Chapter 21: How Joerg Isebrand Meets the Noble Barbara

Barbara of Meiningen looked at her advisers and sighed. These were the men her husband had trusted, and he had given them important tasks in his lands. And seemingly, they had performed to his satisfaction. To his widow Barbara, however, it often seemed like their allegiance was not to her, but to an ominous "well for the lands". She felt like a pawn in the struggle, a commodity to be traded off for other gains.

Her husband's death, a year ago, had offset the local balance of power between the minor German sovereignties in the hilly country wedged between Saxony and Hassia. There were less than ten thousand souls, all told, under her reign now, and the small town at the foot of the castle boasted barely two thousand people. But yet, neighbours on all sides were taking an interest in her dominions.

The Count of Nassau was by far the most courteous, having asked for the widow's hand in marriage. Had he been a younger man, she would not have been reluctant to enter into marriage again. She had even sent encouraging signals to him, eying the higher standing of a countess.

However, her husband had been over fifty when they married, and her life had been one of solitude, for he was suffering from a wasting disease. The Count August of Nassau was barely younger, although admittedly still in his prime. No, she had married an older man once, and she would not do it again.

What was more important, during the last year, she found that she enjoyed ruling her small dominion, settling disputes, and lording over the merchants and farmers. She had been only eighteen years of age when she was married to the old Baron of Meiningen, eight years ago, and he had treated her as an unknowing, silly child. Marrying the Count would mean losing power of the inherited lands and reverting to being an arm fob.

In contrast to the Count, the neighbours to the North and South wanted nothing of her, save for her lands. They were trying to chip away on it steadily, a village here, a mill there. Her advisers were all of the opinion that she should marry the Count, for he alone would be strong enough to keep the neighbours at bay.

In her distress, she had written a letter to her cousin, Arnulf of Erlenburg, for help. He was really the son of the cousin of her dead husband, but she knew of the longstanding alliance between the two sovereignties. Also, the Erlenburgs had been in almost constant feud with the Counts of Nassau for over a century.

More importantly, the Erlenburg had been victorious in a recent conflict with the Baron of Rugenberg, gaining in standing. It was also an advantage that Arnulf was married already, so he would not try to court Barbara.

From what she heard, the Erlenburg brothers, Goetz and Arnulf, had both married commoner girls, two sisters who had come to Erlenburg lands with their landsknecht brothers. That was something Barbara could not understand, for the Erlenburgs were an old family. To dilute the ancient noble blood made no sense. Well, Goetz was dead now, and no offspring resulted from the brief marriage, and if he eased his last months with a pretty peasant girl, no harm was done.

She looked around again. Just now, her Castellan argued strongly against giving in. He had been the fatherly friend of her husband and was well into his seventies, He was her lone ally, but his age precluded him from exerting any influence over the Captain of the Guard and the Captain of the Archers, who were the commanders of the two companies of armed men she could boast of.

It was in this moment that the horn of the sentry sounded three loud blasts. Armed men were in approach!

Despite her advisers' protests, Barbara climbed up to the parapet that guarded the main gate. Wheezing with the exertion, the Castellan climbed after her. A body of armed men approached, mostly foot soldiers, led by four men on horses.

"The banner of the Erlenburgs," the Castellan advised her, and he saw a smile on the lips of the Lady.

The men halted out of reach, and a single horseman, a reddish blonde giant of a man, rode on and blew his horn, signalling his approach. Before any of her advisers reacted, Barbara took off her veil and shouted down.

"I am Barbara of Meiningen. What is your purpose?"

The man contrived to stand up and bow without dismounting.

"To bring you relief and support, Lady of Meiningen. Your cousin, Arnulf of Erlenburg, my lord, has received your message and has charged me with rushing to your side."

"And who would you be, valiant Sir?"

"I am Joerg Isebrand, Steward of Bellenberg. I am the Lord Arnulf's Field-Captain."

"May the Holy Virgin protect us!" the priest intoned. "It is the Butcher of Warnesund!"

"The Butcher of Warnesund?" Barbara asked her Castellan.

"If it is him, he killed, all by himself, over two dozen men and burnt half the City of Warnesund, and he was not yet 18 years of age. The city council had denied him pay for his service, or something like that. But he and his men have a good reputation. I heard that he took service with your cousin and helped him win the war with Rugenberg."

"What do you advice, my Castellan?"

"He is a leader with great experience, but he will never fight under your Captains. I wouldn't either," the old man chuckled, and Barbara found herself smiling. She made up her mind.

"Ask him in. I shall offer him a meal. Ask him to have his men wait and offer him a bath. We shall eat in an hour."

"Why a bath?"

"I know how men smell after three days' journey."

Barbara was of high nobility - her uncle was the Count and Elector of Brandenburg - and she saw to it that her household was kept free of fleas and ticks. Almost every visitor was offered a bath first while his clothes were fumigated. From her window she observed her new ally as he rode back to his men and gave them orders. A single man rode back with him, and together, they entered the castle.

Up close, the man looked even more awe-inspiring. His size alone and his reddish mane would have scared most men. His long, braided moustache made him look like one of the Berserker warriors of old, and the two-handed sword he bore seemed too big to be wielded by a mere mortal. She also noticed his alertness; his eyes moved incessantly, taking in whatever there was to see and sizing up every man he encountered.

"Hanna, Elgita!" Barbara shouted.

"Yes lady?" Her two maidservants were there in an instant.

"Attend to the visitors in the bath. I want to know as much as possible about them."

Both young women nodded and quickly left while their lady dressed for the meal.

The servants came back, an hour later, grinning broadly.

"Well?"

"They are brothers and they are huge, lady!" Elgita gushed.

"I could see that much from my window," Barbara answered, irritated.

"They are huge everywhere!" Hanna giggled and blushed. "And, pardon me, lady, the big one knows how to use his weapon!"

"Is that so?" Barbara asked, outwardly unmoved. "That's not what I wanted to know."

"They talked about how they would set up defences and how they would give the Count of Nassau a bloody nose if he attacked," Elgita added.

"Oh, and they talked of Lord Arnulf's wife as their sister Nele, and of another sister, Katherine, who is with them and who is the widow of Gøtz of Erlenburg."

"They have their sister with them?"

"Yes, but she is with the soldiers."

"A big family to be sure. And he is the brother of the Lady of Erlenburg. Interesting. Thank you, both of you."

"It was our pleasure, Lady," Elgita giggled, and Barbara could not help but smile.

She descended the stairs to the Great Hall and, upon her entry, the members of her household rose. The guests stood, too, their long wet hair as testimony to their cleanliness. The tall leader had been placed on her left side while her right side was taken by the Castellan.

"Welcome to my home, valiant Joerg," she offered, and the tall man bent to kiss her proffered hand. "We shall talk about those pressing affairs after the meal. For now, enjoy my hospitality."

And she offered him bread, the formal greeting, and he took it solemnly and bowed. This was a strong affirmation of friendly intent from both sides.

After that, the first course, a duck soup, was served, and Lady Barbara noticed to her astonishment that the huge soldier at her left side possessed refined table manners. He ate with consideration, yet good appetite, he continued light conversation with his hostess and other dignitaries at the table, and when finished, belched politely to compliment the food. He also drank wine sparingly, but consumed water instead, she noticed.

After the meal, Barbara decided to grab the bull by the horns.

"I shall thank my cousin for sending his Field Captain to my aid. Tell me, valiant Joerg, how many men did you bring?"

"Two full companies, pikemen and musketeers. Winter is approaching, and we shall fight from the walls mostly. No need to feed more mouths or even horses than necessary. Come spring, my lord will come with another body of men, and Nassau will be trapped."