The young ladies were sipping stew when Montaninus and Man Tower returned.  Lightly, the old man Enzio appeared to sleep in a seated position.  Crackling in cadence, a fire burned in the stone fireplace.  Similar to all the castle detail, Alberto marveled at the uniqueness of the fireplace.  The piled stones artistically and efficiently arraigned made a statement of purposeful intent, paying homage to the essence of the fire it contained, allowing the smoke of the fire to rise to the heavens—prayers ascending.  Above the fire pit, upon the chimney, another of the old man’s statues presented itself, this one observing upon a stone ledge.  An Athenian Owl, larger than life, brilliantly chiseled, roosted over the room.  To the right and left of the owl, crows perched, two in number upon each side.

Latin words, phrases, were carved throughout the castle.  Interiorly and exteriorly, there was much to be read for those who could read the forgotten language of the Church and scholars.  Alberto, lacking fluency, could make little sense of the scrawl.  Sporadically literate, he did recognize several words.  There was the naming of Moria, defining with the title of an Unknown God.  The one phrase in local dialect was a New Testament declaration based upon an Old Testament prophecy: `The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner’.  A Latin phrase Alberto understood, familiar from his youth.  The words made an impression upon him, sticking in his mind.  Nothing can be created from nothing.

The fireplace was situated on the western wall of the room.  To the east, between two windows providing viewing of the rising sun was the only wooden image within the castle.  It was a crucifix Enzio attained from a Spoleto church that burned during a raid by Emperor Barbarossa’s men.  Alberto, a part of the assault, knew nothing of the coincidence.  Larger than life, the crucifix, marvelous in appearance, resounded with unintended burnt beauty, tragedy magnified through charcoaled magnificence.  Black in radiant appearance, the charred wood did not destroy the representation of Christ suffering upon the cross.  The image remained, altered yet abiding.  Its remnant beautiful in being, a burnt black state, sooty to the touch, a new icon created, new patterns of shimmering shining blackness comprising the body of Christ.  Crossing, patching, cracking, lines of demarcation running throughout the charcoal wood, Alberto marveled at the wonder.  Never did Christ upon the cross strike him with such resonance.

“I had to be very careful transporting that torched cross.  The damage was not so severe to the image.  It could be argued the tragedy of the church burning made it stronger in beauty and meaning.  I imagine with time it will crumble away.  Wait for the wisest of all counselors: Time.  Yet nothing is ever truly destroyed.  All things only change form.”

Alberto turned.  Enzio stood next to him.

“Below is my shrine to Our Holy Mother.  My devotion is immense, empowering my prayer life.  It was the first statue I created that I felt extremely proud of.  I was forty-two at the time.  I did not start carving, creating statues until the age of forty, now it has been over fifty years, a whole lifetime passing between then and this moment we share.”

“Your home provides peace.  The charred crucifix is startling, haunting yet transfixing.  Your wolves are also, captivating, gigantic and intelligent”.

“They are not mine.  It is a rumor the weak of mind spread.  You are speaking silent one.  Your words provide contentment.  I have heard much about you.  I knew we would meet.  You are called Man Tower by the people of Assisi.  Those you fight with call you the Fierceness of Silence, or the Vanquisher, or the Ravager, or the Merciless One.  Others call you Poleyphemus, the giant one-eyed Cyclops who would eat Ulysses and his men if were not for the cleverness and courage of Ulysses.  Who knows what others will name you in the future.  Your mother called you Alberto and this is the sweetest call of all.

“Come let us eat.  I see you bathed in my water, another matter that pleases.  You have seen my wolves, watching them devour a horse.  I know what you saw.  Nothing happens without a purpose.  You must keep the images and experiences in your heart and mind, allowing them to work on who you truly are, something that possesses no adequate name.  God works upon one in unseen ways.  I have contemplated you for some time.  You are a destroyer, one who if he had his way would obliterate all images attached to identities, desiring to purge all identities attached to being, an outcast who seeks to cast out, one aspiring for depth through ascension.  I know you better than you know yourself, but enough of words for the time being.  Let us eat delicious nutritious food.  Life is not just for abhorring, grand dramas, and philosophizing.  The ordinary must always be utilized to attain the extraordinary.  Being normal, sane to the highest degree, is a gift for the kissed of Christ—no matter what the world may execute upon them, clarity abides within their heart and mind.  A man of extremes must learn to invite peace and boredom into his heart.  …behold the Lord passeth, and a great and strong wind before the Lord overthrowing the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces: the Lord is not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake; the Lord is not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire: the Lord is not in the fire, and after the fire a whistling of gentle air. 

Simple things bring joy.  Gratefulness must be the receiver’s reception.  We must appreciate the dullest and plainest of details within the fullness of our being.  That is an extreme change for a master upon the battlefield, a man of war.  Being so seriously violent, an executer of men is fatiguing, soul condemning.  I know the details of your deeds in Terni, the beheading of over a hundred men.  Man Tower you are a broken man of gruesome mystery, cruelest to the most startling escalation.  Your memory can only present querulous demands, constant in vigilance regarding haunting.  It is truly providence you are not crazy.  Further cleansing can only occur through proper warring.  Even though you were under obedience, your soul is still accountable for the atrocity of your deeds.  Self-mutilation comes in many forms.  What is done is done.  Let us not allow flagellation to dominate our talk.  There are ways to make amends.  We will eat, drink, and be merry before we speak about the matters that demand your presence here, matters that will allow you to right wrongs.”

Alberto could not deny the deliciousness of the stew and bread.  Eating, he realized he was ravished.  The wine was also exquisite, strong in effect.  During the meal, he observed Enzio closely.  The health of the elderly one was amazing.  Could the man honestly be nearly a century in time?  There were rumors of men living even longer, yet he doubted authenticity.  Enzio appeared frail yet strong, a man of decent size, not one knocking upon death’s door.  While fragile in regards to aging: white hair, wrinkled skin, a squinting when attempting distant vision, overall, he appeared as if he had many years to live.  Alberto hoped he would be in such fine shape if he lived to such an extreme age, although a lengthy life was something he never truly considered.  Warring as an occupation provided too many opportunities for death.  The assumption of elderly years was not entertained.  Without providing serious regard, he never imagined living a life of longevity.

The silence of the meal was comforting.  The large royal family crest, centered upon an eagle and Constantine’s cross loosened Alberto’s tongue, yet he remained a man preferring no words.  It was better to hold silence than rely upon meaningless words only filling time with vanity, awkwardness, complications, or misunderstandings.  Nervousness was no reason to wag the tongue.  Montaninus also respected quietness during the meal.  The young ladies made their way out of doors, sneaking wine with them.

Sipping wine after the meal, enjoying the comforts of a fire, Enzio preceded to the vital business of the meeting.  Detailing his political and social views, he spoke directly to Alberto.

“The natural order of man is not to be disturbed.  We must learn from the Gospels.  Poverty is a state of dignity, just as wealth, noble rank, is a state of great responsibility.  The Holy family, simple in nature and worldly status, presents to all men the example of holy spiritual nobility.  Poverty is not a horrid state that demands the abolishing of ethics and principles as one pursues rising above deplorable inherited conditions.  By desiring little, a poor man makes himself rich.  Wisdom is lacking when the poor man despises his life.  He should be honored by the simplicity.  God is a teacher, His Word the breath of life.  God incarnate, man returned to true intended beauty, came to the world in a lowly status for precise reasons.  He was demonstrating the importance of spiritual matters; the kingdom of God being the afterlife, while the kingdom of Satan existed upon the earth, within original sin, time and space.  Expiation of sins the reason for the lowering status, Christ became human to celebrate the difference between God, perfection, and man, the disfigured being tainted by original sin.  Sin is the difference; social class simply a complication of sin.  Christ befriended all, trending toward the lowly as their suffering is the greatest.  God tended to the outcast, those with no hope in the physical world.  The Beatitudes wonderfully depict the countenance of Jesus Christ, demonstrating his charity.  He is all hope, eternal hope.  He is not of the world, simply passing through for the sake of the salvation of all men.  He knew the Father.  He was of the Father.  To the Father, He would go, making an eternal home for all.

“It is important to realize He never rebelled against worldly authority, obedience essential to all His words and actions.  His outburst in the temple protected the sanctity of His Father’s home.  He did not identify Rome as the enemy.  Give unto Caesar what is Caesar, and give unto God what is God.  He praised the faith of the Roman centurion, a man of wealth and worldly power who recognized His true nature.  The Roman official, a man of influence, spoke wisdom when he pronounced I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.  Here is God clearly detailing the natural social order, the righteous way of life for all men to live in harmony.  The internal battle is the true battle.  What are worldly victories if they cost one a soul?  How much more devastating is a defeat if it is realized it came within consequences that never presented the opportunity for victory?  In heaven, there is no social order for God’s love rules.  Here upon the earth there is social order and that is a part of God’s plan.  Obedience is the proper training of the soul.  It tests the character of the wealthy and the poor.  Perseverance and courage are necessary to pursue a life centered upon obedience.  Through obedient wisdom, the discerning of God’s will is attained.  Does one see the world as a personal possession or God’s gift?  Is God the center of your life or are you the alpha and omega?  Can you be satisfied with your life, the blessedness of being created in the image of God, focusing upon profoundness, or are you always wanting more, desiring greater adventures and wealth?  Does selfishness, materialism, avariciousness, pettiness, or jealousy rule your life?  Does a sense of entitlement, lacking gratitude, rot your being?

“Wealth is not to be envied, nor is power to be glorified.  They are matters that bring complication and responsibility.  They must not be sought after by whomever develops evil inclinations.  Nobility is passed from generation to generation.  The Gospels demonstrate once again.  Jesus descends from Abraham and the patriarchs.  He is within the line of David.  The favored of God carry on through generations until God himself enters the birth line.  It is not haphazard.  Randomness, chaos, and egotistical ambitions do not play a part in an active God’s participation in the world.  The living God is one of order.  God did not randomly appear.  God embraced being human not in order to overthrow and dismantle worldly powers.  His magnificence honored greater things, while respecting, allowing properly engaged free will, to play out its role in governing.

“I hope you are able to comprehend, through a proper understanding of Christ, the evil that is being engaged in our world today.  What is poverty today?  It is the parent of revolution and crime.  Men of lower rank are stripping all dignity from the very state God himself adopted.  They shun rendered wisdom.  Their every waking moment is concentrated upon materialistic wealth and power, the distorting of the divine order, a perennial rebellion.  If they have managed to attain wealth, all they think about is attaining more.  If they still wallow in squalor they peer about at others scheming ways to steal their riches, living a life of jealousy and envy, conniving in companionship based upon gain.  They go to churches, yet they are missing the vital message.  Their obsession with worldly concerns dominate their minds.  Their behavior is becoming so corrupt they will bring war against the nobles, those who through generations and generations have refined the manner of living.  We noblemen have crushed notions of individual grandness, comprehending the vitality of serving others.  Being cultured is not about material wealth, it is the refinement of the disposition, thoughts, and behavior.  Perceiving the bigger picture, the wholeness of community living, the truly wealthy in spirit strive to do what is best for everyone.  The Beatitudes define spiritually poverty as that of the Kingdom of God, and thus the wealthy must therefore become poor in spirit.  It is difficult, demanding intense responsibility, understanding, and wisdom.  There are those amongst our ranks who have strayed, denigrating the ideal, yet the ideal is beyond the desolation of an individual.  There are no easy solutions.  Still, time and space is the world of man.  Yet within its structure is the ideal of order based upon the wisdom of God.  A generation must not raise itself above all that came before it.  That is the inflicting of chaos.  We rest upon the shoulders of giants.  Our wise ancestors, learning, praying for humility and wisdom, strived similar to Solomon.  Above all things Solomon respected wisdom.  The men of the commune are fools.  It is destruction for the weak man to attempt to imitate the powerful.  

“Some lay in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in misery and chains, having defied the words of God and spurned the counsels of the Most High.  He crushed their spirit with toil; they stumbled; there was no one to help.

“The peasant possesses the cruelest of natures.  Suffering, lacking in the necessities of survival and sheltering, inflicts wrath upon the disposition.  I will tell you a story of a time I toured Germania with men from the court of Emperor Fredrick I, Barbarossa.  The experience etched upon my soul the depravity man can descend here upon the earth.  What I saw was an outrage against nature.  A clandestine village, more of a gathering of criminal outcasts, profited from the most grotesque of practices.  With purchased infants or those of their own, the men and women were creating monsters.  The babies would have their lips and/or noses slit, their tongues cut out, their ears removed, their skulls compressed.  They would be confined to boxes day and night in order to prevent proper growth.  Ever perverting, the adults of the village devised ever new manners to turn babies into monsters, allowing them to grow into their deformations in order to increase their effect.  The deformed monsters proved profitable.  Villages would purchase the human monsters, allowing them to live amongst them.  The monster became the village idiot, a novelty to be witnessed.  The trade proved popular.  The peasants prized the opportunity of having such an ignorant lowly human being amongst them.  They mocked, scorned, beat, and humiliated the manmade monsters, only showing tenderness every now and then in order to convince themselves they were kind hearted.  A God created life was manipulated, perverted, into a prop for entertainment.  Festivals and drunkenness proved dreadful for the freaks.  The killing of a freak was not so severe.  Another could be purchased even more perverted and handicapped in growth.  The practice broke my heart to a degree, I thought not possible.

“I purchased one of the freaks, bringing him home with me.  The young man as an infant had his eyes removed.  Also, his arms so severely broken to the point they were rendered useless.  Until the age of six years, he was confined to a prison cell.  As a boy, he was offered to the world for sale as a freak.  Mocked, tormented throughout his life, his existence shamed me into action.  I brought the boy to my home, enduring kindness upon him.  My efforts reaped immense reward, startling beyond conception. Through prayer and diligence, I showered attention onto the boy, demanding all under my command take pride in teaching and caring for the boy.  That which man attempted to destroy, I tried to return to fullness.  The boy managed to develop a means of broken speech, and to the wonder of all we discovered he possessed a blessed gift.  Animals adored the child.  Horses naturally calmed in his presence.  Dogs gathered around him.  Everywhere he went it seemed animals came from nowhere to be with him.  Blind and crippled, he still managed to become useful with horses.  My best horse handler insisted the boy be given complete access to the stables.  His presence soothed the horses to a degree that could not be denied.  Unfortunately, his life was not long for the world, yet in the time that he spent under my domain, his life became one unified with the Beatitudes.  The cruelty waged upon him as an infant did not impose temporal or eternal damnation.

“The peasant not only examines nobility with disdain.  It is not just his superior he hates.  Those he perceives as inferior also receive his wrath.  It is vital for the peasant in his ignorance to establish the fact there are those lower than him.  When he finds such an illegitimate human being, there is no mercy.  The contempt of his ways compels him towards severity.  God have mercy upon the one judged by the peasant as inferior.  If the peasant has his way that one will have no peace, and his days will be cut short.  I watched the peasant closely.  I do not care how much wealth they have attained.  They are born into a role and that role they must play out in honor of God’s will.  Superior skills and intelligence, congenital abilities, allow a man to offer the world greater service, yet ambition must not rule.  Once again, what worth is a victory that destroys the soul?  It is a perversion of the fact that all things come from God.  God must receive all praise and honor.  Innate gifts from God must be cherished, however the achievements of one man must not be allowed to overturn social order.  One’s God given talents must not destroy.  If such were the case chaos would reign, every man competing for himself, his advancement placed above all else.  The nonsense Rome was all too willing to embrace; instability, paranoia, betrayal, aggressiveness, and manipulation characterizing civilization.  Families would be destroyed, a wife and child only a detriment, as gangs would prevail.  Mobs ruling, thugs would wander the courts, streets, and markets seeking their own ends.

“I want to change the subject, providing insight into the noble thinking of a humble, contrite nobleman: myself.  Is it possible to be humble speaking about one’s self?  I will attempt such a difficult task.  I noticed the way you looked at me regarding my young lovelies.  My two sweethearts I cherish with all my heart.  You think I am a fool.  Knowing the pretty young ones only use me.  You are convinced I must be blind, lacking discernment into human nature, unable to detect a lie.  I met the two during one of my escapades.  I find it intellectually profitable to wander cities dressed as a beggar.  One night exploring in such a manner, I came across my two girls.  Tavern tramps at their worst, lovely souls at their best.  I watched them.  My heart filled with such pity and compassion.  They were beautiful singers, especially when they sang of heart break; within sorrow, wine, and song they lift their hearts splendidly.  It wasn’t just their soulful voices.  Their impure behavior, completely lacking dignity, produced a powerful sadness.  The young ladies lived so far below the intentions of God.  I determined I would save the young ones, assist them in any manner I could.  It has been a strange exploit.  I found the thing that brought them the greatest satisfaction was the idea that they were duping me to the extreme.  I know they tell me lies.  I consume the lies wholeheartedly.  It makes their self-esteem grow.  I give them what they want.  I had two sons and a daughter who all died before the age of twenty.  My wife, I loved tremendously.  She passed away shortly after our youngest son, the last of our children to die.  I could not marry, nor could I bear any more children.  I have nobody to pass my life unto.  Montaninus and his coalition will profit from my estate, yet while I am alive I enjoy showering these young ones with gifts.  In exchange, I converse with them, subtly influencing them to change their ways.  I have my spies.  I know already both of them have abandoned their loose ways.  They no longer exchange sexual favors.  They are both purifying their bodies.  They do not tell me, still opting for lies, yet I have a certain gift for extrasensory perception.  They have plenty of room for growth, yet I see progress.  Treating their beauty and bodies with dignity and respect was a huge step forward.  That means so much to me.

“I have so much fun playing the fool for them.  If you desire penetrating insight learn to play the fool.  It disarms others.  Stumble, bumble, and mumble about, while stealthily witnessing.  Say things that easily get you disregarded as a person of substance.  Your reputation is not so important.  Once you know who you are, the opinions of others really mean nothing.  Don’t be so sensitive you allow others to live in your head, influencing and possibly even dominating your thoughts and desires.  Be like a lion within, roaring at the presence of others defiling the inner sanctity of your being.  Others have no place between you and God.  Without argument or debate, roar them away.  Be the fool in company.  Incorrectly pronounce words.  Misidentify objects and ideas.  Say things you know to be wrong—waiting for correction, become vulnerable and unsure.  As Our Lord advises become like a child.  It is good for the soul.  Do not play the childish fool out of cleverness.  Allow humility to govern your efforts.  The fool is able to distance himself from the norms determined by society, from the standards established by fools who do not know they are fools.  Recognizing yourself to be a fool, presenting yourself as a fool, people no longer fear you, feeling safe to lower their guard, exposing their truest inner feelings and intentions, or even better they simply disregard you, leaving you alone.  These young ladies see me as an old fool.  It proves so much the better for me.  I am not saying it is such a clever arrangement, yet it came about naturally enough and it pleases this old fool.

“For you Alberto, I want you to understand that things are not always as you conclude.  It is best to converse, to trust in others, open to advice and guidance.  That is the mind of a child.  Leave judgment and authority for God.  When you entrust properly, you may make enemies, however some men are good only as enemies.  If men laugh consider it a blessing for this means they are not speaking to you; their words damage more than their chuckling.  It is better to fight the proper fight amidst honorable companions rather than squandering about depending upon yourself.”

“Thou wast the seal of resemblance, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou wast in the pleasures of the paradise of God: every precious stone was thy covering: the sardius, the topaz, and the jasper, the chrysolite, and the onyx, and the beryl, the sapphire, and the carbuncle, and the emerald: gold the work of thy beauty: and thy pipes were prepared in the day that thou wast created. Thou a cherub stretched out, and protecting, and I set thee in the holy mountain of God, thou hast walked in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day of thy creation, until iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise, thy inner parts were filled with iniquity, and thou hast sinned: and I cast thee out from the mountain of God, and destroyed thee, O covering cherub, out of the midst of the stones of fire. And thy heart was lifted up with thy beauty: thou hast lost thy wisdom in thy beauty, I have cast thee to the ground”

The lengthy words, there were more, of Enzio rang throughout Alberto’s head as he put himself to bed.  Enzio provided a comfortable guest room for his convenience.  The sparsely decorated room contained only a barren cross upon its eastern wall.  The large comfortable bed suited his simple needs.  The controversies of the inevitable civil war, no matter how hard each side pursued him, were of no concern.  He admired Enzio for the life he led, yet the man’s convictions missed the mark.  The noble men were not the romanticized men he envisaged them to be.  Firm in his sentiment, Alberto felt no need to argue.  He would not join the cause of the nobles.  A cultured man’s convincing voice was not enough to overcome the intuition resting within his heart.  His duty and destiny was to remain removed from the conflict between the nobles and the commune.

While never coming close to be swayed by the attempted veracity of Enzio’s words, he recognized the accumulated intelligence, the supremely convincing nature for one of advanced years.  There was something supernatural regarding the extremely elderly one’s abilities.  Most men lost their minds with advanced age.  Enzio lost nothing in sharpness of thought, and the articulation of words.  The fact disturbed Alberto, hinting toward evil principalities.  Feeling nothing threatening, he allowed the warning disposition to settle, yet not convince regarding action.  A conviction overruled, one attained through interactions with hermits, holy men he saw advancing in unification with God.  A couple of the hermits possessed a presence announcing ultimate reality louder than all of the combined words and possessions of Enzio.  In silence, they out spoke Enzio.  Detachment Alberto held to as a true sign of trusting in God.  Allowing one’s mind to become feeble with the onslaught of weakness to the body was the way of the supernatural normalcy Enzio embraced with words, while avoiding in life.  Enzio was a man of severe attachment, just clever enough in thoughts and words, to speak and think his way around the fact.  The ascendency of life Enzio impressively displayed fell far short of the hermits, the truly holy men of recluse and renunciation, he encountered within hidden alcoves of the world.  True men able to pronounce the glories of poverty, detachment, and therefore Christ.

Avoiding sentimentalization, exaggeration, Alberto contemplated the various witnessed hermits.  Only two of the vast numbers encountered did he identify as superior in growth than Enzio.  The majority appeared insane, invoking compassion, possessing holiness, yet their minds were shattered and their bodies in tatters.  Even worse, absolutely despicable, Alberto recognized a trend of effeminate men demented in their seclusion, wasting away in aberration.  The abhorrent weakness of the men offset by obstinate minds intent upon control and dominating those they encountered in their isolation.  A womanly mischievousness and arrogance dominating their wicked disposition.  Their eremite condition did not humble and lower, rather their minds became tainted by a delusional corruption that they reigned supreme over the world.  Alberto contained his wrath when encountering such men.  Men, who in reality would serve as wives in the world, he spared from the sword based upon his determination the enduring of their insanity more punishing than death.