I am Garcia, hill-dweller, currently an infantryman for Cid.

I was born 21 years ago in the Sierra of Pedraza, halfway between Sepulveda and Segovia. Before I made my living grazing cattle, until a few years ago when I got news that there were people around town ready to leave to join the troops of the Cid Campeador, in need of men to besiege Balansiya. When we arrived from Cebolla the attacks lasted for almost a year. We flooded the garden, destroyed the suburbs and blocked all communication with the city until the Moors capitulated. We drove out all the medina and burnt the leader Ibn Yahhaf to teach them a lesson. There was no shortage of women and wine, but now the Cid wants to reduce the soldada to benefit the knights and clerics.