Dearest mother,
The first thing I want to tell you is that I miss you so much. Here,
although I have great friends, the best of them is Sancho. I always
remember your good words, your caresses and your advice. I
remember a lot about father too.
As you know, we have come in aid of the city of Graus. It belongs
to the taifa of Zaragoza and it always fulfills its payments of pariahs
to the King. Well, King Ramiro of Aragon, may he rest in peace, put
siege to the city and King Fernando was obliged to send his army in
his assistance. Sancho asked his father to take me with him and the
King agreed.
On the way to Graus, I was quite nervous, as I was heading for
battle. I have been prepared hard during these four years that I have
remained in court, but I had not faced the avatars of a real battle.
The war is very sad, mom, I've seen things I couldn't even imagine.
Whenever we talk about battles it seems that everything is glorious,
but they do not count the miseries of war. I don't want to go into
details with you about what was lived, so I'll leave it there.
I want to tell you that both Sancho and the other army officers
congratulated me for my behavior in battle. I took my father's sword
and the horse that you gave me. One and the other have come back
with me. At some point, I was worried for my horse, but finally, at the
end of the battle, I found him, frightened, but safe and sound.
King Ramiro of Aragon was killed by a Moorish soldier disguised
as a Christian. Then I found out that the soldier is called Sadadah.
And that he was wearing the clothes of a Christian soldier as well as
the helmet that only allowed his eyes to be shown. He approached the
King and stabbed the spear in one eye. I must admit that, in one hand,
it seems to me a death without honor and fruit of deceit, but, on the
other hand, because of that incident, the Aragonese troops withdrew
and many deaths were spared on both sides. They say that there is no

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