Professions: The Lansquenet and the Robber

It has been a long time since Gustav felt this way: happy and content with the last catch at the guard post. A couple of days ago, he and a few lansquenets had successfully captured a dozen  wanted criminals for felonies committed in Vienna. From little thieves to bloody murderers, they were all accountable to justice and Gustav was ready to deliver all of them with no exception and absolutely no regret. He was doing the right thing and was proud of himself for doing so. Now, all he had to do was to keep them from fleeing until the authorities arrived.

The catch itself hasn’t been all fun and games, mostly because it was pretty hard to control so many criminals at the same time, and Gustav had been left all alone to watch them. In other words, keeping these criminals from fleeing rested on his frail shoulders. The other lansquenets, for their part, were gone celebrating a job well done at the nearest tavern, leaving Gustav all alone. The poor man had been awake for about two days in a row, watching every single one of the caught criminals. His body, slowly, was starting to shut down. It really wasn’t a good thing, being a lansquenet with a sword and shield, all day and all night. Fortunately, the prisoners were not aware that Gustav was by himself, and that he was becoming more and more exhausted as time went by.

There wasn’t much to do besides waiting for the cart to come and take the criminals to the nearest prison. The criminals have been kept inside a little camp, far from the main road and well hidden by a forest. But after a couple of long hours, spent waiting and walking around in circles, Gustav heard a strange noise. Frowning, he walked slowly away from his post, very cautiously trying to know what was going on but didn’t see a thing. Walking back towards the camp, Gustav heard the same noise for a second time but didn’t bother to turn around. He knew what the noise was. And wanted to get rid of it.

“Come on, Volker… Show your face! I know you’re there!

-Hello, Gustav…

-What the hell are you doing here, Volker? It’s my post. You have no business being here.

– I’m just coming to see how everything is going! I heard some very interesting stuff back in Vienna and I thought maybe you would need my help…

– Why? It’s all good. Look around you! Everything is fine. Trust me, you can go now.

– It’s not that I don’t trust you, but… Let’s face it, Gustav: it’s not like you’re the brightest guy in the room… Am I right?”

Volker started laughing as Gustav was breathing slowly, trying hard to remain composed. The rivalry between the two was palpable; has been since they first met a couple of years ago. Usually, people would watch them going at it in utterly disbelief. It was quite a show. The two were so different and so similar at the same time and nobody knew why they were always bickering in public. Frankly, nobody cared enough to ask.

“What are you talking about?” asked Gustav, still reeling from Volker’s insults and contempt, beginning to turn red with anger.

– Just relax, Gustav. Would you? Take a deep breath, man! I’m only here to help, said Volker.

– I don’t need your help. I will do just fine on my own.

– Fine. Do great on your own. But I still wanted to see if you were okay. Besides, I also wanted to talk to you about your catch.”

Volker had a smug smile on his face and Gustav was starting to dislike that conversation even more. What was he really doing here? Why did he want to talk to him about the prisoners? What about them? Unfortunately, Gustav knew all too well the answers to all these questions but felt nonetheless strong enough to stand on his own two feet and tell Volker that he wouldn’t have the upper hand. Not this time.

“Come on, said Volker. Tell me how you did it? How did you succeed in catching them all?

– I wasn’t alone, Volker. You know that. I was with the other lansquenets.

– Yes, but from what I heard, the sniffing around, the spying and the “finding them” part of the job was all you. So you must have had something really special prepared just for them. I guess you worked really hard at it.

– Not that it’s any of your business but what you’ve heard is a total fabrication. Catching the criminals was a team effort. It wasn’t just me. And now, if you don’t mind, I’m just waiting for the cart. You should leave before anyone sees you here.”

Hands in his pockets, smiling devilishly, Volker began to walk around Gustav, trying to get a look at the prisoners kept inside the camp. He was enjoying himself and it showed. The dozen of trapped criminals, witnessing the scene, were starting to wonder what the hell was going on, and what would happen to them. They were all ready to pay for their crimes. But they were starting to ask themselves which way they would pay exactly. The answer seemed more and more unclear as time passed.

“Come on Gustav, you know you want to play!, said Volker, encouraging him.

– No, said Gustav, shaking his head left and right, looking like a small kid. I don’t want to do nothing. I’m simply waiting. Go away!

– Come on, we can do justice ourselves. No need to disturb the big bad men in their costumes to judge those thugs. We can do it by ourselves!

– There is no way I am letting you do that!” shouted Gustav before storming in front of the camp, trying to keep Volker from getting to the criminals.

The prisoners started to look at each other quizzingly, seeming a bit worried as Volker and Gustav were staring at each other without saying a word. What would become of them all? Suddenly, most of the criminals found themselves surprised to wish for the cart to arrive and take them to the nearest prison as soon as possible.

“You are aware that they will be thrown in the corner of a cell and everyone will forget about them instantly, right?” announced Volker with a knowing look. “We could just do a little clean-up ourselves before delivering them. Or at least have a little fun, for old times’ sake. Make them really pay for all the misery they caused…”

Gustav didn’t want to do it, he didn’t want to let himself even think about it. He was only too aware of what Volker was referring to and swore to himself that he would never stoop so low again. He didn’t want to go back there. He didn’t want to let his mind trick him into doing things he knew he would later regret.

“Let them pay for their crimes, said Gustav, his eyes closed, his breathing deep and slow. Let the people in Vienna deal with them the way they see fit. We have nothing to do with this.

– YOU have nothing to do with this. But me… I’m not you. I’m not one of you, useless lansquenet. I can make those bastards pay. I can avenge all those people who suffered because of them…

– Go away, Volker!!! said Gustav, getting weaker and weaker by the second. I don’t want to listen to you! I don’t want to have anything to do with you!”

The prisoners, expecting some lansquenets to come and ask what was going on, were starting to understand, slowly, that there was no one else around. Still, some of them couldn’t move, petrified by what they were witnessing as Volker’s blue eyes were taking a darker turn. Gustav, still screaming, was crumbling down for everyone to see as Volker’s breathing was deeper and slower, as if he wanted to let the oxygen in his blood give him sufficient strength to do what he was about to do. As if he needed any. His rage alone was enough to give him all the strength he needed to let his violence run wild. And to override Gustav, mostly.

“Go away…” said Gustav, once again, bowing his head, putting his sword down.

Suddenly, Volker had a look of pure contempt on his face. Once again, Gustav was about to let him down and Volker would have to do the job by himself. Why Gustav was resisting him, he would never know. To Volker, he was only doing his job. He was only making sure that the “cattle”, as he liked to call the prisoners, couldn’t flee and terrorize the entire area again. What was so wrong with that? Why was Gustav insisting that everything would be done by the book? Didn’t he know by now that playing by the rules doesn’t work?

“You’re a failure, Gustav, said Volker, loud enough for everyone else to hear. Always have been. And if you’re not man enough to do your job, I certainly am. Trust me: those bastards are as good as dead.”

The prisoners were all witnessing the scene in utterly disbelief. Some of them, now fully aware that no other lansquenets were around, were overjoyed, sensing that freedom was within reach. But others were transfixed, petrified by the sheer look of craziness in the eyes of a man talking to himself; arguing with himself about what to do with all of them. In a matter of seconds, they watched Gustav disappear completely, lost to all as Volker was now the sole master of his mind, turning his attention to the men he thought he would have to get rid of.

“Come on! screamed one of the prisoners! That man’s completely nuts, talking to himself! Let’s get out of here! We’re free!

– No, we’re not, said another, paralyzed by the insanity of all this, as he watched a frail man morphing into the psychopath slowly walking towards the camp where they were all being kept. We’re not free. I don’t think we will ever be again.”

**********

People surrounding the area all came in droves to help but it was too little too late. Some of them were crying, some tried to turn away from such a horrible sight. But everyone was shocked. And everyone felt utterly helpless. There was nothing to be done.

“My God! said an old man, walking with a cane. What happened?

– Nobody knows for sure, answered a woman, young enough to be his daughter. The camp was burned to the ground. At least a dozen people were trapped inside. We still don’t know if they were men or women.

– That’s horrible. Do we know who did this?

– No. Someone found a lansquenet unconscious near the flames. He woke up a while ago but is too much in a state of shock to be able to say anything. He keeps screaming that it was Volker’s fault.

– Who’s Volker?

– No idea.”

And as people were trying to make sense of what had just happened, Gustav was sitting by a tree, a blanket wrapped around him, looking completely spaced out.

Volker had won. Again.

**********

The court house was packed. All the seats were filled and some people had to be standing up, but they didn’t mind, eager were they to see justice finally served. To be sure, those who died in the fire were criminals; some even hardened ones. But it wasn’t the lansquenet’s job to take the law into his own hands. Certainly not this way. Some people in the courtroom were staring at Gustav, asking themselves what in the world possessed him to commit something like this and then, were relieved to not know the answer. They could never do something like that. Not in a million years. Somehow, that certainty was as reassuring as not being able to understand why Gustav has acted this way.

All alone in a room filled with people, Gustav kept staring at the floor. He knew what was coming to him; was almost wishing for it to happen. It was the only way to make sure Volker would never torment him again; would never win again and make him feel like that miserable excuse for a human being everybody in town was seeing when they were looking at him.

Suddenly, the room went silent. The judges, looking somber, were making their way through to their seats. Gustav’s fate was now resting in their hands and that’s why so many people wanted to be in the courthouse today: the three judges, very strong supporters of law and order, would never allow for Gustav to go free; to be walking the streets of this town again.

“Please, stand up!” said the main judge to Gustav, in a stern voice.

His eyes barely opened, his breathing raspy, Gustav got up.

“Young man, do you have something to say for yourself?”

Gustav shook his head slowly, still staring at the floor. He didn’t want to say anything. There was nothing to be said, anyway.

“All right, then! I shall now sentence you to death by lynching, tomorrow, at dawn.”

Cheers erupted. Some people were hugging each other and screaming at the judges how great and amazing they were for rendering such a verdict. In the middle of all this, a sigh of relief was heard, unnoticed to all.

It was Gustav’s.