The first to reach their destination were Ogedei and Sholoi who soon found the home of Frederick, an arrogant and aloof trader, in the old quarter of Vienna. Ogedei was unusually quiet on the long journey from Acre and the two men were conscious of being stared at and some even spat at them on their journey. Sholoi could understand some of what was said to them on their long journey and he rightly guessed many people had never seen anyone before who had originated from the Eastern Empire. Indeed, he doubted if a Mongol had ever set foot in this part of Europe! Most seemed to think they were Muslims and some would point at Sholoi as they rode through the villages and the children would run behind them throwing horse shit at them while pointing fingers and shouting "Saladin, Saladin." Some pulled back their eyes with their fingers in a crude imitation of their looks and stuck their tongues out at them.
The journey from Acre to Vienna seemed to have matured the young Ogedei. Although they were equals as part of The Trust, it was never far from the mind of Sholoi that Ogedei was the son of the Great Khan, and as such he was mindful of his duty to protect and serve the young man. One morning as they were riding through woods with the great city of Vienna in the far distance and the huge mountains and peaks of the area rising up all around them, Ogedei told Sholoi in a matter of fact way how one day he would rule these people and these would be his lands. The Empire would stretch all the way to the great ocean which they knew to lay in the west. Sholoi did not laugh at the remark, because he knew it to be no idle boast and if The Trust were successful with their mission it may well become a reality one day.
The meeting with Frederick, who handled The Ironworker's trade links and revenues as well as the Khan's secret treasure house in Vienna, went smoothly, both Ogedei and his host playing verbal cat and mouse until Ogedei produced the pouch from around his neck. Frederick visibly relaxed when he did so and ordered food for them all. Frederick then asked Ogedei to accompany him into another room so they could be alone. Both men left Sholoi, now seated and enjoying the unfamiliar taste of the spiced sausage and fresh bread he had been given. After they had entered the room, Frederick motioned to Ogedei to sit at a chair which was set before the large ornate table which dominated the space. At this point the Austrian fetched two lengths of rope and returned to the young man seated before him. He began to tie Ogedei's hands firmly to the chair arms rendering him immobile. Ogedei did not resist as he knew Frederick was under orders to kill him if he proved to be false. Frederick was only doing as instructed by his father. When the Mongol was securely tied Frederick reached down and took the pouch around the young man's neck and returned to his own seat opposite Ogedei. When comfortable he withdrew a dagger from the sheath at his side and cut the drawstring, laying the pouch out on the table before them. He then reached into his robes and produced a straight rod of wood and a scribe. He studied the leather pouch Subutai had given to Ogedei all those months before. He noted there was a faint smell of some herb which he did not immediately recognise coming from the small, plain, and soft brown piece of leather now lying before him. As he flattened and spread it out under his hand, he noted the inscription on its inside, "To my son Ogedei, safe journey, from your beloved mother." Frederick then placed the length of wood on the now almost circular leather pouch and carefully lined up the rod and proceeded to carefully inscribe a straight line from the centre of the largest eyelet through the second letter of the second word, the Y in "my", which in turn then passed through the middle of the letter O of "beloved" and ended at the centre of a second eyelet. He then turned over the wooden rod and Ogedei noted two marks scored into it, one near each end of the rod. He noted how one line was centred on the middle of the first eyelet and the second corresponded with the centre of the second eyelet after making the line through the letters. Frederick smiled as he saw the two marks on his wooden rod perfectly matched the centre of the two eyelets.
"Well I see the Note of Hand is genuine," he smiled. "Now we must see if the man is true."
Ogedei felt strangely nervous at this remark and a brief moment of unbridled panic set in, what if he would be unable to answer the question he knew he was about to be asked. As quickly as it reared its head, it disappeared. Frederick rose from his chair and reached into his robes and replaced the scribe and length of wood which had been sent to him many months before, along with his instructions as to their use and of course the answer to the question he was about to ask. Ogedei made an instinctive start when he noticed the hand Frederick withdrew from beneath his robes now held an evil looking well-honed dagger. He rounded the table and placed the dagger to the throat of the young Mongol emissary. Ogedei flinched involuntarily, secured firmly in his seat.
"You have nothing to fear my friend, if you are indeed who you say you are. If you answer my question falsely, you will be dead before you finish your reply, so think hard before you open your mouth in answer."
Ogedei had now regained his composure and smiled silently to himself, thinking how crafty and thorough Subutai had been with his preparations for this moment. It seemed strange to think his fathers most trusted General could have a hand which held the power of life and death over people from such a huge distance. Ogedei said evenly and with equanimity, "I am ready."
"Here is your question my friend," said Frederick, slightly increasing the pressure of the cold steel against the young neck of his guest. "What connects the Kiyad tribe and the Onggirat tribe?"
Ogedei felt the knife press ever more deeply into the flesh of his young neck, but smiled at the question. "My Mother." he replied immediately and added, "Börte Ujin was born into the Onggirat tribe, where her father, Dei Seichen, was a chieftain. My mother's name was Tchotan. The Onggirat were friendly to the Kiyad tribe, into which Temujiin, my father was born."
Ogedei felt the knife move from his throat and saw it flash to his wrists severing the ropes binding him. Frederick knelt before him, took his hand and kissed it. "My Lord Ogedei, it is an honour to have the son of the Great Khan in my humble house."
When the two men re-joined Sholoi it was noted how Frederick's countenance of arrogance had now turned to one of awe and submission, he was genuinely pleased to have the company of the two men. Their business was concluded quickly and a new Note of Hand was drawn up for the local Templar Preceptory. This amounted to forty thousand silver marks. The next day the three men went to the small Templar preceptory in Vienna to make the deposit. The transaction went simply and well and the treasurer hardly raised an eyebrow when he noted the huge amount which was being deposited. "A sum of this enormity will take a while for us to collect from you. There will have to be many arrangements made. I would think this sum would be spread around Europe and not housed in any one preceptory," he said as if to himself. As quickly as that, the promise of silver had been transferred from the treasury of Temujiin to the treasury of the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon. Ogedei sent a note to Brother Simon via the Templar's Vienna preceptory to the English preceptory where The Trust would eventually arrive, informing them they had safely traded forty thousand oranges and all was well and how they were returning to the fountain in Acre for a well-deserved cooling drink. The note wished them success with their business venture and bid them a safe journey. Ogedei felt this was an innocuous message which would not arouse suspicion if intercepted on its long journey north.
Sholoi and Ogedei stayed as honoured guests of Frederick for almost a month before starting the long trek back to Acre, their part in the task asked of The Trust now completed. Frederick was the perfect host and introduced the two men as traders and merchants from the east to many of his friends and associates. They became the centre of attention and were asked many questions about their lands and the tribes who dwelt there and the way they lived their lives. They were bombarded with questions as to what food was eaten and what was drunk, how they worshipped, what they knew of the west, the questions were endless. They were often asked if the rumours about Temujiin were correct; did he really have a hundred wives, was he seven feet tall? Surely he must be the cruellest man in the world to have gained such an Empire. Ogedei and Sholoi answered these questions as best as they could, but leaving plenty of mystique about The Ironworker to whet the appetites of the people they talked to at the same time leaving them in no doubt he was the greatest warrior the world had ever known and had the largest Empire ever witnessed, dwarfing those of both the Romans and Alexander the Great. He was truly a man to be feared and revered. They knew the myth would grow in the telling. This was a good thing. Both were careful to mention they had never been lucky enough to have seen the Great Khan. Sholoi often wondered if any of the people he met here were also spies for Subutai or in the pay of the Empire, patiently keeping their secret until a message from the east told them what was expected of them. If it had been known Ogedei was the Great Khan's favourite son and the potential heir and ruler to most of the known lands on this earth, he felt his life would be constantly in danger and he knew he would certainly be held for ransom. Sometimes he felt like a man and sometimes he still felt like a boy. His father had taken a gamble sending his young son on such a wondrous mission with such good men as his companions. He was also grateful to his father and to General Subutai for the chance to prove his worthiness and manhood. He would not let them down. He knew he could trust Sholoi and Frederick to take his secret to their grave.
Ogedei was fascinated by the day to day living of these foreign people going about their daily lives in this city, perched high up in the mountains. The smells, the taste of the water, the sights of the children playing their strange games or the women busying themselves in the market were all new and exciting. When Ogedei and Sholoi went out in public, they usually wore a hood and a scarf, to stop prying eyes gazing upon their unusual faces. Their hooded countenance aroused few suspicions they were from a far flung land. Even the cold weather seemed different to them here, less harsh than the biting, spiteful winds of the Tal. They learned much from their stay in Vienna and as well as making new trade contacts for the Empire, they were also learning the current gossip about the European Kings and their dynasties along with their connections through treaties and marriages to other great Houses. Both men picked up many new ideas and radical thoughts. All would be of use to the Empire.
As the two men sadly mounted their horses and finally bade farewell to Frederick, who by now had now become a firm friend, Ogedei vowed one day his father would own this land and its people and treasures. They started back towards the Holy Land, to the warmth of Acre and hoped to meet up once again with their departed friends in the garden of Ahmed the Arab, taking juice from the orange, in peace, beside the familiar fountain.