2These were hard times for King Albert; the peasants were beginning to revolt against his absolute rule. Peasants weren't the least of King Albert's problems. Austria's ongoing war with the Mongols was beginning to take its toll on the empire's treasury. Also, many men have died and the king was not all too happy with the direction that the combat was going.
Sophia was his pride and joy. She was perfect in his eyes; and what he thought was all that mattered. King Albert knew that he was getting old. He knew that he was going to have to pick an heir to the throne. The problem was that he had no sons. He would have to marry his daughter to a good leader, since Sophia cannot rule the kingdom. The king spent countless nights thinking of whom his precious daughter could marry.
One night, one of the noblemen who runs the Office of Foreign Affairs, came into his chamber. He suggested that Sophia marry a knight by the name of Grilum. Grilum was an old family, which consisted of knights in every generation. Grilum was a loyal knight whom protected the Catholic Church from invaders from the east. These invaders were Mongols who were opposed to the teachings and beliefs of the Catholic Church.
King Albert was delighted with the proposal. On the next morn, King Albert sought out the knight Grilum and told him of his proposal. They made arrangements and negotiated a dowry.
Over a warm supper that eve, King Albert told Sophie about her approved marriage to Grilum. King Albert thought that Sophia might be happy or at the least content with marrying such a respectable man. What he didn't expect was her to breakdown into tears. When the king asked Sophia what was wrong, she merely replied with a cold glare. She stormed out of the dining hall all the way up to her chamber. The king was dumbstruck.
* * *
When Sophia stepped into her chamber, she was seething. She was enraged at the mere prospect of marrying a complete stranger. She was livid that her father did not even bother asking her opinion on the matter at hand.
Sophia sat down on her bed and took out a wooden box. In this box there were love letters from her true love, Quamgat. Quamgat was also a knight, but he was poor. He had a very obstinate time finding a lord that would employ him. It seemed that every lord nowadays had knights. In the meantime, Quamgat worked at the local church, cleaning. Quamgat was courteous, loyal, and courageous. He had amazing agility and was an accomplished horseman in battle.
Sophia was deeply in love with this knight, but she knew that she had no choice. She had to marry Grilum. It was her father's decision and she wouldn't struggle against his will, for if he ever found out about Quamgat, her father would sentence Quamgat to death. She will marry Grilum, but she will not remain faithful to him.
Shortly after the marriage of Grilum and Sophia, King Albert passed away. The new king, King Grilum, was more lenient on his rivals than King Albert was. His army was stronger than King Albert's army but with Russia trying to gain their land, King Grilum had a lot on his hands. Besides the ongoing wars, the rise of the peasantry and serfs and the poverty of lower classes brought on more revolts against the monarchy than ever before. Grilum did his best to suppress them, even begging the Church to interfere, for fear of being thrown off the throne.
While Grilum was busy with his political affairs and such, Sophia saw Quamgat every night in the gardens.
* * *
One the eve of summer, a steadfast friend of Grilum told the King of Sophia's nightly rendezvous. Grilum was enraged. He called Quamgat into his dining hall "to discuss some personal matters".
Grilum challenged Quamgat to a duel, a duel to the death. He was confident that he would win and would be able to have his Queen back.
On the morn of the next day, Quamgat and Grilum met in the royal arena. Both drew their swords. Quamgat's sword had a silver hilt with sapphires encrusted into the blade; this sword has been in his family for generations. Grilum's sword had a golden hilt with rubies encrusted into the blade.
Grilum swung his sword straight at Quamgat, but he dodged the blade fast enough to only get a small scratch on his shoulder. Quamgat recovered quickly and struck Grilum in the shin. Grilum cried out in agony. Quamgat, thinking that he won, let his guard down. When he wasn't looking, Grilum struck Quamgat in the same place that he was struck. Both knights were fatally wounded.
Neither survived to tell their tale.
* * *
Sophia was heartbroken at the loss of her beloved Quamgat. She resolved to avenge his death. She eventually spent the rest of her life trying to accomplish this.
Crusoe was never the same after the death of Grilum and Quamgat. It fell into demise after the Mongols invaded the kingdom.
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The fate of
Sophia
By Izabela Jaroszynska
All rights reserved.