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THIS IS JONATHAN'S HOMEPAGE. HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR TIME HERE.

If you want to read the Skyka Chronicles, it's below this poem.


 * __MEMORIAL ACROSTIC POEM.__

My awesome Middle School. Extraordinary teachers. Many people to see and meet. Overly tasty lunches. (Sometimes not so tasty) Really interesting classes (Most of them) Imagining what we will learn. A magical learning experience. Listening and respecting our peers.

__Mary Had a Little Rat__ **

 Mary had a little rat, little rat, little rat. And everything that Mary touched That rat was sure to munch. One day Mary went to school, went to school, went to school And her rat sat on her head. That rat ate Mary’s hair, Mary’s hair, Mary’s hair. “Why did the rat eat Mary’s hair?” The children cried aloud. “Why, Mary touched her hair, you know.” The teacher did reply.

-The Skyka Chronicles Book One-  -Profiles-

Skyka: The main character of the story. He is a nineteen year old teenager who lives in the times of the crusades, in England. He enrolls in army and decides to go with his twin brother, Solomon on the first crusade. He lives with his family at a farm and helps out around there, milking the cows and feeding the pigs. Leia: The mother of Skyka. She does not want her children to go on the crusade and worries for them and about them. Obsor: The father of Skyka. He wants his boys to go on this crusade and supports them. He has a dark and mysterious past in the city of Rome. Solomon: The twin brother of Skyka and the secondary character of the story. He convinces him to go on the crusade before the story starts. He also works at the farm, and decides to go along on the crusade, and brings Skyka with him. Karam: A nineteen year old teenager like Skyka, and the second secondary character, he is a Muslim soldier at Jerusalem and helps the guards. He also will occasionally go on missions with a group of soldiers to capture villages or towns. He is an Abbasid, one group who occupies Jerusalem and other parts of the holy land. His family was murdered when he was a mere babe, and he was raised by Garnan the 9th, who he thinks of as a father. Garnan the 9th: He usually gives out missions at the castle where Karam is based. Raised Karam when his family was slaughtered, and knows him very well. He is a very well known and well respected political figure in the castle and Jerusalem. Pope Urban II: He started up the Crusades with two goals: To free Jerusalem, and to conquer the Holy Land. King Hanoha: The boisterous Muslim king, who tries to keep order in the castle. He is a relatively decent ruler.

Story is somewhat based on this article on the first crusade. Thanks to Wikipedia for the article and the help it will provide. =) (Characters are not based on this story, and many of the events in the story did not actually happen)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Crusade

Background information not in the above article. Minor spoilers.

-The jugular is a vital blood vein in your neck that carries blood to you head. If it gets cut, broken, split, etc, your pretty much dead. =( -In prologue part one, Leia can't speak her opinion or argue with her husband because women were not considered equal to men. Men had all the control, really, and if their wives tried to argue, they were beaten. Women also could not own land and join the army also, among other things, until the 1900s where in some countries they were given equal rights. -In Prologue part two, Christians were banished from Jerusalem when the Muslims took control. The Jews were allowed to stay, however. -There were actually a lot more Crusades. This story takes place in the First. There even was a Children's crusade too, and that was my original idea for this story... -A legion was an army of six thousand. The Romans used legions. They used to make the men into one big group, and then keep dividing them for smaller groups for other situations. -Sacking was pretty much destroying something, like in the Sack of Rome; Rome was destroyed by the Goths or Vandals. Vandalism was destroying something, since the Vandals may have destroyed Rome, get it? =D -Pheasants were the common people. -In the finding Solomon chapter, I mentioned that Skyka had been wearing a nightgown. Nightgowns were simply pajamas, just not with all the designs. -The infantry were foot soldiers, like archers, squires, and knights sometimes if they weren't on their horses. -Battlements were small openings at the top of the castle. They were made for defending the castle, since there were small openings were you could stick the front of your bow and shoot. -The cavalry were soldiers on horses, like knights, and archers who could afford a horse. -Babe is another word for baby or infant.

-PROLOGUE PART ONE-

"You ready, Solomon?" "I am, you can attack first..." Skyka grabbed his wooden practice sword and lunged at his brother, Solomon, sword held vertically above his head for a downward slice. Skyka and Solomon were training to go on the first crusade. Skyka was sparing with his brother the day before the crusade left. Solomon's iron, slightly rusted armor glinted in the bright sunlight, and Skyka was momentarily blinded, and stopped to recover. Solomon took advantage of this moment and grabbed his training sword and ran, Skyka recovered his eyesight and raised his sword to block, and Solomon pretended to aim his sword at Skyka's left leg, but then feinted and aimed at his right shoulder. Skyka quickly tried to sidestep, but his brother's sword smashed his shoulder, and Skyka jumped back and cursed under his breath.

Skyka then ran and zigzagged toward his brother. Skyka and Solomon's stood toe-to-toe, each dealing a wide range of slight injurys from slight bruises to a few cuts and some splinters, and then Skyka knocked Solomon's sword away from his hand, and set his sword at his brother's neck, by the jugular. "Dead." Skyka said. Solomon then responded with a sigh. Skyka laughed and said gleefully. "Well, we leave to free the holy land tomorrow, I'm nervous and excited at the same time, how about you?" Solomon said. "Aye, I am anxious to help free Jerusalem from the Muslims."

They both had decided to help free Jerusalem and the rest of the holy land from the control of the Muslims. Tomorrow all participants were to meet at the church, with some battle equipment and battle experience, and to bring some rations for themselves, although some were going to be provided. As they headed into their house, they each grabbed a loaf of bread and ate it slowly.

Later, their parents walked in, and the boys decided to tell their parents that they're joining the crusade. After the boys were done explaining, the mother, Leia yelled. "WHY?!" The boys were not surprised by this, and Solomon said. "We just want to leave, we want to go and help free Jerusalem." Obsor uttered. "I think they should, they helped out at the farm since they could walk, and they just want to do what they want to do for now, I say that they will go." Leia tried to argue, but couldn't. Leia walked away, weeping...

Obsor gazed at his two boys. He noticed that Skyka was about five feet and ten inches. He saw a slightly pudgy boy with no seeable cheekbone, and saw his dirty blonde hair had gotten longer all of a sudden, and covered his eyes slightly. He nodded and Skyka smiled. Obsor looked at Solomon. He saw blonde hair similar to Skyka's, but evenly trimmed, and it covered his eyes slightly too. Solomon was also slightly taller then Skyka. Unlike Skyka, you could see Solomon's cheekbone. Obsor also nodded at Solomon and Solomon sneezed. Leia looked outside and wondered why Obsor wanted them to go on the Crusades. Obsor knew they probably would not come back, and the boys knew this too. Obsor told his boys to go to bed and went to his bedroom.

As Solomon and Skyka lied down on their soft hay beds, Solomon whispered softly as he looked outside at the crescent moon. "We need to wake up earlier then usual; the crusaders won't wait for us." Skyka nodded in agreement, and turned around. Tomorrow they would embark on the greatest adventure of their lives, they both knew that.

Almost instantly, Skyka and Solomon fell asleep, breathing in the cool, misty, midnight air. Skyka and Solomon both had the same dream. They saw a nineteen year old, like them, patrolling the walls of an unknown castle, talking with the other guards. They both never remembered their dream...

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem...

-PROLOGUE PART TWO-

Karam was doing his daily night guard shift, as he walked around the walls. He looked up at the pitch black midnight sky. He saw many lights, and he wondered what they could be. Some say that they were orbs of light held by the gods, while others thought that they were ghosts floating in the midnight sky, appearing as a lighted dot. Karam sighed and gazed. He then heard somebody walking in the grass, and waved his lantern, and screamed.

"Who's there?!" He saw an elderly woman eating a crust of stale bread with a jug of water. She cried. "May I please come in? I have nowhere else to go." He noticed that the beggar had a small wooden cross in her hand, the signs of a Christian. Christans were strictly forbidden to enter the city. Anybody who let a Christian in the city would be instantly executed. Karam responded "NO! NOW GET OUT OF HERE!" and he grabbed his bow and shot an arrow by her feet. The beggar ran for the hills. Karam then yelled. "AND DON'T COME BACK!!!!!" Karam then calmed himself down.

He continued walking around the walls, and chatted with the guards, as he finished his shift and headed towards the barracks, he remembered a conversation he had with two of the sentries at the northern wall. "Did you hear?" The Christians may launch an attack on Jerusalem and try and get it back. Hopefully it's not true." Karam then laughed and heartily said. "Well, even if it was true, the king and his advisors would have given us more guard shifts and send us on more missions." The other guards smiled in agreement, and continued their shift.

Karam then bumped into another guard, knocking him onto the cobbled streets. He helped him up politely, gave him some money, and headed towards the barracks. As Karam took off his armor and hung it by his bed, Karam thought back to the reason why the Muslims hated the Christians and vice versa. He then remembered that there are many reasons, for example, both groups fought over the holy lands, and both thought they deserved to have them, and they both tried to conquer the other, and defeat eachother.

Karam closed his eyes and thought back to the day he helped slaughter a village of Christians. It was an assassination mission, and he went with about 2 score of men to conquer a Christian village, and kill the leader, and then force the Christians out of the village and all nearby shelters, and killing them if they were aggressive, or didn't leave quietly. The village was near a vast iron mine, which the Muslims could use for making armor and weapons, which is why they went to conquer it. Karam was still new at being a soldier and was sometimes inaccurate with his bow, but other Muslims saved him when he didn't do a good job aiming.

When Karam and four other men got the leader, the nearby remaining villagers grabbed whatever they could use as a weapon and stood ready to protect their leader. As the villagers charged, he heard screams, and saw the bodies of villagers fall, with one or two Muslims mixed in, when Karam got close enough, he aimed at the leader's heart and fired an arrow, the leader died instantly, as he fell on his knees, then to the ground. The remaining villager cried in horror, and charged Karam to try and avenge his fallen leader. Karam flinched slightly but quickly shot him before he could get in melee range.

When he had gotten back from the mission, he was promoted to officer, and was given an improved longbow, some more arrows, and a new longsword and a small dagger with a ruby encrusted into the center of the hilt, the signs of a Muslim officer. He decided to go home and tell his family, but he remembered his family had been murdered when he was an infant, so he decided to tell Garnan. "Karam, did you really get promoted?" Garnan was ecstatic and decided to give him a treat. He bought Karam some up to date iron armor and had a ruby encrusted in the plate body. He also gave him some extra money.

Karam closed his eyes, and snored loudly and obnoxiously. Another guard got out of bed and slapped him on the cheek. Karam looked at him and the guard whispered. "Hey, you, don't snore, or else..." Karam gave an apology and turned around. As he fell asleep, he saw two boys his age, sparring in the humid morning air, and saw them parley afterwards. He saw both boys eating small loaves of bread and talking to their parents about the crusades. He did not remember his dream the next morning...

-THE CRUSADERS LEAVE THE CITY/THE MUSLIMS LEAVE THE CASTLE-

Solomon's eyes snapped open early in the morning, he got on his armor, and set his sword in it's sheath by his right hip. He then strutted over to Skyka and kicked him lightly. Skyka moaned, and muttered something. Solomon kicked him again and whispered "Skyka, get up already..." Skyka moaned again. Skyka then slowly got up, and went into their home to pack their supplies.

In Solomon's bag, there were ten loaves of bread, and he had a crossbow and fifty arrows, along with a spare set of indigo robes. Skyka's bag had ten loaves of bread, and he also had a crossbow, loaded with fifty arrows, and a set of crimson robes. Crossbows had triggers, and if you pulled them, and the bow was loaded, they fired. They are very powerful but take a long time to reload.

Skyka then set out with his brother to go to the town church. He saw other soldiers, some with steel armor, some with light leather equipment, and some with no armor at all. Skyka and Solomon joined up with another group of soldiers and as they finally saw the church, they noticed that the air seemed more humid and harder to breath. Solomon saw two men in a fistfight, and Solomon assumed they were drunkards, as they swayed a lot like most do. Skyka also noticed that two men were debating over a dagger they both assumed they dropped. Skyka gazed at the dagger and noticed that the hilt of the dagger was crusted with emeralds and rubies, with one or two sapphires in it. He also noticed that both men were armed with rusty daggers that seemed like if they even poked a piece of armor, they'd crumble into dust.

He then heard the leader of the crusade, Pope Urban II, speaking up and trying to get everybody's attention. He then yelled. "QUIET!!!!" The whole crowd hushed up, and he estimated about two legions, with eight thousand infantry and another four thousand cavalry. He then spoke after hushing up the crowd again.

"We are about to leave, please gather your belongings and get into groups of one hundred, in a ten by ten square, this way you can fight in one big group, or fight as smaller groups of ten to surround a group of enemies." Skyka and Solomon had lost each other in the mass of people getting into groups, but eventually bumped into each other, and joined a group.

Pope Urban II smiled satisfactory and cried out. "Now we leave to free Jerusalem!" Everybody gave a victory cry as if they already had freed Jerusalem and the holy land, and set out. They walked tirelessly and only stopped when they needed to sleep every now and again. Skyka's group of one hundred saw a Muslim village with a sign by it. It read "TANARKO VILLAGE and an arrow going north.

Skyka quickly went up to the Crusade leader and asked "Sir, may I take my group of men to investigate the nearby village?" "Yes, you may, just be careful. Muslims can be very feisty sometimes." The Muslims in that village were unaware of their fate.

Earlier that day...

Karam woke up and yawned. He noticed that most of the other guards had already gotten up to go on their shifts, or some missions. Karam got his armor on and he saw a group of guards outside being briefed by a speaker he recognized as Garnan the 9th. He often gave out missions, and today was no different. He had been raised by him when his family got murdered.

Karam joined the crowd, and heard Garnan say. "Now, just to review, it is rumored that Christians are heading to free Jerusalem, and it is offical now. A scout recently came back and reported he saw large groups of Christians advancing toward our position.

If by some chance we do lose this castle, the Christians will have Jerusalem back, so it is your job to go along with half of our reserve army to stop them. It is your job to hold these Christians off until reinforcements from the Danishmends and the Great Seljuq Empire arrive."

About every soldier gave off signs of agreements and understanding. Karam estimated that about one legion or six thousand soldiers were leaving to hold them off. Garnan told them to leave and head towards a certain village that is in the path of these Christians, the Tanarko village.

As the guards set out with a thousand of the king's special knights, they stopped to eat everyday during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They also stopped when it started getting dark. When a village appeared just over the horizon, Karam and some other guards noticed a Christian group heading towards the village.

He requested to the of the leaders of the legion that he can take ten knights, fifty archers, and forty squires with him to stop the Christians from capturing the village. "Yes, you may, just be careful; the Christians are rumored to be very capable fighters. Take your men and go." Karam walked in the middle of his troops and told them to head towards the village. A pheasant in the village noticed a group of Christians heading from the North, and a group of Muslims heading from the south. The word spread around the village, and everybody made sure that nobody could get into their huts, or sack them from the outside easily.

-CHRISTIANS VS. MUSLIMS. THE TANARKO VILLAGE-

Skyka and Solomon, along with the other ninety-eight soldiers with them advanced into the Tanarko village. They also noticed a small group of villagers talking to a platoon of Muslim soldiers. Solomon and Skyka gathered about thirteen soldiers and made them get their crossbow or longbow with arrows, and each moved into a spot where the could not be seen.

The Muslim soldiers walked by Skyka, and Skyka shot one in the leg. The soldier fell, crying in horror, and each soldier was about to turn around, but they all were shot in the legs, the back ,and one soldier got had an arrow in his stomach, and they too dropped, whether on purpose or if they could not support themselves, no one knew. Skyka quickly moved to a different location.

As Karam advanced into the village, he noticed that some huts were on fire, while others were smashed to bits. He saw dead pheasants and soldiers, some Muslim, some Christian. He kicked the Christian bodies to make sure if they were alive, and if they were, he put them out of their misery. He helped and tried to heal any of the living Muslim troops.

Karam walked by more soldiers, and felt a sudden stinging pain in his back. He put his hand where he felt the pain, and felt an arrow in his back. He felt another stinging pain in his shin, and he tried to stay standing up, but he fell, and he the last thing he thought before he lost consciousness, the last thing he saw was two Christians moving towards him, looking about the same age as him, and they looked like identical twins...

Skyka kicked the body of the soldier he shot in the leg. He noticed that he was a Muslim soldier about his age, and he was the same height as Solomon, and had witch black hair, with a hint of white from dandruff. He also realized that the Muslim had some chain armor with a long bow in his hands. Skyka kicked the body and assumed he had died from shock.

Solomon had been following him, since he had shot him in the back. Solomon said. "He was about our age, unfortunate that he died so young." Skyka nodded in agreement and walked away to help a few soldiers solve a problem with a few villagers. Solomon followed. The other soldiers there got out of their hiding spots and went to ransack some huts and fight some of the Muslims.

Skyka and Solomon met up with five Muslim soldiers, and got into a fight with them. Skyka and Solomon were standing back to back, trying to hold them off. One soldier rushed him with a flail, and Skyka could not block it in time. The flail smashed his sword hand and paralyzed it, and Skyka had to quickly put his sword in his other hand. Solomon had been stabbed in the back, but was able to fight, and beheaded one soldier and stabbed another in the arm, and then turned around to help Skyka. He amputated one soldier's leg from the knee and below, and another Muslim in the hamstring, disabling him, and kicking him in the shins, making him fall over. Solomon shot the last Muslim soldier in the neck.

Skyka gathered up the men and set out to meet back with the legion. They left Muslim bodies in their wake, taking no prisoners. Villagers watched in horror as their fellow Muslims were cut down. Skyka and Solomon led the men back to the legion and met up with the leader. Skyka reported. "Mission success sir, we took a lot of Muslim lives, about one hundred, but we lost ten men."

The leader nodded in approval and spoke. "You did a good job today. Rest up, tomorrow we will continue conquering villages from the Muslims and recruit some men." Solomon and Skyka bowed, and left. Solomon sighed, and dropped. Skyka suddenly noticed he had a deep gash in his shoulder, and that Solomon was losing blood fast...

"We need a healer! My brother is hurt!" Solomon slowly opened his eyes, and asked. "What...happened...?" Skyka was covered with sweat and tears. "There was a deep gash in your back..." Solomon frowned. "But...?" Solomon coughed. "You won't be able to fight for a little while." They both cried, and embraced each other. They both could not remember a time when they felt closer to each other.

Skyka let go and headed to his tent. Skyka layed down and cried and thought of the healer's insight. The gash would limit Solomon's use of his right arm, which he used for swinging his sword, Solomon would not be able fight to much, unless a miracle happened, or unless the healer was wrong, which was very unlikely. Skyka fell asleep, he again dreamed of the Muslim soldier he had shot, and saw him leaving the village with some other soldiers. Skyka did not remember his dream...

Solomon had remembered when he asked Skyka if he wanted to go to the crusades with him. When Solomon had asked, Skyka was astounded. "Are you crazy?! That's extremely dangerous!" "Aye, it is, but the Muslims stole the holy land from us, and we need to get it back." Skyka nodded in agreement.

As Solomon's flashback ended, he thought of what he should do next. He knew that the healer had told him his right arm was damaged, and it would take awhile to heal, and Skyka would be following him and overprotecting him until he was fully healed. Solomon decided to run away. At daybreak, he decided, he'd go on a small trip to the forest, to meditate and maybe sneak back home. He never thought of a real reason why to runaway. Solomon fell into a deep sleep...

-LEAVING THE VILLAGE-

Karam had decided to walk in the village, ransacking the bodies of soldiers and huts, trying to gather some supplies. He found a small dagger and ten arrows for his long bow, he also found some bread and fish, and he even found a first-aid kit and quickly treated his wounds. He saw five soldiers come out of their hiding spots and leave. He ran to catch up with them.

The soldiers were all wounded, and Karam offered to try and treat all of the major wounds. The soldiers each greeted him and showed Karam their wounds with hesitating. Most of the soldiers hadn't been wounded badly, but the worst wound was an arrow in the tendon.

Karam and another soldier started up a campfire, and each soldier spoke about what happened at the village. They all had been surprised by how strong the Christians they had fought were. Some were worried that if all the Christians in that army were as strong as the ones they had fought, they would get back Jerusalem easily. They agreed that four men would report back to Jerusalem, while the others rejoined the rest of the legion and tell Garnan about the mission.

Karam set out with the other three men to the castle where their mission had started. They almost never stopped to rest; they bumped into a group of Christians and shot a few. Each fired one arrow and ran back to a meeting place they had set up. They all then continued on to the castle. After for what seemed like an endless amount of walking, they all parted ways and later met up with the king to each give their reports. King Hanoha seemed shocked. "Did most of your one hundred men really get killed? And they only lost ten soldiers?" Karam nodded, then bowed and left.

Karam wondered about what would happen to the rest of the legion's men under Garnan's command. He knew that he was a very decent general, but he sometimes made cocky decisions because things were going his way, then things would backfire and they could lose the battle. Things like that always happened with Garnan. He left to go on his midnight shift. Nothing unusual happened, but the elderly Christian came back. Karam shot another arrow by her feet and she ran towards the castle. Karam had no choice but to kill her...

He noticed that she had been followed Christian soldiers. They looked awfully familar, and Karam remembered he had seen this group on his way to the castle. They all were hidden in various hiding spots, from poison ivy bushes, to birch trees, and some mossy rocks. There was even one soldier who was hidden behind a very small hill. They all were moving, so he could see them. Karam got out his bow, and ducked. If he hadn't ducked one nanosecond sooner, he would have been shot in the head.

Other guards immediately jumped out from other parts of the castle, and some soldiers had gathered up by the gates of the castle, ready for battle. Karam stood up and shot a soldier in a tree. The soldier screamed and fell to the ground, falling on another soldier. The gates of the castle suddenly opened and many soldiers rushed out, tripping on one another, and sometimes even trampling their comrades, killing them. Karam and all the other guards knew the battle had been won a little while later. Karam shot one more soldier he saw hiding in a bush, and left to go to bed. Karam did not dream...

-FINDING SOLOMON/KARAM'S MISSION-

Skyka woke up early afternoon, and ran in his nightgown to see how his brother was doing. People often stared at him, wondering why he was dressed in his nightgown. Skyka didn't pay them any mind. As Skyka walked into Solomon's tent, he noticed it was empty. Skyka wondered where he could have gone. Skyka ran around the camp, asking anyone if they had seen Solomon, and often gave descriptions. Nobody knew where Solomon had gone, but luckily one of the scholars had seen him run towards the forest during his morning jog. Skyka gathered about thirty men to go find him. Skyka noticed a hut in the distance, and by nightfall, he noticed there was a man in it that looked like his brother...

Earlier that day...

Solomon was lost, he knew it. Solomon walked in circles around the forest with his bow, hunting for deer. He knew that eventually he would be found by either one of two groups. Solomon saw a rabbit and shot it. He also saw a deer and couldn't shoot it before it saw him and ran away. He later saw that same deer and shot it in the heart, killing it instantly.

As the day turned into night, Solomon set up camp for the night, and skinned and gutted his catch, and roasted it. Solomon had never had roasted rabbit before, and he enjoyed it like children did when they get new toys. The deer tasted adequate, and was sort of dry. He went into his makeshift hut, and tried to fall asleep, lying on the hard, cold, floor. Solomon could not manage to get comfortable, and often tossed and turned. In the distance he heard footsteps coming from both directions...

While Solomon was hunting, Karam was assigned another mission...

Scouts had reported that they had seen Christian soldiers in the forest, and Karam was to lead a group of ten squires, five knights, and fifteen archers to eliminate the Christians. Karam handpicked his men and traveled to the designated location. By nightfall, the group was exhausted, but they noticed a group of Christians and a makeshift hut, they advanced towards it, and got ready for battle.

Solomon turned and opened the wooden door to his hut, and looked to his left, he saw Skyka leading a group of a Christians. To his right, he saw a familar Muslim soldier leading a group of the exact same sized group as Skyka was. He went back into his hut and salvaged his crossbow and five arrows.

He poked his head outside again and noticed the group stopped, and some archers in the back were loading their longbows. Fifeteen arrows whizzed into the air, and he heard some screams in the distance. Solomon loaded his bow and aimed straight ahead at the knight flanking to the left of the hut...

The group's morale was very high, Karam realized. He noticed that the knight he had sent scouting had suddenly dropped. Karam sent a squire ahead to investigate. The squire ran back and reported that the horse had been shot in the hoof and had keeled over from pain. The knight on the horse had fallen underneath and was barely able to squeeze out from the horse's weight.

The knight looked to where the arrow had come from, and noticed that there was a crossbow sticking out of the hut. That was the last thing the knight ever saw, as an arrow sped towards him and went right through his plate armor, puncturing his left lung, and another sped with it, puncturing the other lung. The knight died instantly...

Skyka divided his men into two groups, one smaller group would distract the group of Muslims, while the others attacked from behind, while Skyka would investigate the hut, then join his men. Skyka sprinted to the hut...Solomon looked out through the door, and noticed a Christian soldier looking alot like him running towards him. He noticed it was Skyka, and waved.

Skyka waved back, and when he was in range, jumped and embraced Skyka. "Solomon! Why did you leave?!" Solomon sighed, and held Skyka closer, if that indeed was possible. In the distance, Skyka saw a few men, but thought they were his Christian soldiers. He was wrong...

Karam decided to have his men split up into two groups; one would flank to the left and distract the Christians, while a slightly larger group attacked from behind. Karam would take one of the archers and investigate the hut. Karam and the archer ran out to the hut, they saw two Christians parley, they each loaded up their bow, and he aimed his bow at the taller Christian. He fired at the back of the head with a blunt tipped arrow, so he would only make him unconscious, and hold him captive for questioning on the army of Christians heading towards Jerusalem...

-THE CAPTURE AND THE ESCAPE PART ONE-

Solomon finally spoke. "I left because-" Solomon felt a sudden pain in the back of his head and dropped unconscious. Skyka quickly dropped and checked if Solomon was unconsious, or worse. He checked the pulse, and his body for any arrows, and he noticed a blunt-tipped arrow nearby Solomon. He saw a leaf fall from a tree, and he shot at it, and he saw a Muslim fall to the ground.

He heard a rustle behind him, and Skyka loaded his crossbow, turned around, and shot it at all in a splitsecond. Skyka heard the twang of a longbow being strung, and felt something in the back of his head. The last thing he saw was an oddly familar Muslim soldier walk towards him, and he lapsed into a state of deep unconsiousness...

Karam beamed with pride as he walked towards his would-be captives. A squire with many battle wounds ran up to him and saluted. "Sir! We repelled the Christians and killed most of them, but some got away with their lives. We also lost all of our knights, most of our archers, and every squire but me."

"We also were able to prevent the best horse with us from being hurt." Karam sighed. "Well, these Christians are very capable fighters....Did you take any alive?" The squire shuffled his feet, and shook his head. "That's alright, I was able to capture these two. I'm about positive they are related, which will help in questioning them. Get the horse and help me heave these two on them."

Skyka awoke slowly. He noticed he was in a prison cell with somewhat sharp but rusted bars. He checked on Solomon, and noticed he was awake, deep in thought. Skyka coughed to get his attention. "Skyka! Not now! I'm trying to think!" Skyka held his breath. He knew that Solomon never talked like that for three reasons. 1. He was thinking. 2. He was mad at his brother. Or 3. All of the above. Skyka assumed it was all the above, and waited. It seemed like many dynasties had past, and Solomon finally whispered...

"I have a plan. Listen up. Those bars in front of us are unusually sharp, about sharp enough to cut this rope, or weaken it enough so we can break free. Skyka, try and get up, using the wall or me to support yourself, then lie on the bars, and move up and down, but try and not fall over. When your done, take off my left boot, and you'll noticed an opening on the sole. In said opening is a small dagger. Use that to cut me free. I'll tell you what to do next if that works out. If it doesn't, just take off my boot and do what I told you to from there." "Oh, and if we don't break out of here, our lives are over."

Skyka nodded in approval and tried to get up. After what seemed like even more dynastys trying to get up, he was able to lean on the bars and mostly cut up the ropes wrapped around his back. Skyka roared and broke the rope. Skyka instantly thought a guard would run down and check on him, but none came.

He ripped off Solomon's left boot, and looked for a flap in the sole. “Oh, wait, it was my right boot, sorry." Solomon whispered hoarsely. Skyka glared at his brother and ripped off the other boot. He noticed there was a slightly sealed off flap and found a dagger about half a foot long. He slowly cut off Solomon's ropes, and after what seemed like another dynasty had passed, they both were free. "Great, good job Skyka, here's what we do next..."

Karam had been told to check on the captives in each of the cells. He obliged, and flew down many flights of stairs. Eventually he came across the floor where all the spies and traitors were kept. He found one cell with a Muslim who tried to convert to Christianity in the middle of one of their prayers. He was a Christian who snuck into the city, and saw his family on the street. He butchered them all, and hid deep in the city. Karam sneered, and he threw a nearby stone at him. Karam moved on to the next floor where all the murderers and thieves were. One of the murders had slaughtered his family, and Karam often came to his cell and tortured him. Today he brutally beat him, and made sure he was starved for the next two days, only being given little water. The murderer stared at him with malicious intent. Karam walked by and went to the bottom floor where all the Christians were kept, including the Christians he captured. He walked up to the cell and noticed the bars were smashed to bits, and the Christians had escaped...

-THE ESCAPE PART TWO-

Skyka had noticed that a soldier had ran up to their cell, and they hid nearby, expecting him to go back up to the castle. The Muslim just stood there, amazed at how they could have escaped. He seemed to go back up the stairway to tell the king some captives had escaped. Solomon was looking down the other hall, and saw two guards. Skyka and Solomon quickly killed each guard, and quickly changed into their armor, to disguise themselves. "You think this is going to work, Solomon?" "It should. The Muslims aren't to smart if they had put us in a rusted cell." They both quickly ran up the stairs, and noticed an old man who's ribs were showing, and they cut him out and every prisoner who wasn't Muslim on the way up.

Karam had noticed two guards dash up the stairs behind him. Maybe they noticed the missing Christians too, and went to look for them. He quickly dashed up to the king's chambers just before the prisoners walked up...Solomon had already worked out an excuse to any soldier who stopped them, and if the Muslims didn't believe them, they were quickly paralyzed in a wide variety of ways.

As they walked up to the castle gates, they noticed a guard strolling on the battlements. The patrolling guard noticed them and opened the gates. Solomon rapidly took out a blunt-tipped arrow and shot the soldier in the back of the head, and the momentum made the soldier fall off the wall. They quickly exited the castle with their captive...

Karam had told all guards he saw to patrol the castle and city for two Christians who had escaped the prison. Karam saw to the two knights guarding the king's chambers and requested to see the king. He was escorted to the throne. He bowed and spoke. "Sire, this is urgent. Two Christian captives I captured recently had escaped. I went down there to fetch them for questioning, but I found the bars broken, and the cell empty." "They must have not gone far. Take as many men as you wish and find them. If you are unable to capture them, kill them. Now go."

Karam bowed again, and left. He bumped into Garnan. "Why, hello Karam, is something wrong?" Karam explained as quickly as he could what had gone on recently. "Really? I was going to tell the king that all of the prisoners had escaped with two suspicious guards. I didn't try and stop them since they seemed to be in a hurry and I don't have much battle experience." "Even the person who murdered my family?" "Yes, even him." Garnan continued. "I also noticed some Christian items in the halls when I went to check if those pheasants following the guards were the prisoners, since most of them looked starved." Karam stepped out of the way and gathered up and many guards as he could and told them all the situation. They all instantly gathered into small groups, some left to check outside the castle, while others patrolled the castle and the city, and others went deep into the forest...

-REJOINING THE LEGION-HANOHA’S OUTRAGE-

Skyka and Solomon, along with all the other prisoners, noticed some Christian scouts, and asked for directions to camp. "Just keep going North, and you'll get there." Skyka and Solomon did keep going north, and by Noon they had rejoined the two legions, and noticed that there was another legion or so of Christians. Solomon quickly scheduled a meeting with Pope Urban II. "Welcome back. I see you have escaped from the Muslim castle. Tell me about its defenses, and interior. Please grab your sword and draw a map."

Skyka got out his dagger and walked outside. Pope Urban and Solomon followed. "You see, Sir, underneath the castle are dungeons where they keep the prisoners." "The castle walls have decent battlements, which are hard to climb up, even with grapple hooks. In the castle is a small city, with guards constantly patrolling. They had many guards, knights, and archers on guard shifts since we got caught, so defenses are tight." Pope Urban nodded, and spoke. "Please continue."

Solomon continued where Skyka left off. "Sire, we were also able to find out where the ruler's chambers are, and also where the barracks are located. Near the barracks is the keep, and a small plateau which we can use to cut off the castle, by the east wall. The gates at the front are made of wood, which we can easily burn down, after sniping each of the sentries by the gates. As long as we secure that plateau, and nearby areas, we will be able to capture the castle, and nearby Jerusalem." Skyka and Solomon bowed and exited...

"WHAT?!" King Hanoha screamed. "ALL THE PRISONERS ESCAPED?!" "Yes, Karam just told me he sent out a few hundred men to patrol around, and try and find them." A scout quickly rushed inside and panted. "Sire! I have good news and bad news. The good news is that reinforcements from the Danishmends and the Seljuq Empire had finally arrived. The legion we sent out to destroy the Christians had also reported back. About half of them had died from diseases, and half of that group died from battles with the Christian legions. ““The bad news is that a Christian army has been noticed. Their forces seem to be numbered at about fifteen thousand." King Hanoha sighed. "Tell all soldiers in the castle to get ready. I want all of our men to get into defense positions. We can't waste a second of valuable time."

-PREPARING FOR THE BATTLE OF JERUSALEM-

Pope Urban had gathered up a meeting and quickly started explained the plan. “All archers and ballistas are to be set up around the castle picking off the sentries. The infantry will grapple up the battlements or try and set fire to the gates. Once the gates are opened, the archers will use their blow horns to call the cavalry, which will be waiting nearby. Once in the city sack as many houses as you can, and kill as many Muslims as you can. Then get to the castle and assassinate the king.”

King Hanoha’s men set up battle maneuvers also. “Listen up everyone.” He stated. “All archers are to be up on the wall, and all cavalry and infantry are to be waiting nearby the gate. Catapults will be stationed around the castle. If the gates are opened, charge.”

Karam was walking with Garnan, talking about recent events after the meeting. “Garnan, were the Christian fugitives and prisoners ever found?” Karam asked. “Yes, but they were seen with the Christian army right now.” “Karam sighed and looked up at the clear afternoon sky. He saw some smoke over the horizon …

Skyka had been talking with Solomon after the meeting with Pope Urban. Skyka and Solomon were walking on the South side of camp, in the direction of the castle, Skyka started up a conversation. “Solomon, I can’t believe this war is almost over. Once we capture this castle, we will easily recapture Jerusalem, and we can go back and meet our family again.”

Solomon had been listening to Skyka with only one ear, and the other ear was listening at sounds in the forest’s edge. He heard a twig snap, and threw his dagger where he heard the sound. A bird fell like a rock to the ground.“ Skyka, look, there’s our lunch … " Skyka snickered and went to fetch the bird’s carcass and retrieve Solomon’s dagger.

Late in the night, Pope Urban gathered up his army, and spoke one last time. “Is everyone here ready?” Almost every soldier in the army yelled. “**CHARGE!!!!”** The Crusaders charged the castle …

“Garnan! What was that?” “I don't know, Karam, nothing to be worried about though … ” Garnan and Karam walked up to the wall, and heard a yell. “**IT’S THE CHRISTIANS! THEIR COMING**!” Garnan and Karam were already in their armor, and Karam sprinted as fast as he could towards the battlements, while Garnan ran towards the keep to tell the king of the siege. The gate slowly opened …

-THE BATTLE FOR JERUSALEM PART ONE-

Skyka had been chosen to grapple up to the battlements after most of the sentries were cleared out. Solomon had his own horse and waited with the cavalry. Skyka quickly threw the grapple at a battlement, and ran for the walls, and slowly climbed up. "**Aaaaaah...**" Skyka looked up, and a soldier was about to fall on him, he quickly strafed to the left, and the soldier dropped to the ground. When Skyka had gotten to the stop, he didn't see many guards but a soldier he could remember very well ran to him.

Skyka suddenly had a flashback to Tanarko village. He had shot this soldier, and could have sworn he died. He also remembered the battle back in the forest; this soldier had walked up to him before he went unconscious. Skyka also suddenly remembered he had a dream about him. Skyka sprinted towards him and drew his longsword...

Karam had ran up to the battlements, and he saw a Christian soldier. Karam suddenly had a flashback, and jogged slower. This Christian soldier had been one of the captives he caught that escaped. He also realized the Christian had shot him at Tanarko village. He also suddenly recalled seeing him sleeping in a haystack. Karam drew his short sword and dashed towards him...

Solomon had heard a loud horn and realized it was the signal. All the infantry and Cavalry charged, Solomon had accidentally trampled one of the infantry, and made another horse trip. He looked up to the battlements and noticed Skyka and an oddly familiar Muslim soldier.

Solomon suddenly had a flashback as well, and led his horse out of the stampede. He remembered that Muslim soldier had captured him, and he remembered he had seen him at Tanarko village. He quickly dashed into the castle.

-THE BATTLE FOR JERUSALEM PART TWO- (In the first paragraph I will not tell the story from one character's point of view, but I will tell the story from a narrator's view.)

Skyka striked first with a well timed diagonal slash. Karam parried and sidestepped while attacking with a horizontal slice aiming for the ribs. It just made a small niche in the plate body, and Skyka flinched. Skyka ran back and grabbed a crossbow and pulled the trigger. Karam was able to put his sword up and block the arrow with the flat of his sword. They both dashed towards each other like in a joust, and slashed the other when they intercepted. Skyka slowly wobbled and dropped.

Karam grabbed Skyka's sword and threw it over the walls, and drew his dagger and held it at Skyka's jugular. "Any last words, Christian?" Karam threatened. "Aye, take this!" Skyka quickly wrestled his body from Karam's legs and kicked Karam in the soft spot (You know what I mean...) And held his head over the edge of the wall, and held his knife against Karam's neck. "Do you have any last words...?"

Garnan had quickly ran up to the top of the battlements to aid Karam, and he ran up the stairs of the battlements. He noticed Karam was being pinned down by a Christian soldier. He slowly dropped and took out his crossbow, and swiftly loaded it...

Karam had seen Garnan take out the crossbow, and tried not to give any signals to the Christian holding him down. "I said, do you have any last words?" Karam smirked. "Aye, I do, prepare to die..." Karam declared, and then continued quickly. "GARNAN! NOW!"

Garnan was about to pull the trigger, but something hit his head, and he dropped. Skyka tried to look up, but couldn't. The Muslim holding him down eased just a smidge, and he looked up to see his brother, Solomon. "Solomon! Help!" Skyka moaned. Karam quickly came back to reality, and quickly attempted to kill the Christian he was holding down.

But it was only an attempt. He felt something go through his body, he looked down slowly, and looked dumbfounded at the sword that had gone through his chest. Karam keeled over, and thought to himself. "Well, I guess this is it. I failed to defend Jerusalem, and Garnan is dead. Where did I go wrong?" He suddenly realized he may finally meet his family again after all these years. Karam slowly closed his eyes...

"Solomon, you came at just the right time." Skyka said. "Skyka, I have good news. We were successfully able to conquer Jerusalem, and we have slaughtered all Muslim and Jewish residents. Our legions, or whats left of them, will set out back to the city tomorrow after a rest." Skyka nodded and spoke. "Solomon, I can't believe this is finally over, it's barely been a year. I wonder what our parents are up to?" "Aye, I am too. I'm going to go ransack the castle for armor and weapons. We can sell them in the city when we get back for some extra money. Want to come?" "Sure, let's go." They slowly strutted towards the castle, reflecting on the war and what they have learned.

-EPILOGUE-

//Skyka and Solomon did eventually get back to their home, and noticed that a small baby girl had been with their family. She had light blue eyes, unlike Skyka and Solomon, and she had dirty, long, blonde hair. She was very small, but had a look of determation in her eyes.

"Father, Mother, who's this little babe?" Skyka asked. Obsor explained that she had been born just recently, about a month before they got back. "What's her name...?" Skyka implored. Leia whispered. "Her name is Hannah.”//

 // THE END //