Luther looks outside a small window, through which the daylight barely penetrates his room in Wartburg castle.
“What now?” Luther hears and turns to the voice. He recognizes Andreas Karlstadt.
“Professor Karlstadt,” Luther says in a formal voice and turns back again to the window. It is hard to tell from his humble outfit that Andreas Karlstadt is the 34-year-old chancellor of Wittenberg University, where Luther teaches.
“Common Martin, you know you can call me Andreas.”
“Thanks for the visit, Andreas. When will you be returning to Wittenberg? Tomorrow?”
“I hope you’re not thinking of coming back to the city,” Andreas continues, “It’s by no means safe for you.”
“For me!” Luther says and turns to Andreas. “I’m not concerned about me. I accepted my fate the moment I rebelled against the corrupted Vatican. The poor, common Germans are the ones I’m concerned about. I should do something for them.”
“And your grand solution for them is?”
“They must not lose faith. That is of the utmost importance. I count on you, brother, and Thomas, to lead the reformation at Wittenberg. I talked to Pfaffinger last week.”
“Fredrick’s treasurer!”
“Don’t give me that look. He saved my life, didn’t he? He can save the reformation too. We have no choice but to trust Fredrick and in his support to protect our reformation from the wicked hands of the Pope and the bloodthirsty blades of the emperor.”
“Nice wording! Pfaffinger taught you that?”
“You were not there!” Luther snaps. “I was, holding my life in my hands, facing them all. It is us vs. the entire Holy Roman Empire. This is it. This is our chance to reform the church. This is the moment. It is now or never. And it won’t happen without Fredrick’s support, not in your lifetime. Do you want to see the success of reformation with your own eyes or not?”
His eyes shut, Andreas rubs his forehead. That is what he usually does when losing a debate to Luther, which is almost always. It takes a moment for Luther to calm down.
“And talk to Thomas, will you? You know his language better.”
“I’ll try. And you’ll stay here?”
“I’m stuck here, for a while at least. I am thinking of making a good translation of the Bible, in plain German for plain German people.” Luther continues to explain himself when noticing Andreas’s puzzled look. “This is what a commoner needs the most; to have faith. With the scripture accessible to them, no bandit from the Vatican can rub these poor sheep, by these ridiculous, preposterous indulgences.”