THE HISTORY OF CHAKI THE MOOR by Andrej Koymasky (C) 2009 written on on June 21, 2002 translated by the author English text kindly revised by Derek
USUAL DISCLAIMER
"THE HISTORY OF CHAKI THE MOOR" is a gay story, with some parts containing graphic scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion, family, opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better not to read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't care, or because you think you really want to read it, please be my welcomed guest.
Chapter 7 - MIKLOS AND BALINT
Stanislaw entered the room where Rhemy was working and the youth stiffened, but when he saw that the man wasn't locking the door, he started to relax.
"Are the papers I told you to copy in fine calligraphy ready?"
"Yes, my lord. They are all here." he said giving him the sheaf of papers.
The man rapidly verified them, nodding, "Good, you have done fine work. Listen, I have now to go and give them to King Ludwik who is at his summer castle, therefore I will be absent for a few days, four or five, I presume. Meanwhile take this accounts book and copy all the items and figures you see marked in red. You should have finished before I am back. I have unfortunately to leave at once therefore I have no time to fuck your nice little arse.
"I will recover when I'm back, full of desire... Then you will spend all night with me in my bed, since today I am sending my wife and my children to see her parents and will have them stay there for a couple of weeks. Oh, and here is your pay for this month. As you can see, I have increased it of a couple gold coins, to pay you for your special services. I hope that when I'm back you will show me your gratitude."
Without waiting for the boy's answer, so confident was he, the man left the room. Rhemy at once thought that this could be the occasion they were waiting for, in order to run away. As he saw his master leave the yard on his horse, he went to call Chaki. He told him about the good opportunity that they had, and sent him immediately to tell Matyas.
But in the mean time Matyas was going to the residence of Stanislaw Podebrady, as he had good news to give the two boys. They met mid way.
"Hey, Chaki, I was coming to see you." the man exclaimed in a merry tone.
"And I you, master Matyas. The master will be absent for a few days and we thought that possibly this could be the right time."
"It is, it surely is! Go back immediately and tell Rhemy to gather your belongings, your money and to come immediately to my place. You will not be going back, therefore take with you all you really need to take, but the minimum of luggage."
"Do you have good news for us?"
"Wonderful, I should say, especially now that messier Podebrady is absent. But take care not to let anybody in the residence suspect you are running away. It should be as if you just are going to do some errands, is that clear?"
"It certainly is. But can't you tell me what is it about?"
"It would take too much time, and afterwards I would have to repeat everything to Rhemy. Just come quickly to my home and there I will tell you everything."
They parted and Chaki ran back to the Podebrady's residence, went to the room where Rhemy was still working and told him about his meeting with Matyas. Both were excited. They went upstairs to their rooms and together decided on the few things they were taking with them, besides all their money. They left everything in perfect order so that, if somebody went there after they went out, no one would suspect they were running away.
Outside, they crossed the square, trying to walk at a normal pace as if they were just going to do some errands. On the way they met some acquaintances that they greeted as they always did. They walked through the narrow streets of the old city, until they got to Matyas house.
The man was waiting for them. As soon as the two boys were inside, he had them sit at the table and offered them some bread and cheese, and finally told them.
"My son got to know some gypsies that are camping with their wagons just here under the city walls. They tour the city playing music in the inns to earn some money. He also became friends with some of them and found out that today, after noon they will resume their journey and go to the Bayern duchy, in Munich. So he asked them, if they were paid, would they be able to hide you in their wagons and take you out of the kingdom with them. Rhemy could easily be disguised by cutting and dyeing his hair, but Chaki would be recognised at once therefore he would have to be carefully hidden until you are out of the Kingdom of Bohemia."
"What did they say?" Chaki and Rhemi asked almost with one voice.
"They accepted. I will now send my son to fetch them, so they can come here and you can reach an agreement with them."
"Do they want much money?" Chaki asked.
"No, well, not that much. They are asking for three gold coins for each of you. Do you have enough, boys?"
"Yes, we took all our savings and just this morning the master paid me my months salary. Here is all we have." Rhemy answered putting on the table all their money.
"Well. That should be enough at least for while. But it's not wise to keep all of it in your moneybag. Wait, I've an ideaÉ" Matyas said and called his wife. "Here, just keep these coins to give to the gypsies and a few spare. All these others, my wife will sew into the hems of Chaki's clothes. As he has to be hidden, it is better for him to have them."
The woman made Chaki undress, until he had only his drawers on. She started to quickly undo the clothes hems and to sew them back skilfully fixing inside them the coins.
Meanwhile Matyas' son went outside the walls of the town to call the two young gypsies with whom he had already talked. In a short while he was back with the two young men, who were both about the same age, around twenty-five years old. They were tall, thin but not too much, had dark brown hair softly curled, long sideburns and one of them had a short and well-trimmed moustache. They had dark piecing eyes, which shone like obsidian and teeth of an incredibly pure white. They had an olive complexion. Both had big gold rings in their ears. They were wearing the very colourful and fanciful clothes, characteristic of the Bohemian gypsies.
Matyas' son introduced them, "This is Balint and he is Miklos. This is my father, and they are the friends I asked you to help."
"Do you agree about the coins you will give us?" asked the one whose name was Balint, that is the young man with moustache.
"You asked for three Bohemian gold coins for each of us, is that right?" Rhemy asked.
"It is."
"But for that price, do you guarantee us that you will take them to Munich with you?" Matyas asked.
"We guarantee you that we will do our best to take them there. And when we promise to do our best, it means we will do whatever it is possible to do." Miklos said with a low and warm voice.
"Therefore, in your opinion there is a riskÉ" Matyas insisted.
"All of life is a risk, man! We are ready to face our risks helping the two boys to escape, they have to be ready to face theirs by coming away with us." Miklos said, studying with inquisitive eyes the two boys.
"In that case," Matyas insisted, "you should be happy with part of the money now and the rest when you get there, don't you think?"
"No, we don't think. That is the price and we have no intention of bargaining." Balint said in a severe tone.
"It is alright. Here are your coins." Rhemy said shortly, pushing the six gold coins towards the two young men.
"But at least, included in these six gold coins is the food you will give the two boysÉ" Matyas insisted again.
"We always share our food with our guests." Balint said dryly.
"It would be easier to hide just one of them, the black one, of course. The other one, we have to make him look more like us to make him pass as one of us. We can lend him some of our clothes, but we need to cut his hair and dye it, as well as dye his skin." Miklos said studying Rhemy.
"Should I also wear earrings like you two?" the boy asked, part amused but part worried.
"Not necessarily. Usually in our tribe virtually only the married men, or next to marry, wear earrings. They are a gift from the girl's family. And you are still too young to be either married or near to marrying." Miklos explained.
"To do the disguising for me, should I come to your wagons?" Rhemy asked.
"No, it would be better we do it here. And also that we take out the black boy in a sack or a hamper. The less you are seen with us, the safer you will be when they search for you." Balint curtly said.
"Of course. Bring here all you need to alter Rhemy's appearance. If you need it, my wife or my sons can give you a hand. I don't have a hamper big enough to put Chaki in, but I can possibly find a sack." Matyas said.
"We shall be able to disguise the boy, without any help. And if you find a sack big enough, it would be really good." Miklos said, nodding.
The two gypsies left the house, promising they would be back soon. Matyas' wife started to look amongst the sacks to see if they had one big enough. As she couldn't find one, she unstitched two of them and sewed them together using strong string to get one big enough to contain Chaki and to be able to close it.
After a short time the two gypsies were back with a basket. They asked Matyas for a bowl, two basins full of hot water, a razor and an old white cloth. The man's wife readily gave him all they wanted. Then the two gypsies made Rhemy undress completely whilst Balint poured various kinds of powder into the hot water, some into one of the basins, some into the bowl then carefully mixed both of them. Miklos took the razor and started to cut Remy's beautiful blond hair with fast and precise strokes, shortening it only a little at the back but much more on the sides, leaving the boy's ears totally uncovered. At the front he left a longer fringe and got rid of the centre parting.
Then the young man took the bowl and soaked in it a small piece of cloth. With it he started to brush the boy's hair, his eyebrows, the hair under his arms and the hair on his groin, which gradually darkened until they were a rich dark brown, ebony colour. Miklos went over them carefully several times until he was satisfied with the result. Then he washed the boy carefully with the clean water from the basin and removed the loose dye from his skin.
Balint carefully rinsed the piece of cloth then soaked it in the basin where he had poured the powder. With it he started to go all over Rhemy's body, methodically and with care. After the first time it seemed that the skin colour was little different, but then, after the second time, gradually it started to change colour and it assumed a shade very close to that of the two gypsies' skin.
Chaki was looking with wide eyes the transformation of his lover, almost not believing his eyes. Then he asked, almost in a whisper, "ButÉ will he always be like this?"
Miklos smiled, "No, his hair will grow blond again. And his skin, if we don't apply the dye again, will gradually clear up and be back to its original colour."
Matyas wife asked, "But if it rains, would the colour come off?"
"No it would not. He could dive into the river and swim, without losing his colour." Miklos explained again.
Balint started to look closely at each part of Rhemy's body to check that the colour was uniform. The boy felt slightly embarrassed by that minute inspection so closely done, and became even more conscious of his nakedness. After some time Balint stood up satisfied.
"One of us would know that his skin is dyed, that he's not a gypsy, but nobody else would. And with our clothes on him, he will be perfect, believe me. The only problem is that he doesn't know our language. But if he had to talk with a foreigner, it would be enough if he imitates our accent and nobody will notice anything." the young man said with his usual serious expression.
Miklos took out of the basket they had brought with them the clothes for Rhemy and helped the boy to dress in them in the right way. Now really the boy was totally transformed. Chaki was sill looking at him with an amazed and engrossed expression.
Then they put the big strong hemp sack on the black boy and closed him inside, carefully tying its opening. They asked Rhemy to carry their basket, they took the sack with Chaki inside onto their shoulders and with a farewell gesture, the "tree" gypsies went out of the house, rapidly down the narrow lanes, past the city gate and went to their campsite. There they took the sack into one of the wagons and once its door was shut, they freed Chaki.
Miklos said, "This is my wagon. The black boy will stay hidden here, at least until we are well outside the boundaries of the Kingdom of Bohemia. You," he said to Rhemy, "will stay in Balint's wagon."
The man, helped by his wife, moved aside a heavy chest, raised one of the floorboards and showed the hiding place where Chaki would lie, almost made to measure.
"Do I have to get in there now?" the black boy asked.
"No, not yet. If and when it becomes necessary, my wife will help you to get in there. When we are travelling, you can stay outside. It is essential that no outsider should see or hear you. In our stops, when possible, you can also come out of the wagon to move about a little, to relieve yourself."
"But then the other members of the caravan will see me." Chaki objected.
"They all know we brought you with us, we couldn't have done it without the consent of our chief. As long as it is only they who see you, you run no risks." Miklos explained.
Balint told Rhemy to follow him to his wagon. The boy asked if he could be alone with Chaki for a few minutes, as possibly they would not see each other all day. Miklos made a sign to his wife to leave and the woman took with her their two children. Then the two men also went out.
"Possibly we can do itÉ" Rhemy whispered caressing his lover's cheek.
"Yes, I think everything will be all right. Anyway, at least for now, they are not yet looking for us, they still don't know we are running away."
"Tell me, Chaki, how do you think I look? I would like to be able to look at myself."
"You are a wonderful gypsy." his friend answered with a smile.
"Do you find me more appealing like this or as I was before?"
"I find you wonderful in both ways, my love. Moreover, your smile is what I love most about you, and that is absolutely the same."
"I didn't think to ask them how many days it will take us to leave the lands of King LudwikÉ and how long you have to be hidden so we can't be togetherÉ and besides that, how long it will take to reach Munich."
"The main thing is to be out of Bohemia. After that, short or long as the journey will be, it will be of no importance."
Rhemy took Chaki in his arms and kissed him on the mouth. Chaki kissed him back, but then pulled away from him.
"I don't think we can do anything, in these conditions. It's better if you go out, now. Who knows when we can be again together safely."
"I don't know, Chaki, but whatever happens, you can be certain of one thing - my love for you will never end!"
"Nor mine for you. It is the only riches we still have, and nobody can ever take it away from us."
Rhemy went out of the wagon and the wife and children of Miklos went inside. The caravan was already ready to leave, and soon the long line of colourful wagons pulled by horses, set off.
Miklos' children in the wagon wanted to touch Chaki's skin and they bombarded him with questions as they had never seen a black boy before. Meanwhile the man and his wife were on the driver's seat. On Balint's wagon however, on the driver's seat sat the man and Rhemy, while his wife and children were inside.
"Where did you find that black boy?" Balint asked.
"He was one of my father's servants but he was born in Africa. We ran away together."
"What is that boy to you? It doesn't seem as if you treat him like your servant."
"He isÉ a friend, not a servant."
"A close friend, it seems to me." Balint said carrying on driving, without looking at him.
"Yes, a dear friend, that's right." Rhemy answered in a low voice.
"It is important for a man to have a dear friend. Miklos for me is a dear friend. We married two sisters, on the same day, so we are now also relatives, and the bond between us is even stronger than before. In our tribe families are connected and united through the wives, not the husbands, therefore Miklos and I are almost more united than if we were brothers, as we married two sisters."
"Both you and Miklos have two children each, I noticed."
"Yes, and we conceived them on the same days. Next winter, around the day of the solstice, both Miklos and I have decided to try to have our third child."
"Why do you want your children to be conceived on the same day?" Rhemy asked, being curious.
"So that his children are like mine, and mine like his own."
"A way toÉ share everything?" Rhemy then asked.
"Yes, exactly so, a way to share also what normally is not shared." Balint dryly answered.
"Chaki and IÉ will never be able to share such thingsÉ" Rhemy murmured.
"But you two can possibly share something else that Miklos and I quite seldom can share." Balint said, and for the first time his voice didn't seem so sharp, there was something nostalgic about it, a vein of soft sadness.
"You two, did you grow up together?"
"Yes. I am just two weeks older than Miklos. He is part of my earliest memories. We grew up together, everything we did, we always did it together. Even though our mothers are not of the same family, he and I always felt more united than if we were the sons of the same mother."
"Yes it is very beautifulÉ" Rhemy said thinking that also Chaki and he were more united than if they were brothers.
A brotherÉ you find is yours and for good or bad you have to keep it. You can like or dislike him, you can love or hate him, but he will always be your brother, and you can't do anything about it. But a lover, that one, it is you who chose him and he chose you, therefore he is more than a brother, much more.
"Why do you have to run away? Did you steal something?" Balint asked.
"No."
"Did you kill somebody, then?"
"No."
"So, then?"
"I don'tÉ don't think I want to talk about it. Forgive me."
"After all it's none of my business. When Miklos and I decided to help you, we did it without caring about why you had to run away. It's none of our business after all if you don't want to talk about itÉ"
"I don't know how you would take it, if you knew the reason."
"How would I take it? Mine was just curiosity, just for the sake of talking. How would I take it? Neither you nor your black friend has the eyes of a criminal. I got the impression that you are boys to whom I could hand all my gold and that, the day I asked for it back, you would gave it all to me and not an ounce would be missing."
"But there are other things, besides stealing or killing, that the law forbidsÉ" Rhemy thoughtfully said.
"Yes, that's true. We also have our lawsÉ and I really can't understand some of themÉ but they are there. And so a man has to either obey, or hope not to be discovered when he doesn't obey them. Who amongst us is not, after all, in one way or another, an outlaw? But at times a man, in all conscience, cannot obey some laws, if he wants to remain a man."
"And a times one has to run away, to remain a man" Rhemy commented.
"Yes, I can understand you. You and the black boy, you have to run away to remain men." Balint concluded, then added, "Miklos and I don't need it for now, but who knows if one day we too might have to run awayÉ in order to remain men."
"Will the day ever come when one is no longer compelled to run away?" Rhemy asked, thoughtful.
"The old Aaleigha, our fortune teller, the only one who is able to see into the future, the only one who knows about Miklos and I, said that one day it will be possibleÉ but that we will not live to see that day, and neither will our children or our children's children. She said that as much as five hundred years could possibly pass before that day comes."
"Who knows about Miklos and you?" Rhemy asked, starting to understand.
"Yes, who knows about Miklos and meÉ as I guess about you two as well. But if you don't want to talk about itÉ it's alright with me."
"At times it has more to do with modesty than fear to talk about some subjects." Rhemy said.
"And I respect your modesty." Balint cut the conversation short and for some time neither of them said anything else, each one deep in who knows what thoughts.
That evening they stopped at the roadside. They didn't make camp, they simply lit fires to fix their meal and while the women were cooking, the children enjoyed themselves jumping and running around and the men took out their instruments and started to play their music.
Rhemy took advantage of the stop to go to Miklos' wagon to spend some time with Chaki. They were talking in a low voice, sitting on the rear door's step, when Miklos got there.
"If you want to go inside my wagon for a whileÉ I will sit here on the steps and keep watchÉ but you can't have much timeÉ" the young man told them, "If I start to tune up my violinÉ it would be better to come out as soon as you can."
The two boys looked at him somewhat puzzled, and Miklos winked at them and with both hands gestured to them to go inside. The two boys went in and the man closed the door behind them. As soon as they were alone, they immediately were one in each other's arms. They kissed deeply, with passion and desire. They didn't really make love, afraid they would not have enough time; anyway just being in each other's arms, even just kissing and caressing was a relief for the two young and tender lovers.
Outside of the wagon Miklos was sitting in front of the door, his back leaning against it. Balint arrived and Miklos made sign with his head towards his wagon; then putting his two forefingers parallel made the sign that, in the gesture language of many peoples, means two that are flirting. Balint smiled and nodded.
In a low voice, speaking their language, he said, "They too, like us, cannot show their love in the light of the sun."
"Do you think they are in love?" Miklos asked.
"It's obvious when you see how they look at each other."
"And we two, how do we look at each other?" Miklos then asked with a light smile.
"Possibly two like them or like us would understand from the way that we look at each other in spite of trying not to show it."
Somebody came towards Miklos' wagon. It was his wife so the young man started to tune up his violin, while Balint went towards his sister in law and started to talk with her in a way that meant that she had to turn her back to the wagon and couldn't see Rhemy and Chaki steal away from the wagon. Miklos noticed that Rhemy, in spite of the dye covering his face, was blushing.
The day after, while they were travelling south, Rhemy and Balint were as usual sitting on the driver's seat. Balint was looking at the boy out of the corner of his eyes, and Rhemy was doing the same, looking at the young man.
"Why are you looking at me?" Balint asked.
"You too are doing itÉ"
"It's true. I was wondering how much you understoodÉ"
"I was wondering the same thing myself. Now you know why Chaki and I are running away, don't you?"
"Yes. They caught you two and want to harm you."
"Right. You two, were you never caught?"
"No, never. But we always have to be extremely careful."
"How long have you been together? Do you love each other?"
"Yes we love each other and we have been together since we started to become men, since our bodies matured and perhaps even before that."
"And how did you understand thatÉ how did it happen thatÉ"
"Our first time? I don't really know, we got to it a little at a time; there has not been a real first time. We liked being together, we liked feeling each other's bodies even before weÉ Possibly there have been many first times. The first time we realised we were aroused just being near each other, the first time each of us noticed the other's hard on, the first time we kissedÉ
"Then the first time we understood that a kiss was not enoughÉ the first time we realized that our people didn't accept what we felt for each otherÉ the first time we reached the pleasure together, each of us thanks to the otherÉ the first time we told each other we were in loveÉ the first time we tasted each other's tasteÉ the first time we gave ourselves totally to each other. Yes, there have been plenty of first timesÉ
"And then, the first time we swore eternal love to each otherÉ We were both seventeenÉ we had been able to finally look deeply inside our heartsÉ we realised that neither of us was less of a man than our companions because of our loveÉ And every time we can manage to have a moment just for us, it is a little of all those first times put togetherÉ"
"It's very beautiful, very poetic what you are telling me. And I understand you. For Chaki and me it has been all much more unexpected, much faster, and there was a first time to remember with tenderness and pleasure. We were on the shores of a small lake near my father's castle where we had just bathed. Chaki was a servant of my father's, but that day he became my lover. He gave himself totally to me, and I to him."
"Therefore you did the first step with him. For us, it would be impossible to say who did the first step. We can say that we started to walk together, we learned to walk togetherÉ" Balint said in a dream-like tone, then added, "And I bet that between you two, as between us, there isn't one playing the male and the other the femaleÉ in bed, I mean."
"Certainly not, we both are males. I have never understood why, the one who receives his lover in him, has to be considered less manly. Anyway, Chaki and IÉ we always give ourselves to the other, with real pleasure and a very strong love."
"The same as Miklos and me. You know, boy, this is the first time I have ever been able to talk about Miklos and me quietly, with someone who totally understands, and this is good for the soul. I am grateful you finally opened your heart to me. You have given me a lot, with this conversation. I am happy I'm able to help you to save yourselves and I hope you will be able to find a way of allowing yourselves to be together in peace and for a very long time."
CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 7
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