The new story of Marcelo Birmajer: The Knights of the Branch

Romo had just turned twenty-three when the Knights of the Branch arrived at the palace. They traveled the world in groups of six to ten. Often they were pursued by other groups of warriors, by solitary individuals and also by unknown creatures; even by dragons and sea monsters, when they sailed on their ships with the insignia of order.

The branch they carried with them was truly a miracle: with three red, swollen apples about to fall. They took her like her grandparents, her great-grandparents and even more distant ancestors, until they lost track of her.

It was the same. For centuries ripe and firm, just like its fruits. For some reason, many other men and beings of darkness wanted her, but the Knights of the Branch had never lost their dominion.

Merlin thought for a long time before allowing them to spend the night in the palace. He had no fondness for them, but he also didn’t want to antagonize them.. He found out if any other enemy groups were pursuing them right now and, if so, if there were any real risks.

The guards and spies reported to Merlin that there were no human enemies in sight, but a giant bird, with the body of a bat and the head of a lion, was said to be haunting the Knights of the Branch that year. Merlin rejected the alleged news by waving his hand.

“Believe me,” he told his guards. When you really get into the secrets of magic, you end up being skeptical. At my age I no longer believe in rumors: in everything we talk about. The truly impossible things that have happened to me in my life have happened without anyone telling me. And all the ones I was warned about never happened.

Then let the Knights of the Branch pass. He lowers the bridge and tell them they’re welcome. For me I would let them sleep under the trees of the forest. But if they pose no danger, why antagonize them?

The guards obeyed.

Unlike the calm and attentive Merlin, Prince Blunt was totally aroused. He had heard of the Knights of the Branch for as long as he could remember. His late father had told him about them without much detail.

But were the comments of all the children and young people: The Knights of the Branch not only passed on from father to son the task of taking care of the branch; also, at times, they added a rather brave and shrewd young man.

Romo had dreamed in his childhood that he was one of the Knights of the Branch. During his adolescence he had dismissed this desire as a childish fantasy, and in the early stages of his youth he had forgotten it. But now, at twenty-three, bored of the palace, and even a little of his own life, he felt like a child again.

The Knights of the Branch have traveled the world. They were received by kings and emperors. They met princesses and never married. The spouses had to give up the care of the branch. But, of course, they often risked their lives for the branch, and not always successfully. That’s why they were only between six and ten years old.

Romo wanted to talk to each of them for a while, so that they could see him fight and gallop. Listen to him too.

Finally, at night, the six knights entered the dining room, where Romo and Merlin were waiting for them. One of them, unarmed, carried the branch in his hand.

Romo approached the allowed meter: the apples seemed ready to be eaten; the branch had knots, one or two small cuts that revealed a greenish, fresh wood, and exhaled the scent of the first fruits. It was a real miracle.

The remaining five knights carried a large sword on one side of their waists and a long, thin sword on the other; also a spear in hand, which rested next to the chair to eat. They dressed very well and behaved like polite men, but there was a certain brutality in their movements and also in the tone of their voices that they could not hide. Romo asked them about their stories and lives.

“Your Majesty,” the elder said at one point, “some of us are brothers, some of us are cousins, some of us are not related. But we are all united by a bond of blood: to kill and die for the branch. Since childhood, we have been taught to be heroes. Fewer and fewer men in the world, your Majesty, are willing to die for a cause.

Romo’s pupils glowed.

– What requirements do I have to meet to become one of the Knights of the Branch? Romo asked.

“No more than being sufficiently convinced,” replied the one who was next in age to the first who had spoken.

They ate and drank and Romo kept asking questions about joining the group. When midnight came, each went to his rooms; They would resume their journey at dawn.

Romo didn’t go to his room. He stayed in the meeting room, trying to flip through some books, sipping tea from time to time and shielding himself with his shadow.

–Would you go with them if they proposed you? Merlin asked, entering almost like an apparition.

“I wouldn’t hesitate a second,” Romo replied, placing the sword parallel to his leg.

– Do you know, Romo, my friend? You’d be surprised how many people are willing to give their lives for something.. What makes an idea valuable is not the will to give life, but the possibility of living with it. The same goes for a house, a river or a woman. You can give your life for anything and feel like a hero; but the real heroes are the ones who help us live, not the ones who are willing to die for anything.

Dying for an idea? What is the merit? But living with an idea is really a business. Plowing the land, building a house, raising a family is a much more difficult task than dying for any of these things.

Tell me what is that branch for? Those apples can’t even be eaten. And let me ask you something, without being heard: are you absolutely sure that this branch is truly a prodigy and not a trick of the Knights of the Branch, who secretly change it, year after year, season after season, to have for Why die and make sense of their empty lives?

Romo’s tea had cooled, the book was closed without him being able to mark the page, and the shadow seemed to have won the fencing match. Merlin has disappeared. Romo slept in the chair in the meeting room, and he did not keep what he had promised: to wake up before dawn to greet the Knights of the Branch.

wd