Krali Marko fought with the Turkish janissaries for three months, and he freed nine areas with seventy white monasteries and eighty churches. He then went home and decided to go to Sofia on a pilgrimage to pray for freedom from the Ottomans. He asked his wife to pack his bags with church books and pilgrim’s clothing but not to put his Damask sabre. His wife Katherina followed his wishes but then thought that it is a very long way to Sofia and he may encounter bad people on the way, so she hid his sabre in the bags. Krali Marko set off at dawn and rode through forests and fields. When he reached the Sofia plain he heard the voices of enslaved people, captured by a man called Emza Beg. Marko rode to them and saw Emza Beg with two of his accomplices – they had enslaved three towns, killing the old and throwing away the children, enslaving all the young people. They led three chains of slaves – the first one young brides, the second one young men, and the third young maidens. All were crying, walking barefoot, thirsty and starving.

Marko knew he was without a sabre but went to Emza Beg and asked him to release the slaves. Emza Beg swore at him and called him fat pig. Marko went into a forest thinking of ways to free the slaves. Then his horse spoke with a human voice: “Your beloved wife is wise, she put your sabre in the bags”. Marko’s heart was happy, he took the sabre out, rushed towards the Turks and slaughtered them outright. Then he released all slaves and gave them two of the three big chests full of gold that the Turks were carrying – to buy themselves food and clothing on the way to their homeland.

He went on to Sofia and reached the church but the service had just ended so he was mocked by the town elders that he had been drinking too much wine making him late for church. Marko said nothing and went inside in search of Abbot Slaveh to make his confession. Among his other sins he told him about the episode with the slaves, and left the third chest of gold to the church. Abbot Slaveh praised him for his deed and said that any sins would be forgiven and absolved because of the good Marko has done.

When they heard, the town elders bowed to Marko, kissed his hand and praised him greatly for his past deeds, for freeing the slaves and then coming to church even after the liturgy has ended.