Age of Chaucery and Feuds
Outrageous Fortune for the High Summer
said Masud as he handed his buddy the handle of the smoke, gesturing it suggestively with a smug on his face.His friend, ever worried ,Ismail accepted it nervously,and inhailed the relaxing smoke
"Wouldnt the captain punish us for that?".Masud laughed with an air of smoke surrounding him
"He aint even here, hes knocking this beautiful prostitute down at Hallava heh heh "the men laughed however their enjoyment was cut short when the tower bell began to ring franatically.Ismail thrusted forward and gawked at the bell, his eyes widened with terror, was it the Christians marching to Granada?it made sense especially with the recent debacle of the Belrearic islands.
Shouts and confused cries erupted from the walls and ballista towers.Ismail looked into the horizon, the torches of the invading army lightened the hills of Alserryya.He squinted his eyes at the banners that fettered by the breeze , something was wrong, there were no crosses and no Castillian, or even Aragonese flags...no, it was the flags of al-Cordobi, the lunatic upsurper
"Oh fuck, Masud get off your fat ass, we have company".
*********
The Guards protecting the city of Granada could not react quickly to the advancing northern army, Al-Cordobi had arrived under the stealth of the night with the support of the Northern Emirs, who were still not touched by the Sultan's Assasin Order.The panicking soldiers barred the gates and readied the Ballista fire , but since they did not expect such an attack,especially without warning, the storages of the city werent enough to hold any siege, and most of the Gates were locked with haste, allowing the upsurper's army to enter the city and force the Gates open.The barracks of Ghernata tried its best to deter the invaders, but the sheer numbers of Al-Cordobi's army overwhelmed them, they were slaughter mercilessly.
The people of Ghernata woke up to find their beautiful city desecrated by the rag tag army of the upsurper, pillaging and sacking anything in its path, even the Grand Mosque de la Muhhadab wasnt spared from their hands.Abu Abdullah led his men torwards the Alhambra, to siege the palace of Bani Ahmer and bring the Moorish Sultan to his heel.
*********
Chambers of the Sultan, Alhambra
"My Sultan wake up!Al-Cordobi has penetrated our defences, he is sieging the Alhambra as we speak, we must leave at once!" shouted the Master Guard of the Alhambra as he shoke the Sultan from the abyss of sleep.Outside the bursts of Granadian canons flared into the night.The Sultan moaned and stretched, however the name Al-Cordobi forced his sleep away.He jumped from his bed and looked at his captain with bewilderment
"Al-Cordobi?how can that be?" he ran to the balcony, and before him beautiful Granada burned, the nightmare has arrived
"Quickly my lord, we must take leave before the upsurper arrives".The Sultan frowned, no, he will not be dethrowned again, he will not allow himself to be expelled again to the Maghrib, he will not allow the murderer of his father to sit on his rightful throne!No...he will not flee to the Maghrib, but to Almeria, and then recapture the city and execute Al-Cordobi,purging Al-Andalus from this menace once and for all.
"Bring me my fine Andalusian, my retainers,nobles and all those still loyal to me shall ride to Almeria, we regroup there" and with that the Sultan camly collected his manuscripts and books, tombs of knowledge that the barbarian Al-Cordobi would never value, however he remembered something
"By the way captain, dispatch a messenger to our overlord in Qistallah, let us see if the Christians are honorable, better a Christian than Al-Cordobi I suppose" he sighed and continued his "forging".
*********
Baza, Garden of Andalucia
Mohammed V escaped under the blanket of the night with his family through the secret tunnels built under the Alhambra.The passage led to the town of Baza close by, where the family found their mounts and loyal followers waiting.The Sultan hodded himself and grinned
"to Almeria we go" he striked his mare, which jetted forward quickly on the brick built road, his family and retainers followed suite.
Hours later....
The Sultan's Mare danced gracefully into the town of Almeria followed by a contagent of his most loyal Guards , not to mention his Hajib and High nobles.All of Smaller, and perhaps Greater al-Andalus have heard of the rebellion, and the townsfolk had aready assembled to greet the rightful ruler of Ghernata.
The Army of Al-Andalus , or whats left of it in the wake of the takeover, set up a camp by the town of Almeria for the Sultan.Slowly Mujjahedan from loyal towns, especially from Guadix, Malaga and al-Jazzera flocked and filled the ranks.The treasury hordes which were hastly taken from the vaults were used to employ several mercenary hidalgo Christians who yearned for a good fight, weaponry and swords were collected from the Southern towns, each giving its maximum support to the Sultan's fledgling Resistance.The Moorish Army erected some hastely made trebuchets and Muslim Ballistas in the Almerian worshops.Mohammed was determined to recapture his capital, and his loyal subjects too supported his cause, to restore the throne and stop the lunatic Abu Abdullah.
After assembling a force of about five thousand scimitar weilders, 300 horsemen, and 50 knights, he led his army torwards Ghernata, the jewel of his Kingdom, his honor would be restored on the battle field, and his vendeta against Al-Cordobi will be complete when he plunges his scimitar into that pig's heart.The time of justice has come and al-Andalus beaconed for leadership in her greatest time of need....
*********
The plains of Zimia
"How fare our men?" asked Mohammed.The Moorish General sighed
"Morale is high, your presence is most welcome my liege...question is, will the Castillians and the Maghribi Order support us?There presence could very well change the balance, since we are roughly the same size in terms of arms with the rebels.." he viewed al-Cordobi's soldiers, their Banners and Flags black as the scorching night ,seemed drastically out of place with the white washed Abodes upon the yonder hill.Their forces werent exactly large, but still formidable and may pose some resistance to the Sultan's reconquesta army.
"Yes, the Castillian and Maghribi presence may very well change the balance of the battle..." marked the General again, he was distressed, he didnt want to strain his soldiers completely fighting the rebels, any reinforcements would be welcome."
Let us see if King Juan upholds his word...Al-Andalus is in dire straits indeed" Mohammed unsheathed his sword
"I lost the islands of the Belrearic, but by Allah, I will NOT lose my throne" he jetted his Mare by force torwards the hill where he overlooked his, surveying them from atop
"The time for Jihad has come my brothers, who here is true to al-Andalus?"the men roared and cheered.
A body of cavalry from Guadix and a contagent of a men-at-arms arrived providing a fresh nourishment of reinforcements to the Sultan's army, now it was the only Castillians left....On the Sultan's order, the Cannonili teams readied their naphlans to be ejected into the body of the enemy, the Greek-fire archers raised their bows unto the Kaba Qawseen, ready to rain a firey hell on the enemy.The commanders gave the signal and the cannonili and archers fired consequatively, never daunting and stopping.The enemy did likewise and the Moorish soldiers sheilded themselves.Once the exchange of fire stopped, the second phase of the battle began.
Mohammed raised the flag of battle and drew his scimitar, the time for war has come.The Sultan roared and his Andalusian was ignited into a frenzy.Like one, the Sultan and his mare rushed into the thick of the enemy.The Granadian nobles unsheathed their swords and descended from the hill following the Sultan, followed by a great wave of scimitar weilders and Mujjahidin.In the plains of Zimia the Moorish and rebel armies clashed and a new round of blood was shed in the drama of human history.
Would the battle mark the end of Mohammed?or his rise and change of fortune?such thoughts rushed into his mind as he hacked into the body of the enemy.His train of thought was interrupted with the jubilant shouts of his men
"Silver Crescent Men".From the top of the hill the Master of the Order appeared with a contagent of horsemen and pikemen.The Maghribi quickly joined their Andalusian brothers against the enemy of the Kingdom who would see the undoing of Islam on al-Andalus.
King Juan.....where are you?....
