There are many open-air fountains in Aachen. The spring water is drawn from natural springs and led to these facilities through lead pipes.
Hot springs often lose most of their heat after such transportation, but in winter, open-air fountains that are much higher than normal temperatures must be trapped in continuous mist.
Hot springs always have an indescribable smell, but its smell is no more unbearable than the muddy smell of the nearby river. Besides, why go to fetch water from a farther place when you have spring water at your fingertips?
The open-air fountain is an important water source for the residents of Aachen, and now it has naturally become a supply point for the Russian troops rushing into the city.
Askard led the two girls to the fountain, and sat directly next to the hard granite stone platform, wearing a jingling chainmail body.
"You two stand in the spring water and wash your dirty legs first." He ordered.
"Why? Why should we continue to listen to you?"
The black-haired girl's question really puzzled Askard. "Why? Just because you are my slaves, do it now. You!" He especially glared at the black-haired girl in front of him who he liked very much: "Frank's princess
!When you wash your legs and feet, I will give you a gift."
"A gift? What gift can the murderous demon give us?"
"Having a dagger in her mouth? I like girls with tough mouths." He muttered casually, and Askard, who was too lazy to continue messing with them, pushed them all into the fountain.
The lukewarm spring water quickly washed their legs and made the bruised knee area clearer.
Everything is like a nightmare. Princess Gisla cannot accept the reality at all. At noon, she was still a princess waiting for a sumptuous lunch. Now around evening, she has become a prisoner of an inexplicable army. The villain who captured her looks very young.
Even so, this young villain behaved extremely cruelly.
A princess like a walking corpse sat on the stone platform in a daze. Of course she understood the orders in Latin and fulfilled them like a doll.
Her cheeks were red, and Ascard's two slaps were full of force. She numbly allowed the spring water from the lead pipe to wash away her wounds, and her low tears were instantly absorbed and washed away by the spring water.
Who is the real princess?
Askard is young and innocent. Since the black-haired girl calls herself a princess, it must be so. As for the other girl with brown and curly hair, such a maid is actually taken care of by her master, and the friendship between them is too great.
Deep.
But a servant is a servant, and he can still sit here in complete safety with his clothes intact. Askard is flaunting his kindness at this moment.
Thinking that these were two sheep held in his hands, how could they run away after being tamed?
Until now Askard has been carrying a linen bag, which contains important dry food and some spare items, especially boots.
Normally, Ross high-top leather boots with a thick hardened deerskin base are very wear-resistant. This is an old craft of the Ross people since ancient times. However, if you walk for a long time, the soles may not necessarily be severely worn, and the problem of running out of rubber will still occur.
occur.
Most of the elite Russian soldiers participating in the operation were equipped with a pair of leather boots, and some even had trousers and shirts.
Slave? Just a temporary status.
An aristocratic girl who dares to draw a sword against him must be controlled and conquered, and finally convinced to admit that she is his wife. In his opinion, this is like taming a fierce horse, Askard in Nov.
Gorod has seen how to tame horses and can train strong horses into loyal mounts. This kind of man can be described as a pure man.
When he opened the linen bag, he naturally had to loosen the rope, and this was the girls' once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to escape.
Seeing the sad look on the princess's eyes, the black-haired Alicia, who still remained rational and alert, did not want to give up the opportunity, and I was afraid that this was the only chance for herself and the princess to escape.
Alicia bumped the princess hard, finally causing Gisla to turn her head slightly.
She didn't say anything, just hinting at escape with her eyes and slight movement of her chin.
However, the princess seemed not to understand at all.
At this moment, Alicia was extremely anxious. From the corner of her eye, she saw the blond warrior still busy rummaging in the bag, so she decided to make a desperate move.
Only her wrists were tied, and her hands suddenly grabbed the princess's clothes that were soaked by the spring water. At this moment, she used her best strength to pull the princess up.
"Let's run. Your Highness, don't be stupid! Run!"
She yelled but still didn't wake Gisla up, but Gisla subconsciously moved forward and retreated with Alicia.
In an instant, Asgard saw the loosened rope suddenly disappear from the corner of his eye. He subconsciously looked up and saw two girls washing their legs escaping.
"absurd!"
He stood up suddenly, threw away his backpack, rushed up with a quick stride, and suddenly stepped on the rope that was being dragged behind the two women. Their center of gravity suddenly became unstable at speed, and they both fell hard to the ground, and their clothes were immediately stained with fresh soil.
Askard didn't say anything. He didn't understand that as a conqueror, he was definitely a benevolent person. The captives he obtained actually wanted to escape. Could it be because he was too benevolent?
He was very strong. After running wildly in the morning and fighting at noon, he was still quite strong. It didn't matter that the two girls were lying on the ground. He bent down and picked up the rope and suddenly dragged them, forcefully dragging them back to his feet.
But in Alicia's view, she had fallen towards the city gate defense line, and now she was being dragged back, as if she had touched the latch of a safe place, and now she had returned to hell.
The pain and unwillingness affected her spirit, and the pain all over her body from the sudden fall made her almost unable to stand up.
No, the angry Askard picked up the black-haired girl by her collar, but when he saw her sad face, he softened up and slowly withdrew the slap that should have been slapped.
"Stupid! You actually want to run away?!" He threw the girl off, sat back on the stone platform and continued to curse: "Who do you think you are? Still a Frank princess?! If you run out now, you will be caught by other soldiers immediately! You just
A young woman is like a sheep standing in front of a pack of wolves. You will be eaten by those warriors until even the bones are left! Only me!" Askard, in anger, slapped his chest three times, "Now there is only one left.
I can guarantee the safety of you two. Besides, now that I know your noble status, I will not hurt you as a fellow noble. However, those soldiers have no idea."
Askard pointed at the black-haired girl: "Princess Frank, come here! I order you to stay by my side! Listen, don't do stupid things again."
The blond warrior kept speaking Latin, but Alicia just didn't understand. All the strange troops that broke into the city spoke Latin?
However, they had already invaded the palace and the cathedral and were committing all kinds of evil in the city. Such a scene could only be described as "hell", but they mastered the sacred Latin language. She could not understand such absurdity, but the threat of the blond warrior was not nonsense.
If the city of Aachen was full of marauding armies, how could two weak women with their hands tied and injured legs successfully escape under the nose of the army?
Enduring the pain, Alicia glanced at Gisla, who was as weak as a rabbit, and reluctantly agreed to the blonde warrior's request. She stood up with difficulty and sat back on the stone platform with her head raised.
She was very worried that she would encounter a terrible violation, but if she could prevent the disaster for Princess Gisla, she would be fulfilling her duty as a personal maid. This is why she deliberately pretended to be a princess.
"Quick! Put your legs on the stone platform."
Alicia gave Asgard a hard look in protest.
"Don't dawdle."
The girl could only do as she was told, and continued to protest as she stared at Askard with murderous eyes.
However, a piece of linen soaked in water was attached to her legs, and her legs and soles were wiped clean.
This is only the beginning.
Alicia was so surprised to find that the strange linen bag of the man in front of her seemed to be magical and contained strange things. This time, she actually took out a crystal bottle? Look carefully, the bottle seems to have text, with the word vodka written on it.
Askard bit down on the cork and pulled it out, and immediately the strong smell of alcohol overflowed.
"You...what do you want to do?" the girl subconsciously asked in fear.
"I won't hurt you. Cooperate now and grit your teeth. It will hurt a lot next."
"You...ah!"
It was said that she gritted her teeth. Before Alicia could wait, she felt an unexplainable strong sting from the wounds on her knees. The pain made her scalp numb. Fortunately, the severe pain lasted for a short time and disappeared quickly, and then there was a strange feeling.
The cooling feeling.
"What are you doing?!"
"I'm treating you." Askard collected the bottle, "We have ways to avoid possible fevers after injuries. The water in this bottle is called the water of life, which can ensure the survival of you and your maid. There will be a period of time in the future.
I will clean your wounds when the time comes to make sure you don’t die of illness.”
"..." Alicia had nothing to say and could only continue to watch the actions of the man in front of her with her big bright eyes.
Askard took out a long strip of cloth again. He was not trying to bandage the girl, after all, there was no such thing as a bandage, but a genuine foot wrap.
After the clean cloth strips are wrapped around the girl's feet, the next step is the main event.
Alicia finally knew what he was going to do, and saw the blond man take out a pair of boots from his pocket, which were exactly the same style as what he was wearing.
Her feet were put into the boots, which felt a little too big, but as the laces were tightened, the boots fit perfectly on her feet and calves.
"You can stand up now."
Askard showed a smile. For the first time, Alicia felt that the man in front of her was no longer terrifying and abominable. Of course she expected that the man who treated her so kindly must have an agenda, as he stated straightforwardly: to become
slave.
Of course she refused to accept her fate. Now that her injuries were treated, wouldn't it be easier to escape faster if she put on shoes?
But Princess Gisla…
Alicia stood up again, her robe was dirty and torn. Unless the spare clothes in Asgard's bag were for her own use, even her entire outfit could have been replaced. If so, wearing Rose
A girl wearing human clothing and tying up her hair can indeed disguise herself as a young soldier and sneak out of the city.
Alicia still wants to escape, and she must escape with the princess. If the princess cannot escape, she will not escape even if she has enough opportunities.
Until now, Askard still thinks that the girl with brown and yellow curly hair is a maid, and his method of dealing with this girl is much rougher. When vodka was used to wipe the wound, Gisla, who had been numb and frightened, suddenly screamed because of the severe pain.
Then the silence returned.
"Just...can't you give her a pair of boots?" Seeing that her master was still barefoot on the ground, Alicia couldn't bear it.
Her plea was rejected by Ascard without hesitation: "It's just a maid, why bother? It's strange. You, a princess, actually protect your own maid. Your relationship is really like sisters."
This makes sense. Two girls of almost the same age not only live together, but even squeeze into the same bed.
Gisla was the fourth princess, but her birth made her father regretful.
Lothair wanted many sons. In his opinion, a large number of nobles were loyal now, but it was hard to say whether they would remain so in the future. Only his own sons would always be loyal.
However, after the birth of his eldest son, he actually gave birth to four daughters in succession. When the fourth daughter Gisla was born, he just looked at her face and stopped paying too much attention.
The daughters were either married to big nobles and became the link to control the nobles, or they were arranged to go to a women's monastery in a certain place, and then controlled the local church power.
In Lothair's view, all his daughters were special tools, but it was the fact that his third daughter was kidnapped by the loyal Count Gilbert of Ramengau that shocked him.
Therefore, the fourth daughter and the youngest daughter Gisla was placed as a canary in a cage in the absolutely safe palace of Aachen.
Compared with girls from rural families, she is naturally less naive and romantic. Thanks to her playmate and close friend Alicia, she also has good sisters who talk to her about everything.
The good times ended completely at noon on this summer day.
Ascard, who was still sitting on the stone platform, ordered the two girls to stand in front of him as if interrogating prisoners. His move had attracted the attention of many soldiers carrying the loot.
Everyone could clearly see that it was Askard, the boss of the Seventh Flag Team. Is this guy teaching the two newly captured slaves? He really made his father Aric look good.
"What's your name?" Under the setting sun, Askard looked at the black-haired girl's face calmly.
"I..." Alicia wanted to lie and claim that she was Gisla, but...
"Are you hesitating? That's fine. I can tell you my clear identity first."
To be fair, Askard certainly likes beautiful girls, and the black-haired girl in front of him is not bad. Furthermore, she is very brave, and she admires her stubborn temperament, but now she looks like a tamed fierce horse.
Horse, this makes Askard like it even more.
"I am the captain of the seventh flag of the Kingdom of Ross, the nephew of the King of Ross. I have five hundred warriors under my command, and I have experienced many battles. I am Askard, the unrivaled Askard! My father is
Arik, the double sword, is the bravest warrior in the Kingdom of Rus! And you will be my wife! Princess Frank, tell me your name!"
What a big shot? What exactly is the Kingdom of Rus that he emphasized again?
The real princess Gisla still remains silent, but her heart has been touched a little. The real maid, the black-haired Alicia, is the person being questioned, and it is still difficult to explain the truth now.
Young boys always subconsciously show off their strength in front of the girl they like, and Asgard couldn't help but continue to show off after taking a break.
"Princess Frank, I learned that you should be that or something... Lothair's daughter. I do know Ludwig! I have met him, and that man should be your uncle."
Askard spoke serious ecclesiastical Latin. He was not yet able to answer fluently, so he spoke slowly. It was precisely because of this that he spoke the names of the people he mentioned very clearly.
"Ludwig, your uncle, he was defeated by our Kingdom of Rus. Now you are also defeated by us. Princess, tell me your name, otherwise... I will give you a random name."
At this moment, Gisla could no longer act like a wooden person. She had met her uncle Ludwig, although they had only met a few times, but the most recent time was at her grandfather's funeral two years ago. That
The first meeting between uncle and father was not very harmonious. Gisla, who was younger at the time, did not understand and did not have the intention to understand.
At that time, Gisla was facing a lot of troubles. His sister, the third princess, was kidnapped by a nobleman, which made his father extremely angry. As the king's grandfather passed away, Gisla did not feel any sadness. After all, there were many members of the past, and he himself
Being a princess also seems ordinary.
At that time, the maid Alicia had just come to him. One was a princess who lacked attention, and the other was the daughter of a southern noble who had completely cut off her family. The two were more willing to get together.
Alicia didn't seem to be transgressing, but she knew that the weak princess was simply unable to face the barbarity of a man.
"Gisla." She said bluntly, "I am Gisla. My father is the only Roman emperor, the Lothair you mentioned. I am the fourth princess, I have a noble status, and I stand in front of you,
It's like a huge gold."
"You? Are you considered gold?" Askard liked the girl's self-analogy very much: "You are not gold, but you are better than gold. Now you should forget the past. You are no longer a Frankish princess, but my woman.
I'm going to take you away, along with your stupid maid. You two are my women. Are you... willing? I won't let you kneel down and salute. If you are willing, just sit next to me."
But the two women were completely unmoved, and Alicia acted even more unruly.
Of course she is not a princess, but for the sake of the empire's face, she feels that she has reason to show royal rebelliousness on behalf of her princess.
"Are you not convinced? Then just stand! I will sit here and watch until you two get tired of standing."
Askard still admires this noble pride.
Standing passively was boring, not to mention standing with people staring at her. Her legs were already injured, and standing still made it even more painful. Alicia herself put on boots, but Princess Gisla was still standing.
Barefoot. The princess is already weak, how can she withstand it?
It seems that this man does not have any further ill intentions. Considering the chance of escape in the future...it seems that he can only settle for now.
Alicia finally took action. She supported Gisla a little, slowly approached the man in front of her who called herself Askard, and finally sat down beside him obediently.
The fierce horse has been tamed!
"That's right!" Feeling the great success, Askard subconsciously reached out and caressed the neck of the black-haired girl Alicia. The constant caressing was like caressing a docile and lovely forest cat.
And this scene happened to be seen by his guys. A group of soldiers of the Seventh Flag Army carrying the spoils of the palace could not find their boss everywhere. They all knew that the boss had captured two young slaves. Unexpectedly, the boss was actually in the fountain in the square.
at.
"How much does he like those two slaves?" one person said with an envious smile.
"You can't put it down." Another person sighed, with the same envy on his face.
"Don't be envious." Another person urged, "Move the things away. We can't live here for a long time. We might have to evacuate in a day or two."
Indeed, the soldiers of the Seventh Banner also know the old style of the Ross Army, which is to complete the looting in a short time and then run away. This can avoid unnecessary battles, and they rely on this high mobility to force the enemy to run for their lives and prepare for more battles.
A big victory creates conditions. As the saying goes, the Russian army needs to always seize the initiative.
However, many young soldiers are wary of becoming thieves.
The invasion of Aachen was too smooth, but this is the capital of a country after all. If the Frankish army reacts and rushes from all directions, it will be difficult for the brothers to escape if they continue to delay. And this possibility is very high!