A cloud of dust followed the crusaders, as did a cloud of flies. The group of 20 – 25 was weary, and any cheering or singing they had started the march with had long since faded. This group of travelers was bound for the holy land, to fight for the church, to serve a penance worthy to secure entrance into heaven. Now, they were marching, or dragging their feet through, southern Bavaria, with a long journey ahead.

David was different than most other crusaders, as he lacked the religious zealotry typical of his companions. Instead, he had been coerced into the campaign with several of his friends to avoid persecution at home. He was tall, muscular, and only 22, so if he had waited out the war at home he would have surely been humiliated and harassed. After all, an able lad like him forsaking his friends in the holy war would surely be equal to fighting for the other side, at least in the eyes of the church.

Whatever. He never liked his village, with the inescapable smell of manure, and stiff rules of the clergy. This would be his opportunity to escape, to see the outside world. Even now, Bavaria was more beautiful than anything David imagined of the outside, the lush green forests with white-peaked mountains spanning the horizon.

David could hear the people ahead of him talking suddenly, and there were some relieved cheers, evidently the group had reached the next village. Then, David saw it too. An empty looking collection of narrow streets sided by brick houses with red tiled roofs, a church tower, and a town square, nestled in a small valley. The appearance of red tiled roofs, as opposed to wooden shingles, indicated to David and some others that they were getting farther South, closer to their destination. Some of the crusaders picked up a song, and soon enough they were all singing as they marched into the streets.

The town was, as its appearance suggested, mostly empty. Obviously most inhabitants had already left for the holy land. Because of this, finding accommodation for David and his friends turned out to be as simple as kicking in a few wooden doors until a satisfactory (luxurious) dwelling was found. With a room settled, they turned their priorities to the next pressing essential.

Nighttime fell, which made finding the nearest tavern an easy task as well. It turned out to be one of the few lit buildings. However, the previous waves of crusaders had obviously depleted the supply of liquor to nil. David’s friends were especially displeased.

“Not even a good drink after such a long day! What a disappointment of a tavern” Rowan exclaimed loudly, within earshot of the tavern’s keeper. This seemed to annoy him greatly.

“I told you, we’re dry. If you don’t like it here, sod off” muttered the man.

David, being the smartest of his friends, thought about how to solve the liquor problem. Maybe if there were another tavern or another store, something that had closed before most crusaders had come through town. EUREKA!
He remembered a building they had passed by when finding accommodation, David had looked in through cracks in the boarded-up doorway to see a room with barrels, and assortments of small glass bottles. That might have what wanted. David stood up and made an announcement to his friends, trying to mock importance.

“Boys, men, I think I may have a solution”

With that, he coughed and stumbled out the door into the night.

Finding the building again was easy, the town was small and relatively compact.