kingdom of nations

Chapter 52 Celebration (Part )

"No, it's the Jaffa Gate." Cesar, out of caution, didn't mention that if anyone were to fulfill the prophecy, the price would be enormous, definitely not something a slave could afford. "The king also explained to me why the Jaffa Gate was shaped like a L."

"He must have been quite fond of you then," said Geoffrey.

You still seize every opportunity to sow discord, Cesar thought helplessly. On the way back, he turned around and glanced at the Golden Gate from afar.

------

Amalric I rejected the Byzantine request, but in order to appease the princess, he generously promised that at the welcoming ceremony, starting with him, every noble in Alazarus would wear Byzantine-style clothing, and the subsequent banquet would also be Byzantine-style, so that the princess would feel at home.

Some nobles complained about this order. They usually wore loose robes and turbans, but they were reluctant to do so in order to please the "daughter of the Eastern Emperor."

But then they thought that during the negotiations, Amalric I had already secured that the wedding ceremony would follow the holy standards of the Latin Church rather than the standards of the Orthodox Catholic Church, and the so-called clothing and meals became insignificant details - those who could climb to this position would not be fools, so of course they shut up.

"I think the princess will be satisfied," said Bohemond.

Even in early spring, when flowers are scarce, the road from Jaffa Gate to the Holy Cross Castle is ablaze with vibrant colors. Actors take their places on wooden stages, dressed as characters from various historical periods, complete with a variety of props. The silver manger from the Nativity of Christ is surrounded by the Virgin Mary and saints, and a spice box studded with gems stands nearby. Antony and Cleopatra ride on a wooden boat, its front and back covered in gold and silver, with two children dressed as oarsmen rowing. Psyche sits amidst a bed of silk flowers, arms outstretched to welcome winged Cupid...

And under these wooden platforms, on both sides of the road, there were crowds of people watching the ceremony. They were crowded together, full of anticipation. Whenever there was such a joyous scene, the nobles would always throw gold coins to the crowd without hesitation. Moreover, for them, being able to see a king marrying a princess in this lifetime was already precious enough.

"Are they coming? Are they coming?" they asked anxiously, standing on tiptoe, but they were all guys who had never seen the world. The experienced people were listening attentively. Listen, that is the sound of trumpets, flutes and drums. They are faster than horses and have arrived with the wind. Here they come, here they come!

The first wave was not the nobles of Alaska, nor the Byzantine officials, but a group of pilgrims - the same treatment that Count Etienne, the envoy of the Holy Land, had enjoyed before, and the Byzantine princess also enjoyed it. There were about a thousand of these pilgrims, occupying a long section of the road. People laughed and booed them, but they did not take it as an offense at all. They just kept praising God, praising Christ, and using every word they knew to boast about today's king and his bride.

Unlike Count Etienne, these pilgrims did not have the courage to follow the caravan. They just led the way, followed closely by a dozen minstrels wearing striped or colored clothes.

They played the harp and sang, their voices soft or high, about the romantic affairs of Charlemagne's daughters, how the love between the mortal Anchises I and the goddess Aphrodite gave birth to Aeneas, and how King Arthur's close friend Gawain was willing to marry the ugliest witch in order to save his master...

Following them were sixteen carriages carrying the Byzantine princess's dowry, exquisite furniture, smooth silk, and even gold and silver utensils. People couldn't help but be dazzled, and even their cheers became quieter. Fortunately, this symbolic convoy passed by quickly.

Following closely behind was a group of monks and priests, some from the Latin Church and some from the Orthodox Church. They were clearly separated and walked on both sides, each holding an icon and a cross. Several servants carried incense boats and golden basins. The priests kept chanting prayers and sprinkling holy water on the crowd. Those who were blessed were all extremely excited.

At this time, several loud trumpet sounds were heard, and people fell to the ground like wheat blown down by a storm.

Several light cavalrymen marched across the road, blowing horns every few steps. Behind them was a band playing drums and trumpets. They were dressed in gorgeous yellow velvet tops and dark green tights, and dwarfs were moving around among them.

The king's flag with a yellow Alassarian cross on a white background, the Byzantine emperor's flag with a golden double-headed eagle on a purple background, the flag of the Grand Duchy of Antioch with a shield-shaped lily, the flag of the County of Tripoli with a two-color cross, and the flags of the lords or legions of the Holy Land were all erected high and fluttered in the wind.

The knights, holding spears like a forest, followed the flag team with solemn expressions. They were wearing shiny armor and clean robes. Their horses were all strong, and their hooves knocked on the gravel road, making a crisp and loud sound.

Their retinue and armed attendants followed behind in a mighty procession.

After them came a large group of nobles on horseback, dressed in silk, sable and wool, sparkling with pearls, gems and glass, including lords and noble ladies.

Amalric I was surrounded by his ministers and lords, walking in front of a huge gilded sedan chair.

The sedan chair was as big as a small room, but it had only a guardrail around it, and its gauze curtains had been held up with golden hooks so that the people of Alaska could see their new mistress.

The Byzantine princess was only fifteen years old this year. She was wearing a Byzantine-style loose-sleeved robe with a sleeveless coat on the outside. The robe was made of golden satin, and the sleeveless coat was purple. The cuffs, collar, and hem were all decorated with pearls as big as fingernails. She wore a white woolen headscarf that covered her hair and neck at the same time, with a golden crown on top.

She was served by two maids, and around the sedan chair walked Byzantine ministers, officials and warriors.

People were still cheering, but the cheers were noticeably quieter. Although the Byzantine princess was dressed extravagantly, compared to Amalric I's first wife, the Countess of Jaffa, her plain face was unremarkable to begin with, and against the backdrop of gold, pearls, and purple satin, it looked even more dull. Although it was obvious that she had dressed herself up very carefully, it only made her originally childish face look even older and more rigid.

No doubt, those who were attracted by the title of Byzantine princess were disappointed, as their attraction was quickly drawn to the animals behind the gilded sedan chair.
While Christianity prohibited believers from entering the Colosseum to watch animals and humans, or humans themselves, fight each other, as the ancient Romans did, the Byzantines still enjoyed drama, music, gambling, and other interesting entertainments, such as animal training. Theodora, the wife of the sixth-century Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, was the daughter of a bear trainer.

The wolves, tigers, leopards, and bears in wooden cages were specially collected for the Byzantine princess's wedding; they could be considered part of her dowry. These majestic beasts attracted even more admiration than the rather unattractive princess. Children ran around following them, while bold attendants and squires shouted and screamed. But whenever they tried to tease them, they were viciously chased away by the servants guarding the beasts. No one noticed that a wooden cage that wasn't supposed to be in the procession also appeared at the end, swaying, being dragged by six strong Shire horses. The cage containing another bear had just passed by a hundred paces when a knight casually asked, "Is this a bear too?"

"A she-bear," replied the Byzantine official in charge of escorting the cage. He was dressed almost identically to the previous inspector, and the attendants walking beside the cage were also wearing the same patterned clothing. Therefore, the knight's question, "Is it big?", was more out of curiosity than caution.

Look at the deep ruts (the stones are pressed into the road) and the wheels that seem ready to collapse at any moment.

"It's okay," the official said with a smile. "It's good enough that we can hold on this far."

The knight thought that the Byzantines might be referring to the subsequent hunt in which the big bear would become the knights' prey. He almost wanted to pick up his spear and lift the burlap covering the wooden cage, but he held back.

"Why did you say so much to him?" As the knight walked away, one of the attendants approached the official and demanded, his tone suggesting he was of higher status than the official. The official, however, seemed unconcerned. "We've already entered Alasar Road. What else do you think will happen? But you, did the person you bribed actually hide the bear's cub in the reliquary?"

"I saw it with my own eyes as it was put in and then placed in the sedan chair."

------

Princess Maria suddenly heard an abrupt exclamation, and she turned slightly to the side while continuing to smile at the people.

"I accidentally knocked over a box - but Princess!" The maid whispered in panic and showed the princess the opened reliquary. This reliquary containing the Virgin Mary's hair would be placed on the altar by the princess herself. There should be silk and a few strands of dark hair inside, but what she saw was a furry little animal wrapped in the silk. It was dead, but there was no obvious blood on its body.

This was an ominous sign. This was the princess's first thought. Was it the women around the emperor, the ministers who opposed the marriage, or the clergy and believers of the Orthodox Church? The Latin Church hated the Orthodox Church for its disobedience, and didn't the Orthodox Church hate the Latin Church for its overly long arms?

For Amalric I and Manuel I, this marriage involved more of a secular cooperation and not much of a religious element. But from the standpoint of the church, they were happy to embarrass the two disobedient rulers. As for the Saracens, without Amalric I and Manuel I, would there be no king willing to launch a third, fourth, or more crusades?

But after a few breaths, the princess knew she was wrong.

------

Baldwin and Cesar followed Amalric I. They had not yet become official attendants and could only be regarded as embellishments in such a procession. David, Abigail and other sons of nobles were also around them, but because these guys had betrayed Prince Baldwin before, they now found it difficult to talk and laugh with him. David kept secretly looking at them, and Abigail kept a gloomy face.

"Where's William?" Baldwin asked suddenly.

David was stunned for a moment, "What?"

"I just saw him go back, he went..." Before Baldwin finished asking, he heard a sudden burst of terrified, almost tearing screams from the back. He immediately turned his horse around (fortunately they were riding adult horses this time) and rushed out before everyone else, with Cesar following closely behind him.

It was the onlookers who screamed, "It's a beast, a beast has escaped!"

Several wooden cages were opened and all the wild animals inside ran out. In order to keep them well behaved, their food intake was intentionally reduced in the past few days - before the hunting began, they should have been lazy and unwilling to move.

But once they get the chance, they burst out with wisdom and strength beyond human imagination. Some of them just want to pounce on someone and feast on them, while others ignore everything and flee to places with fewer people first - people can still remain calm when they see them running towards them, baring their snow-white teeth and bright red tongues.

There were also brave knights and squires who went up to fight with the beasts, but this only aroused their ferocity. More beasts that were intercepted began to bite and scratch, and the brown sand and gray-white stones were almost immediately splashed with blood.

No one noticed that a black and gray mother bear was walking slowly among the chaotic herd of beasts and people. She raised her head and sniffed the bloody smell in the air. Suddenly, she found her child and smelled its death. She ran forward quickly. It was difficult for people who had never hunted bears to imagine how fast, light and agile such a huge creature could run. Some knights saw it, but had no time to react.

At this time, a clever maid thought of taking advantage of the chaos to throw away the cub in the reliquary.

Before she could let go, the mother bear arrived. Unlike humans, she did not roar to the sky before attacking. She had already smelled and seen her cubs and immediately locked onto her target - the gilded sedan chair.

The Byzantine princess's face turned pale. She had not expected that these people wanted not only to embarrass her and leave regrets or a reason for the breakup of this marriage - these people simply cut off the source of the problem!
The mother bear rushed towards the sedan chair and broke the spine of an official with just one claw, and smashed the head of a sedan chair slave. The sedan chair fell to the ground and broke into pieces.

(End of this chapter)