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Mark’s Journals
01 December 1153
Dear Journal,
Today me and my men prepare for battle as if we are fighting it today. We dress in our much needed but not elegant armor. We saddle up the horses and prepare for the long hard battle ahead of us. I myself am not frightened as I once was before the first battle I ever fought. The battles can be long, sometimes under difficult conditions such as hail storms or great winds. As I psych myself out I know what I will be faced with. Other men like me fighting for their lords and rights, their freedom and their families. I will be going up against other men who will try to kill me as much as I will try to kill them. I whish I did not have to kill men, in fact I do try to take them as prisoners instead. I know that the knight with the most heart will win the battle so I stand tall as if I am ready to take on a sword right to the chest.
Mark
02 December 1153
Dear Journal,
Today is the long day of agony. This is the day where I have to say goodbye to my family, the day right before my men and I head out on the long trip ahead of us, and then the battle. Today there is no training whatsoever. Today is a day meant to say goodbye to your cherished ones and to pray that you succeed in battle. This is the day that you hope that you will be able to come back and see your wife’s and childrens’ faces once again. This is the day where you say goodbye to your home with all of its comforts and prepare yourself for the long struggle ahead. This day is when I have to say goodbye to Martha my wife, Mary my daughter, and Mark Jr. my son, who I truly hope will not grow up to be like me. I hope my son will not have to take a life of violence but instead a life of religion and peace.
Mark
PS. I hope I can sleep.
03 December 1153
Dear Journal,
Today I will leave my family to go fight in honor for hopefully about two weeks at the most. I will really miss my family as I travel on this long bloody path. The nice thought is that I am not alone. I have my brothers, my comrades, and my family to fight along side me. I have my men who will always be behind me no matter the conditions. My men are well trained in many skill areas. I have the most skilled riders amongst all the land. One of my men by the name of Jacob is the best sword fighter you will see for miles. My men have trained since they were the age of seven at which was the time they embarked upon this long brutal journey. I still remember when my father enrolled me. My father was a poor man so I do not hold it against him.
Mark
04 December 1153
Dear Journal,
Today was the first real full day on the road; it’s only a number of days before we reach our destination. My men seem to be depressed from leaving their families while being excited and ready for battle. My knights travel on without complaining really at all and no major incident happened today. The warm fire feels nice next to me because of the harsh snowing weather. The horses seem to be doing good as well. Most of them are asleep like my men who need a good rest for the long day of traveling tomorrow. Only I am still awake because I can’t sleep well without being in my home with my wife next to me. I know we will win and defeat the enemy, I am just concerned about not losing too many men. The men are well trained,.....they should be fine.
Mark
05 December 1153
Dear Journal,
Today was a little bit harder than yesterday. The men are getting tired of traveling fast and are starting to get sluggish. They known they must go on and the mind set of wanting to fight is about the only thing driving them on. As the days go on my men will get more sluggish and less motivated. I will have to find someway to keep them in mental shape. Tonight isn’t quite ask cold as last night but I think the idea that my men have left home to go fight a battle has finally kicked in their minds. There isn’t much that happened today.
Mark
06 December 1153
Today was horrible. The weather still has not let up. One of my men’s horses died from falling off the steep cliffs we were climbing. Luckily my man saved himself by grasping onto a local plant. This did not help with my men’s motivation. This also made the men a bit uneasy and unwilling to cross dangerous areas. This slowed down the pace even more but yet my men still follow me and go on. I believe in my men and they believe in me, that is all that matters. Hopefully the men will be driven on by the same power which drives me, which is fighting for my rights and lord. I have great respect for the lord because he pronounced me a knight.
Mark
PS. If these harsh weather conditions continue on I don’t know what I will do.
07 December 1153
Today we have reached our destination! The men are thrilled and seem as strong and excited about battle as the first day of this five day trip. I myself have mixed emotions; I am thrilled to be done with the trip across the large mountains and cliffs and I am a little bit excited about this battle, but I do not enjoy fighting. I fight because that is my job and that is how I support my family. How I do miss my family. I will fight tomorrow for my family and my family only. I will kill and capture men who are in my way and I will lead my men to victory. I will loose no men in the battle tomorrow, I could not imagine the feelings the family of that loved one would feel towards me and their lord if someone should die. I know I would be emotionally destroyed. This is the other reason I do not enjoy killing because I can understand how the other side, the concurred side would feel. I do what I must and I must defeat this enemy, without pleasure and all. I am ready.
Mark
08 December 1153
Dear Journal,
Today was a day of blood spread and devastation, many men were killed, most not of my own. My well trained men used their extravagant skill and concurred the enemy without much of a hassle. I gave a great speech before the battle; one of fighting for a cause and fighting with all your heart. Two men of mine died and they died in honor, and the thirty men of the enemies who died in honor as well. We showed great chivalry during the bloodbath today. My blade is still stained with the color red and the stench of blood. We did take two captives but released them as soon as they paid their way out of our hands. Today was not pretty, but what was had to be done was had to be done.
Mark
PS. My men are overjoyed with their great victory.
09 December 1153
Dear Journal,
Today is the day after victory, so I let my men sleep in after the big party they had last night. It wasn’t like I really had a choice anyway with all the alcohol drinking going on last night. Today will be a day of rest. I myself am still not really over the battle quite yet. I’m not happy that we won I would not be happy if we lost, blood was shed, and whenever blood is shed it is not a happy or good thing. Battles are bad but must be held because of lords who can not get along. This is just my job; I do it because I have to, and I do it well. My men are proud of me and I am proud of them, but war is not quite as much of a game to me as it seems to be to them.
Mark
10 December 1153
Dear Journal,
Today it is time to embark on the great journey home. Hopefully no men will be lost on the way back especially because they just fought hard and won a battle. As for the two families who lost two loved ones in battle, I feel for them. My lord will reward me for winning the battle when I get back home. I will be rewarded for shedding blood. I have to look at it in a way that it’s just my pay for doing my job.
Mark
PS. I can’t wait to see my family.