Chapter 15: How Joerg Isebrand Comforts a Young Maid

When they returned to the Palacio Granvella, the sentries were alert, but the rest of the fähnlein was barely awake, after a long night of drink and fornication. Joerg had the bleary-eyed corporals wake up the men and then gave them a severe dressing-down. Allowing that the last night had been a lapse, he made it clear that from this point on, there would be no breach of discipline again. Any man who defied orders would be thrown out and lose his share of the loot.

Then, he laid down the rules and explained them. They would try to gather as much riches as possible over the next week. At the same time, they would extract ransom for the captured nobles and church princes. That accomplished, they would leave. With Frundsberg incapacitated and Bourbon dead, the army had no leaders anymore. They would return to Casale, to pick up those left behind and then make their way over the Alps, back to the German lands, with their winnings. Next he addressed the sharing of the loot.

"Each rotte will elect one man to a committee. Make it someone who can count and who knows scales. The committee will tally the winnings and then allot each man his share. Half the shares will be given out in Casale, the other half when we reach friendly German lands. That will prevent desertion along the way."

"Captain, who gets how many shares?" a man inquired.

"Each fighting man will receive a full share," Joerg explained. "Those wounded in earlier fighting will receive a half share, as will those who joined us from among the prisoners. The corporals will receive two shares, the feldweibel four, the lieu tenant six, and the captain ten. That is the rule among free companions."

The men murmured among themselves for a few moments, but most nodded. It was indeed the standard distribution. One man seemed dissatisfied, though.

"By my count, that means twenty-three shares for your family!" he shouted.

Joerg did not have to answer. Angry shouts were directed at the man.

"They did more than a fair share of the fighting!"

"Without Thorben Isebrand, we would have starved at Florence!"

"The Maid Katherine saved my skin at Brescia!"

When the shouting died down, Joerg raised his hands and addressed the complainer.

"Should my siblings receive less than their fair shares because of their kinship with me? Does not my brother stand in for me as a lieu tenant? Does not my sister Katherine lead the arquebusiers and the archers? Was not my sister Nele among the first on the walls? And Thorben, he keeps you in good food and drink."

The man had already realised his gaffe.

"I spoke in haste and without thinking, Captain. Please forgive me."

"You are forgiven, Johannes, for I know that you are a brave fighter. All of you men, keep in your minds that we won far more loot than any others, because we stayed together. We can only hope to keep our loot against the envy of the less fortunate if we keep staying together. I doubt there is any other fähnlein our size in Rome that is still under proper command. Nobody can beat us, if we stand together."

Bjoern jumped on a table.

"Three hurrahs for our Captain!"

The men shouted their hurrahs.

"And another three for the Free Saxons! Let's hear it!"

This time, the shouting was even louder. Bjoern winked at Joerg, who smiled back. Bjoern then proceeded to detail sentry and patrol duties. Other men, under Thorben, were sent to collect more food from the neighbouring houses. The palace housed over six hundred people, and they were rapidly exhausting the storage cellars. Soon, food would be scarce in Rome, for the outlying farms would not send in produce.

Bjoern himself took a full rotte to search the surroundings for victims of last night's atrocities, to render help and offer protection. Nele joined him, to lessen the fear of women and girls whom they might find.

They found another seven survivors in the streets, six women and girls and one young lad, and they brought them back to the palacio. Those women and girls had not been lucky enough to escape the violence, and Nele made sure they received care for their injuries.

Meanwhile, Joerg and Katherine had visited the cellars where the prisoners were kept. The nobles and their families had spent a frightful night in the dark and damp rooms, hearing the noise of the pillaging outside. The women, in particular, shrieked with fear when Joerg had the first door opened.

They had the prisoners stand up, one at a time, and announce their name and standing, the names of relatives o other people who would pay a ransom, and the names of their dependants. Next, the heads of the families were encouraged to write letters to raise a ransom. Joerg did not even threaten them. He had one of the nobles taken outside to have a look at the corpse-littered streets. When that man returned, white as a sheet, Joerg offered to bring them out of Rome, to safety, in return for a reward. Those who would not pay would be left behind without protection. The vivid description of the scenes outside was inducement enough for the nobles to enter into the ransom negotiations.

In the end, the sum agreed upon amounted to sixteen thousand Ducats gold. Both Joerg and Katherine had to suppress triumphant grins. Joerg alone would receive over three hundred Ducats, on top of his share of the plunder.

If anything, the prospect of coming away from this adventure a rich man increased Joerg's watchfulness. He never seemed to sleep in those days, and neither did his siblings.

The Sternfels siblings were not part of that ransom agreement. They had no relatives in the vicinity of Rome, and no ransom could come forth for them. Joerg put the issue before his men and suggested to deliver the youngsters back to their father. In return, they would only ask for a safe haven, to rest from the crossing of the Alps. There was some grumbling, but common sense prevailed. Nobody could know what repercussions the Sack of Rome would have, and to earn the gratitude and protection of the Duke of Sternfels could mean the difference between a life of wealth and the gallows.

Katherine had selected the Sternfels lad as her page. He slept in her chamber, for protection, while his sister shared Nele's room. Ursula rarely ventured out of that room. Her brother Anton, by contrast, followed Katherine everywhere. She even began to teach the boy the use of the arquebus and the wheel musket, as well as the basics of sword fighting. Whatever she said, the boy's eyes were glued to her lips. To Katherine's brothers, it was amusing to see that their austere and commanding sister had found her first admirer.

Neither of the brothers had a way to know when it started, but by the beginning of the second week in Rome, Katherine changed. Her austere demeanour alternated with good-humoured banter and laughter, and she carried herself almost ... like a woman. Especially, when young Anton was around her, she would sometimes smile a blissful smile.

The boy changed, too. He walked tall now, and his efforts to please Katherine were earnest and full of adolescent devotion. He was also unable to control his frequent erections whenever he saw or heard Katherine, causing many good-natured taunts. For the Isebrand brothers did not begrudge their sister the happiness she seemed to have found. It was better she had this happiness with a decent young lad, even if he was a sprig of nobility, than if she had sordid bouts with fellow soldiers who would brag about it afterwards.

The third youngster, Lucrezia di Maroli, also presented a problem. Her father was among the dead, and her mother, the Contessa, had fallen captive to the Spanish mercenaries on Vatican hill. Through an emissary, Joerg found out that the condottiero of that mercenary troop had arranged for her ransom, and she had fled Rome without even trying to find her daughter.

When he gave the girl his findings, it was pitiful to see the effect. The world was caving in on her. Her father massacred, abandoned by her mother, she feared to be left behind as prey for the still marauding mercenaries. Before the Sack, she had expected to be married to some lower nobleman, but with the clout of her cardinal father gone, she had nothing to go for her, save her youthful beauty. She curled up on her cot, and her shoulders began to jerk as violent sobs wracked her body.

Helplessly, Joerg put a soothing hand on her shoulder, and she froze.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to frighten you," he tried to calm her. "I'll leave you to sleep now. Tomorrow, things won't look as bleak anymore. Don't worry too much. We won't leave you here; you can come with us."

"Gracie, Don Giorgio," she whispered, still stiff, and he left her alone.

Joerg joined his siblings for a supper, but he turned in to sleep early. The last days had taxed his strength thoroughly, and he had been grateful when Bjoern had promised to go the rounds that night.

Passing Katherine's chamber, he heard his big sister giggle exuberantly. He stopped, smiling broadly and shook his head. If the young Sternfels lad could make his austere sister giggle, perhaps he should ask the boy for advice on how to treat women.

In his chamber, Joerg stripped off his armour and his clothes. There was a basin with fresh water, and he washed his torso and lower body, feeling much refreshed afterwards. Naked, he lay on his cot, and soon, sleep overcame him.

Joerg woke with a start, not long after falling asleep. At least, that was how it felt. In the dark room, he felt another human presence, and his fighter's instinct made him bolt from the bed, dirk in hand.

"It is me, Don Giorgio, Lucrezia," the girl whispered in the dark.

Joerg took a deep breath.

"What are you doing in my chamber, Lucrezia?" he asked,

"I ... I came to offer myself, Condottiere," she whispered.

"Why would you do that, girl?"

"I have nobody to protect me anymore. I cannot hope for a marriage. I ask you to accept me as your ... your..."

She could not finish.

"Wait, let me dress," Joerg temporised.

He quickly donned pants and a tunic and led Lucrezia to his bed, making her sit. He sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulder. She flinched a little, then took a deep breath and relaxed.

"Lucrezia, you don't have to offer yourself to me. We took you in, and we will bring you to safety. Do not fear! We will not leave you behind here."

"What am I to do then?" she asked in a bitter voice. "I have nothing to offer but my face and body. If I will have to be a kept woman, I would rather be your kept woman. At least you are young and strong and not mean."