18 Knockin On Heavens Door

(Jerzy / Father Bonifacy POV)

"Today is not sunday so what brings you to me, my son?" (Father Bonifacy)

"I caught this beaver by the river and wanted to give it to you for supper ... and I also wanted to confess to my sins, father." (Jerzy)

"What sin weighs on your conscience, my son?" (Father Bonifacy)

"I hit my wife a few times ... You know, Father, what it is like when a man muddy his head with a beer ... then female talk pisses him off. Now she is lying in the house and is barely breathing." (Jerzy)

"It is not only by hitting your wife that you sinned, but also by drunkenness." (Father Bonifacy)

"Yes, Father Bonifacy... I work hard and she ... I was at the inn, we drank a few jugs of beer among friends ... and when I got home, she started to clamor that I was drunk, that I was wasting money, that I did not think about children ..." (Jerzy)

"Don't worry son, God has a good heart and He will forgive you, but don't beat your wife anymore ... a woman is also a creature of God, and if you ever catch anything else, bring it to the abbey." (Father Bonifacy)

"I understand Father. My soul felt lighter when I told you about it. Thank you." (Jerzy)

"I will pray for you and your wife. Go with God my son." (Father Bonifacy)

(End POV)

I opened my eyes, still half conscious I looked around where I am, it must be a tent ... the last thing I remembered was that I was approaching a thick tree with great speed. At least I know that I'm alive ... because my whole body hurts ... but it's a good sign, I'm not a vegetable. I tried to move which was not a good idea.

"You're awake already. You're lucky boy ... You almost knocked on the gates of heaven and greeted Saint Peter, I even wanted to call you a priest." (Aleksander Gosiewski)

"Audentis Fortuna Iuvat ... but why Virgil did not add anything about pain ... I see that you are alive too, old man, I mean either we won or we are in captivity." (MC)

"We won, about 100 cavalrymen escaped. The rest are either dead or we captured them, we almost got 10 cannons... but now we only have two because hot head blew the rest up ... You're madman." (Akeksander Gosiewski)

"Courage and madness are twin brothers, it is important that we won. What happened to me? I don't remember much." (MC)

"You hit a tree, passed out and slept for three days. You have a wound on your head and a broken left arm ... and none of these wounds have been inflicted on you by the enemy." (Akeksander Gosiewski)

According to Gosiewski, the greatest threat to me on the battlefield was myself... I decided to get out of bed with Gosiewski's help, and it was not an easy task... but I had to pee, eat something and meet the prisoners. Actually, the war is over for me, but before I leave Livonia, I will be having fun with Gustav Adolf... but piss first, my bladder won't last longer... After walking a dozen or so meters, I decided to go back to the tent and lie down, maybe I only had a broken arm and a wound on my head, but I was too sore.

As I couldn't do what I wanted with the prisoners, I had to think of another way to confuse the King of Sweden ... and history came to my aid as always.

Gustav Adolf was a great and capable commander, but there are no flawless people ... everyone has some weakness, in his case it was horoscopes.

I decided to write him a letter. In which I mentioned certain events from his past that were not publicly known ... I wrote to him about his first love, about his mother, lover, son out of wedlock and a few other things.

"... As Your Majesty see, Your life has no secrets from me, be it through the stars or spies, Your Majesty can decide for yourself. I am waiting impatiently for the day of your death, which is known to me and which I will celebrate in Stockholm ..."

I was hoping to mess with him in his royal head ... I asked Gosiewski to bring me the highest-ranking captured Swede, he turned out to be the commander, Samuel Cockburn ... although I knew his name from history, but I didn't know much about him. He was Scottish or English with the rank of major general in the service of Gustav Adolf and I knew he would die of illness in December.

"You will take my letter to your King. You are free ..." (MC)

Hope and relief flashed in Cockburn's eyes.

"... but freedom also has a price. You raised your armed arm on the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ... and now you will lose this hand." (MC)

I made a sign to Olszewski, he knocked the Scot to the ground and broke his arm in several places and all his fingers.

"Be glad that this is the only thing that happened to you, a worse fate awaits your soldiers." (MC)

It was only a bluff on my part, the fate of the prisoners depended on Gosiewski, and he was not a supporter of their torture and murder. He hoped that he would be able to exchange them for some Polish prisoners, it was logical and he was right ... but I still thought that blinding and cutting the hand was a good deterrent.

The next days and weeks passed, and I recovered. The head wound is completely healed, the bone is almost healed ... maybe a week or two more and I will be in full strength.

At the end of December, the Swedish army began to besiege Wolmar, and the envoy of the Lithuanian Field Hetman, Krzysztof Rwdziłł, appeared in the camp.

I did not want to meet Radziwiłł, but it was too late, one thing was certain at the earliest opportunity ... I am leaving Livonia, I do not want my name to be associated with the truce that will be signed.