THOUGH I KNEW our master had to be even more saddle-weary than we were, Václav insisted on holding court at the castle the following day. Žito and I attended him.
As the day grew long, the line of people grew longer. The rainy weather, which had begun on our return to Praha, did not keep the peasants from coming to air their grievances to my master. In truth, he seemed to welcome the opportunity to hear their stories.
One young family could not pay their taxes because a drought in the southern part of Bohemia had devastated both fields and livestock. Václav paid their tax for them and sent them home with bags of grain and three sheep.
An old widow’s house had been burned to the ground by Duke Radslav’s men a fortnight before. Václav sent some of his soldiers to help her rebuild.
A drunken soldier had broken into the house of a peasant from Praha, injuring both the man and his wife, and making a shambles of their hut. Václav ordered the soldier to do all the couple’s menial chores for a month and repair whatever he had damaged.
At last a group of ragged men and women were brought forward. I shuddered when I saw that their feet and hands were shackled. The scar on my ankle throbbed in empathy. Although it was difficult to tell because of their filthy condition, it seemed that some of them were no older than my master. Others, however, were certainly older, even Bora’s age. Leading them was a portly merchant wearing a red cape caught at the shoulder with a huge enameled brooch.
“Your Grace,” said the herald. “May I present Charles the Stout from the city of Rome who comes to sell choice slaves from Croatia and Macedonia.”
To my surprise, Václav asked, “How much does he want for all of them?”
The trader named a sum. Since I knew nothing about money, I did not know if it was a large amount or not.
My master sat in silence for a moment, measuring the trader. His gaze kept returning to the line of slaves. Finally he beckoned to me.
“Poidevin,” he whispered so that only I could hear, “bring me ten pieces of gold from the small chest in my bedchamber.”
I bowed and quickly exited out the side door. My feet flew all the way to my master’s tower. I lifted the corner of the stag hunt tapestry and pried out the piece of false wood paneling that concealed my master’s valuables. He had shown me this place shortly after his coronation, but I’d not had a reason to open it before. I lifted the lid of the small wooden chest and counted one shiny gold piece for each of my fingers. I twisted them tightly in a fold of my tunic, returned the chest to its hiding place, and replaced the paneling and tapestry.
Hurrying back to the great hall, I watched with interest as Václav sealed his bargain with the grumbling merchant. On his way to the door the man smirked, and I gasped. I had no more time to wonder about what may have transpired, for Václav stood, compelling my attention.
“Bring the blacksmith,” Václav said to a serving boy. “Quick as you can.” The startled boy ran from the hall, and Václav turned his gaze on the anxious slaves. How well I remembered that mingled fear and resignation! To my surprise, Václav spoke a few words in their language. It made me happy to see their frightened looks turn to relief.
“Poidevin,” Václav said.
“Yes, my lord?”
“Run to the stables and bring Demetrios. He is Macedonian, I believe.”
“Yes, my lord, he is.” I grinned and hurried as quickly as my long legs could carry me. Once Demetrios understood the reason for the Duke’s summons, the older man tried to match my pace.
As Demetrios and I entered the hall, the blacksmith was removing the shackles from the slaves’ wrists and ankles. Kitchen workers carried two large basins of water and set them on the floor. Ana and Přibislava got up from their cushioned seats and bade me carry one of the chairs to the nearest water basin. Then Ana helped the oldest slave, the one who reminded me of Bora, to the chair. Ana smiled at the bewildered woman, helping her put her dirty, bleeding feet in the water. Then with her own hands and a cloth that a servant handed to her, Ana gently bathed the slave’s feet.
Astonished, I turned to my master, who was speaking to Demetrios. “Please tell them they are slaves no longer,” Václav said. “I have paid the price for their freedom.”
When Demetrios relayed my master’s words, the elderly woman started to cry, and the others stared at Václav in surprise that quickly turned to gratitude. Those standing in the water stepped out and, with dripping feet, prostrated themselves before my master. One sobbing young woman kissed the ground in front of him. The two young men still in shackles bowed where they stood with a rustling of chains. The blacksmith finished breaking the shackles with a resounding clang of his hammer, and the two men rushed forward and dropped to their knees before Václav.
I glanced around the hall at the few other witnesses to this unusual purchase, including two voyvodes, peasant petitioners, and servants. Their faces revealed surprise and also delight at the generosity of their duke.
Václav beckoned to one male and one female servant. “Show these people to the men’s and women’s quarters. Let them bathe and give them new clothing. They will dine in the hall tonight.”
The servants bowed, and the now freed slaves gratefully followed them, glancing over their shoulders at my master until they could no longer see him. Václav gestured for Demetrios to accompany them.
“You shall be their voice,” Václav said.
“Then we will go with the women,” Přibislava told her brother with a smile. She grabbed Ana’s hand and hurried out.
While Václav finished listening to the rest of his petitioners, my mind wandered back to my arrival at Praha. I realized how different my life would be now had Václav not bought my freedom. My heart swelled with gratitude, and I was suddenly ashamed of the jealousy I had felt toward Ana. She was kind as well as beautiful. How many noblewomen would humble themselves to comfort an old slave? There could be no better duchess for my master than Ana.
Later that evening Přibislava approached me as I helped set the head table.
“Poidevin,” she said.
I turned and bowed to her, realizing with a start that I was taller than she was now.
“Would you seat me and Ana beside my brother tonight?”
I could not answer her at first. She and Ana were usually present, of course, but Přibislava was so unassuming that the two girls nearly always sat in an unobtrusive spot. “I expect the duke would be honored,” I managed to say, “since he has no special guests tonight.”
The girls did sit next to the duke, but I was wrong about there being no special guests. Everyone but Václav seemed surprised when all of the freed slaves, now washed and wearing clean clothes, were seated below the head table, in a place of honor.
“Brother,” Přibislava said while I poured her wine, “that was a most noble thing you did today.” She indicated the strangers waiting patiently for something to eat.
“Yes, Your Grace,” Ana said. “You have saved ten lives.”
Since Přibislava sat between the two, Václav had to lean forward to better see Ana.
“It galls me to see helpless people treated so ill,” he said.
“I had a thought, my lord.” Ana’s nose wrinkled impishly. “Do you think word will spread that you pay handsomely for slaves? Perhaps other traders will come to Praha to gain similar treasures for themselves.”
Václav sipped his wine. “Did you consider that a handsome payment? I thought it quite small for precious souls and would pay it and more again.” He shrugged. “But I will consider bargaining lower if another trader brings slaves to Praha.”