#explorations.

Of course, it's obvious in a skirmish. When threatened, whoever Henry's sworn to defend will know his loyalty keenly. And he attacks always so ruthlessly, something demonically possessed when he's tested in battle, but when he's butchering for them when their safety's his priority? He's impossible. Jaw clenched, he'd blaze like the Black Rider on his ashen steed. Yet, it would go even well beyond battle, admittedly, his boots quavering just a sliver when he spies his charge taken for some spirited dance. In a way, he feels like it's him who's ought to have, ought to be there by their side something god knows whatever. Sure, he knows it's him who is collared, obviously, and really, is very much aware that they're still their own person, but after losing and mourning and bogged with his yearning? He can't help himself. Like a dog, he feels a bit like that spot by their side is shaped like him.

For all romances with women: If your character is a woman, Henry, again, would not have courted anyone before her since Skalitz' razing. He is clumsy at times, perhaps overeager, but he is sincere and, if out of his depth, makes up for it twice-over in enthusiasm. He is still, however, a servant to greater men, something he fears may work at the confidence of his lady-love, a fear he tries to remedy with frequent letters and a good home and honest love. He will always come back after such long journeys away with a fire at his heels, ecstatic to sweep them up into his arms, to make up for lost time, and to melt her ache and yearning that he, too, feels in his own heart. He wants very badly to marry, to at least settle together, and grows all poppy and boyish to the idea — chivalrous love! He dreams of it! — and dotes on her feverishly. He is utterly shameless with public affection if she is a peasant as he is, but if she is high born, he is met with constant teasing (either harmless or not [which will always make Henry cautious]) for his protectiveness and unwillingness to let another stand by and guard her side.

For all romances with men: If your character is a man, they will be Henry's first romance since Bianca — and Henry's first anything with a man. Henry is more careful, infinitely more careful, regardless of the verse. In 15th century Bohemia, however, it goes without saying that it is a matter of survival and the far better part of wisdom to bottle up his affections and attractions. He will not pursue a man unless there is ample evidence of fondness and far, far too many instances that lean just right of plausible deniability. He may, in fact, only wait to make his desire known on the eve of great battle or world-spinning, tongue loosening drunkenness. Up to this point, Henry had always believed himself strictly heterosexual, but their growing closeness is unearthing very, very deep, buried wonderings he only humored in passing. He is inexperienced, gobsmacked, but ever a romantic, still sincere and devastatingly about them, enough so as to risk ruining a perfectly good friendship and sense of camaraderie forever. Marriage is likely not in the cards, not before the church, but before God with whom he believes would want them to love, love so long as it is kind and good, he can officiate (in a way) for them in the woods or somewhere otherwise secret.

Jan Hus, a famous Czech theologian who is often considered the first reformer of the Church, challenged many aspects of the Catholic Church in Bohemia. In particular, Hus denounced the Church's stance on simony (the act of selling church offices, appointments, and sacred artifacts) and especially indulgences in which Hus vehemently condemned, believing the practice to be used primarily for the Church's financial gain as opposed to any sort of spiritual salvation or penance. Henry had grown up repenting in what ways he could for the sins he'd committed, some of them, indeed, through paying fees to indulgence boxes, reasoning that the Church knew better of God's word than he himself. In short, Henry, though a consummate sinner (i.e. had killed, had lusted, had stolen, had drank and indulged in excess, had blasphemed, had coveted a neighbor's wife [or husband, if the verse sees him romancing Hans], and had sodomized [which was all sexual acts that did not lead to conception, regardless of the sex of the lovers] to name a few) still listened to the Church's teachings where it was convenient, and did not question what they deemed proper or correct. After all, he still held to his faith closely.

This changed as he got older, Bohemia devolving into further religious unrest especially as King Wenceslas supported Jan Hus, particularly as he saw Jan Hus as a potential boon in his opposition to the Archbishop of Prague, Zbyněk Zajíc. Henry saw more the greed of the Church, but saw, too, the greed of kings and the political machinations he had little love for and little understanding of. For Henry, once the Hussite Wars properly began and he had found himself under Jan Zizka, a Hussite, he saw himself as aligning first and foremost to those he cares for. Those he loves. He is devout, that, he would never deny, but the interpretation of the Word and its influence in royal hands had sidled him toward the angle of the disillusioned -- not from his faith, mind you, but solely from the religious institution.

Some core beliefs held by Jan Hus that Henry found himself agreeing with, however, are as follows (from most to least, though all were held favorably):

The teaching of the Bible in Czech as to be more accessible to common folk. Latin was the language used for the clergy, and Latin was only known by nobles and the clergy. As such, there was always a rift between the peasants and the Church and, in Henry's belief, God.

The condemnation of indulgences as a tool of financial gain for the church. To repent, one must seek it truly and honestly, not through money.

Simony or the practice of the selling of Church offices for, again, financial gain, was rampant and should be discouraged,

The supremacy of the Bible. Anything that contradicted the Bible (i.e. laws) should be rejected. (This is, as you can imagine, contradictory and hypocritical for Henry who often approaches his faith in that way HE interprets it. He isn't perfect and would never claim to be!)

Belief in the clergy returning apostolic, or that the clergy should more seriously forego earthly possessions and power.

Henry's father, Radzig Kobyla, was an ardent supporter of Hus up to Radzig's assassination by anti-Hussites in 1416. His father's death further won Henry's sympathies to Hussite beliefs and their faction. It's worth nothing that most of Bohemia was rather taken by Jan Hus' teachings. In fact, after Jan Hus was tried and executed (via burning at the stake) in 1415, a protest was drafted and sealed by a great host of nobles from Bohemia and Moravia to protest Hus' death. This further radicalized the Bohemian peoples who distanced themselves more from Papal teachings and the Catholic Church. As a result, Rome declared a crusade against Bohemia which kicked off the Hussite Wars wherein most of the Bohemian population sided with the Hussites.

All the same, Sir Radzig had, since Skalitz's sacking (and likely before then, honestly, but certainly after) had taken a healthy interest in his lone son's journey. After Skalitz, Henry had began to really develop as a fighter, doing deeds that few would leap at and managing them alone. It was clear that Henry was rather fit for the sword he wielded, the very same sword that Hal had worked on for him, and in the right light, with all of his victories and his valor and his honor, he had seemed, to his father, a genuine knight.

Our hero Henry, the fellow who helps his fellow man! Here he is: our squire, knight-in-training, bastard son of a noble with a gallant heart, chivalrous virtues, romantic idealism, and a blood-thirsty, head-turning appetite for revenge! He is the absolute epitome of the guard dog, the loyal servant who has pledged his sword, his life, his loyalty to you. He will look death in his night-pitch robes atop his foul, grey steed for you -- and against all odds, slay him, fell him where he stands, because you had wished it so. Clad in armor with his sword sat like God's arm, there and ready to dole His' will -- your will, really, for who is his God if not you? -- you would be hard-pressed to find a man more devoted to you and you alone.

Henry is, in many ways, the ideal medieval man: he is brave, he is strong, and he does good and values the just. Yet, he is also a layered soul for his flaws and his hang-ups are numerous, unsurprising for a war orphan. After losing his family when Skalitz, his village, was sacked -- and, yes, he lost, too, his friends and his home and his innocence and boyhood -- Henry, already rather protective, has filled his mouth with teeth and spitting venom, heart heavy with the want, desire, absolute soul-crushing need to keep those he loves safe. It makes him unfathomably loyal, but it also makes him impossibly reckless, our brave, young knight-to-be barreling into certain death to keep you hale and whole. To be with Henry is to know comfort and protection in leagues you would have never believed possible -- but so, too, will you know fear as you watch him ride unto certain doom for your sake.

He is love and tenderness, warmth and stability, unerring passion and frightening fealty, and you will never be left doubting his indescribable fondness for you. You can do nothing more than tend to his wounds -- bruises, gashes, his head dizzy and eyes woozy with bloodloss after he's been gored for you -- and he will believe your hands like those of an angel -- or even God. And trust: love with Henry feels very much like worship, this man cobbled together by God's song, Word, and has long learned to kneel and pray before his betters, his protectors, his object of unerring affection. Believe this: his appetite for romance and security is difficult to put into words if only because there are no words to capture their enormity. Having been raised with love fed to him by the handful -- syrupy and cloying and sweet, sweet, sweeeet! -- Henry, having been robbed of this all after Skalitz's burning, is rather eager to find love again. He wouldn't be careless about it either, don't misunderstand him; rather, when it at last comes his way, he will hope and desire and yearn in a shade that'd put the sun to shame. It's true: he is a shameless yearner and is as obvious as it gets.

Despite what the chart says, Henry's ideal partner is a very broad thing. He has a lean for souls with fire just as he himself nurses one, but his only true tenants are to be just, fair, and good at heart. Some mean and bite never hurts -- he enjoys the sassy, the smart, the 'I'll give as good as I get', the fighters, and my god, the BRATS -- but he will surely melt should you allow him to feel vulnerable with you, armor stripped and his body left bare to its skin.

The world is hard and the world is cruel, but Henry of Skalitz is hearth and home. ❤️/ template.

In Revenge Fantasies After Experiencing Traumatic Events: Sex Differences, Goldner, Lev-Weisel, and Simon state this:

Several goals are fulfilled by the revenge (Orth, 2004). Revenge is intended to re-equilibrate the gains and losses caused by an assault. When the individual perceives him or herself as severely harmed by another person, who is held responsible for this harm to the individual’s ego, the ego assesses the harm as morally wrong and unjustified, and therefore develops a motivation for retaliation (Orth, 2004; McClelland, 2010). This comes from the belief that the perpetrator should not profit from his or her wrongdoings; many people believe that the perpetrator deserves to be subjected to equal harm to that caused by him or her. The desire for revenge is also intended to re-equilibrate power and allow the victim to regain a sense of control over his or her circumstances (Salter, 2014). This is particularly important, since power and control, the perception of one’s ability to influence others, are a basic human need (Salter, 2014; Lillie and Strelan, 2016).

Henry, indeed, has been slighted in unforgivable ways. Weak and powerless against his aggressors (Markvart, the hetman who had led the sacking of Skalitz; and Istvan, the warmonger who had helped plan it), he was forced to stand there like all a trembling-kneed fawn as his boyish life was ended and his home sank to flames. To Henry -- and most anyone would agree, though would bemoan how common it is -- the crime he'd suffered was on a scale unspeakable. At night, he often dreams of Skalitz and of the Cumans and butcherers that felled his folk, and always, it comes in a shade of red and boiling anger.

Explicitly, Henry thinks of slaughtering his aggressors. The catharsis of said dreams comes seldom; more often, it more wicks in him restlessness and agitation. Sword in hand, he's thought of hunting them through villages and forests like they're rabid wolves to put down. He has thought of cutting up their bellies and sinking in his hands up, up, up unto the wailing in the swallow, and there, he would clasp his fist about that and tear it out their gut. He has dreamt of it vividly, details sharp and crystal, so bright he can taste it slick in his gums, and sometimes it scares him.

Always having been a bit of a firecracker -- and village upstart at times, young and snotnosed as he was -- Henry has never had a problem baring his rage. True, he's always bore the heart of an adventurer as well, having idolized swordsman, gallant knights, and strong, able warriors who blaze down the Bohemian roads. Having looked up to such men, the idea of physicality so baked into his view on manhood, that he seeks to dominate in retaliation would feel very expected. As written by Hamama-Raz, it is violence that, in the hands of men, is used as a vital tool for survival, their doling of vengeance purposed to deter further victimization. Henry will fight tooth and nail to never play the role of the kicked dog again. Be it with blood or in devilry, he will manage it.

Though his faith would lead Henry to forgive his attackers -- especially Istvan as he, too, is an orphan molded by war -- Henry decidedly abandons this tenant. He allows this primal, raw, human desire to consume him at times, coloring and clouding his judgment, and it is all the fearsome gnashing of a dog kicked and beaten in the corner. He cannot show forgiveness; to those that have rose their hand at him, he cannot trust those scraps of reconciliation.

Revenge is considered to have a biological, evolutionary, and instinctive basis in that its roots stem from people’s basic animal fighting instincts (Haen and Weber, 2009; Fatfouta and Merkl, 2014). 

Under the German system, there are several elements that were stressed in combat. They are:

Swiftness, balance, and good judgment are the foundations.

Efficiency and practicality: taking the shortest and most direct line of attack, looking down on flashier moves.

Mindfulness of footwork, stance, correct distance, and speed of motion.

Lean on the offensive with a fixed plan of attack.

Do not be easy to read; always keep your intended attack difficult to discern.

Henry, finding a particular fondness for the longsword, developes a preference for this style of swordfighting. As the German system was taught primarily through longswords, it stands to reason that it feels best tailored for Henry. Though new to the fighting arts, Henry shows lighting-fast proficiency, quickly picking up such techniques as master hews (meisterhäue, literally master strike/chop/etc., that were surprise attacks to catch opponents off guard) and often using his strength honed by hard labor and rigorous smithing for powerful thrusts (zwerchau) -- the longsword's specialty. Henry fights like a bull and will often press every advantage he gets, winding his opponents and denying them time both to retaliate and to gather their bearings. This overt aggression can be used against him and serves as Henry's weakest element (that is, patience), but his zeal and ferocity has proven exceedingly difficult to work against.

Henry, however, is familiar with fights to the death not transpiring as safe duels in the ring, and has also learned how to appropriately use a dagger as a follow-up weapon. In fact, most swordfights clad in full armor often ended in a sort of wrestling match with the subduing of your opponent and their stabbing in their unprotected areas. Again, being a bit of a carthorse, Henry uses his brute strength to his advantage and has often jammed his dagger under the chin of his enemies or mortally into their side once he has gotten them onto their back -- the killing blow.