly shocked spectators, most of whom were intoxicated by this breathtaking magic, and the blazing white light was faint as water, like petals blown away from the branches, and in an instant, they dissipated without a trace.

Loud applause rang out in the countryside, and Baldwin almost thought he was in a dream, and he came back from his trance when the white-robed King of England appeared in front of him.

"How's our gift?" King Edgar gracefully took the queen's hand and approached.

"Glory!" The Flemish people exclaimed, "It's unbelievable." ”

"Ha, you should see Count Moka's reaction, he is still clamoring for someone to bring cold water to sober him up." The king looked smug, "But this is not just a trick at the banquet. ”

"Oh?"

"We call this thing dragon fire, or snake fire, a secret that belongs to Satan the ancient serpent, and fills the battlefield with the sulfur smell of hell." Edgar lowered his voice, and Baldwin shuddered, for he had been told that the king was interested in some dark knowledge, and he had thought it was nonsense, until now.

"Well, you'll see it in the future, now is the time to celebrate." Edgar raised his golden glass and drank it down.

Baldwin could not think about the king's words, for he was about to bathe and keep vigil with all the new knights who would be ordained tomorrow, and wait in the nearby church for the next day's ceremony of receiving the horses and armour.

There was often a comrade-like bond between the knights who were armed, and Edgar himself performed a sword salute in Normandy with Robert the Sock, and there was a special friendship between the two, and the Duke of Normandy, who canonized Edgar as a knight, could even be regarded as Edgar's feudal lord in a sense, although no one would mention this section in a boring way these days.

On this night, Edgar stayed awake all night like those knight apprentices, and the months of separation from the queen were a kind of torment for both of them, and Edgar, who was immersed in love, did not know that his illegitimate child was not far away. The relationship between the king and his wife has always been very good, and the young couple is always full of mental and physical desires, and Edgar has long missed his wife's long wavy hair and almost dark eyes, and is even more fascinated by her plump breasts and round peach buttocks, and all these years, even when his wife is pregnant and unable to have intercourse, Edgar has not had any relationship with any of the ladies of the court, so that the nobles often talk privately about the king's unusual loyalty.

When the clouds cleared, Queen Emma sighed suddenly.

"Thinking about Edmund?"

"I'm thinking, you're always not by my side, sometimes we don't see each other for more than half a year, and every time you go abroad, I'm afraid I'll never see you again."

"You know that's my responsibility."

"Promise me not to leave me alone in London again, I'll go crazy."

"Our children need you as the cause of the kingdom needs me." Edgar tries to soothe his wife, but he apparently fails.

"Let the others share your worries, the children need you too, I am worried about Edmund, you are always away, I have to take care of Elfwen, this child is temperamental and withdrawn, I don't know what to do with him."

"Do you want him to go to war with me?"

"He needs his father's example, even on the battlefield." The queen's words surprised Edgar, "I have known since childhood that blood does not bring authority, and that if he is to inherit your kingdom, he cannot be as incapable of anything as he is now, and if that is the case, I would rather he not be king—our children must not be as miserable as Godwin's children." ”

"Wait a few years, and I'll teach him to be a man." Edgar promised.

In the dream, Edgar saw the young non-commissioned officers wounded by the blazing fire, their faces were very blurry, sometimes familiar, sometimes like Edmund's face, sometimes they conjured up a strange face, revealing only a few points of the highland atmosphere of a different world, and only a severed limb and stump remained.