kingdom of nations

Chapter 53 Celebration (Part )

——A Byzantine official mentioned this incident in his private diary.

He said it was a typical Byzantine plot against Princess Maria and her future barbarian husband.

This kind of conspiracy was common in the Byzantine court, even crude, but it was enough to deal with the Franks, who were simple-minded, crude and unsophisticated.

The person who carried out this conspiracy bribed several key figures in the princess's dowry:

First, the officials who manage and guard these beasts.

They tucked a mother bear who had lost her cubs into the back of the group and opened most of the cages.

"This she-bear was the largest I have ever seen," the official wrote. "When she was on all fours, her eyes could still look an average man in the eye. Standing upright, she was twice his height. Her hair was thick, held together by pitch, gum, and tar, like a thick coat of armor. Ordinary weapons had no effect on her body. Arrows either bent and fell or stuck in vain."

Second, the slaves or maids around the princess.

The dead cubs of the bear were beheaded and placed in the reliquary where the princess had kept the Virgin Mary's hair, an act of grave desecration. Their souls were condemned to burn in the lake of fire for ten thousand years, but the benefits clearly outweighed the afterlife punishment.

When the princess's maid discovered that such a horrible and filthy thing had been placed in the reliquary, her first thought, whether intentionally or unintentionally, was to try to throw it away.

At this time, something unexpected had happened. Dozens of wild animals were released from their cages, including a nimble and strong leopard, a tiger whose roar alone could make people tremble, and a dozen cunning and cruel wolves.

Without exception, they are all starving and full of hatred towards humans.

“In theory,” the official continued, “they appear in parades only to show the people the animals that will appear in a hunt or a tournament.

Conventional medicines should have been given to them, which would have caused them to be drowsy or paralyzed, but the officer in charge of the animals refused these suggestions. He said, "If the Franks saw the animals we brought with us in such a weakened state, wouldn't they laugh at our cowardice?"

So, instead of using herbs that could soothe the beasts' senses, they used something to boost their spirits, so that as soon as the cage door was opened, they threw themselves into the killing with high spirits.

"From what I saw," he added cautiously, "some of the beasts might have wanted to escape, but the people pushed each other and didn't realize they were blocking the beasts' escape routes, so they were bitten just as badly."

Third, the warriors in the princess’ dowry team.

They should be loyal to the princess and obey all her orders unconditionally. They should be regarded as a nail planted by Manuel I in the holy city. However, those warriors not only failed to form a dense and effective defense network, but instead left a gap. The mother bear drove straight through this gap and ran towards the princess's sedan chair.

"I was lucky," the official lamented. "I was just an ordinary clerk, excluded from the ranks of the rich and powerful. As the mother bear cut a bloody path through the crowd, I was tumbling and crawling into the onlookers. Hey, everyone, please don't laugh at me. I know it makes me look cowardly, but I used this word anyway to give you an idea of ​​the chaos at the time."

If I walked or ran upright like the others, I would definitely be seen as an obstacle by the mother bear or pushed down by others, just like those unlucky guys.

When I looked back, I saw that some of the warriors not only did not stop the mother bear, but were even obstructing those who wanted to rescue her, whether they were their colleagues or Amalric I's knights.

At this time, the princess and her sedan chair had fallen to the ground.

This was originally a huge but exquisite wooden product. It immediately broke into several pieces under the impact. The slender railings broke, and the top of the sedan collapsed and entangled with the curtains, forming a deadly cocoon.

A maid abandoned the princess and tried to escape, but was caught up by a mother bear and had her entire face torn open with one claw. That scene is so unforgettable that even decades later - that face that seemed to be cut in half still lingers in my nightmares.

The other maid was much more unfortunate.

She was very brave and tried to stand in front of the princess, but the mother bear just slapped her chest with one palm, and her chest caved in. She did not die for a while. When she fell, the mother bear was still angrily digging into her abdomen.

She screamed as she was eaten by the bear - I know bears like to eat alive, but the female bear was more out of venting, she shook her head, threw some of the internal organs out, and did not chew them slowly.

"Our princess is worthy of the Komnenos name. She did not cry or run away," the official commented. "While the bear was eating the maid alive, she found a weapon from the ruins of the sedan chair, a double-edged sword inlaid with jewels, which she might have prepared as a gift for the groom.

But what good would that do? Even a knight who had been touched by the saints would not dare to confront such an angry and powerful beast.

"I heard someone yelling for the hounds to be released, but it was too late. Just like those galloping knights, their primary concern was protecting their king, which was understandable, but I still couldn't help but feel a little complaining.

Surprisingly, only two attendants arrived in time. I said so."

Here he switched to a deep red, indicating the important part: "Because they wore no mail beneath their flowing cloaks and coats."

At that time, I thought that although these two children were brave, they were too stupid. But then I saw that one of them was wearing a small dark purple cloak, and the other's coat was also trimmed with purple.

I immediately remembered that there were probably only three people in this team who could wear dark purple satin clothes. One of them was of course the princess's husband, Amalric I, and the other was our princess.

And thirdly, who else could it be but our princess’s future stepson, the heir to this sacred kingdom, Prince Baldwin?

I thought the people around me would shout Prince Baldwin, but I didn't expect them to shout the little saint instead.

——The “little saint” here is capitalized.

I was a little bit unable to understand, or perhaps my mind was completely captured by this destined tragic ending. My eyes were fixed on the scene without blinking - I had almost imagined how many tragic poems and magnificent pictures people in the future would create for this scene.

In fact, Prince Baldwin was not like the barbarians we know who never thought. He relied solely on force to control the horse that wanted to escape or kneel down, and forced it to run between the mother bear and the princess.

The mother bear slapped the horse's belly with a palm that was enough to take the princess's life. The horse neighed and fell down with a whine.

At this time, Prince Baldwin had jumped down nimbly and stood in front of the princess. He called out the name of his patron saint "Saint George" loudly, and a spear took shape at his side.

I thought I would see a mutually destructive outcome. His spear could certainly pierce the mother bear, but bears are not like humans who will collapse to the ground when injured.

They have a very strong ability to endure pain. Anyone who has participated in bear hunting knows that even if their hands are bitten off and their intestines are spilling out, they can still kill more than ten hunting dogs and the people who are hunting them in one breath.

The spear could pierce the mother bear, and the bear's paw could hit Prince Baldwin or the princess, killing them instantly on the spot, but a scene that I couldn't believe even more appeared.

The little servant who came with Prince Baldwin appeared in front of the mother bear at some point. A soft and bright white light emanated from his body, and ripples like waves flickered, expanded, and solidified in the air.

I'm sorry, everyone. As you listen to me, you may think that this whole process is very slow, but it really happened in an instant.

By the time I understood what was happening, he was already covered with a layer of shiny white scales (each scale was clearly visible). He bent his left elbow and placed it in front of the mother bear. The mother bear bit him almost without thinking and hit him hard on the shoulder blade with a palm.

Everyone around me screamed in fear.

But God bless him, he managed to hold on, one foot in front, one foot behind, his body tensed like a bow and arrow. He thrust his left arm into the mother bear's huge mouth, and remained unmoved despite the bear's bite. The mother bear's heavy blow only made him shake slightly.

I wonder if he could withstand a second blow. But by then, Prince Baldwin's spear had already reached his right shoulder. A flash of white light, like thunder, pierced the bear's skull through its cheek like a massive arrow. A moment later, or I don't know how long, the bear's massive form collapsed. By then, King Amalric I had arrived on horseback, and the battle around them was drawing to a close. Whether it was man or beast, or man or man, the rebels were captured in one fell swoop, and none could escape the knights' furious and shameful pursuit.

The bribed officials initially wanted to escape - if the princess was indeed attacked by the bear and died or was seriously injured, their plan might succeed, but as soon as the princess escaped from danger, she immediately grabbed the reins of Amalric I's horse and pointed out every person who betrayed her in a trembling but clear and sharp voice.

When these people were escorted here, they were still quibbling. They didn't even look at the princess, but only pleaded with the king of Alaska, twisting right and wrong, saying that the princess must have been mentally ill because of being so frightened that she said those words that wrongly accused good people.

Just as I was hesitating whether to testify, I saw that Amalric I ignored them completely. He turned to the princess and asked, "What do you want to do?"

The princess said, "Kill them all."

At that time, I couldn't help but shed tears of sympathy for these high-ranking adults.

If the princess were still in the Byzantine court, she would never have such great power, or she might not have such great power in the future.

But now, she is the most direct victim, the betrayed daughter of the emperor and the wife of the king. Amalric I sees the intentions of these people very clearly. He gave the decision-making power to the princess, perhaps expecting such a result.

The princess did not disappoint him and gave a satisfactory answer.

These people were scared to death. They thought the worst possible outcome would be being detained by Amalric I and thrown into prison, waiting for their families to pay the ransom so that they could return to Byzantium and face the wrath of Manuel I.

But the king had made up his mind. "Save all the formalities," he said, "just roll out the red carpet for my bride."

At the king's command, his knights sprang into action.

The princess also did not forget her two saviors, Prince Baldwin and his attendant.

They stood leaning against each other, looking very tired, almost at the end of their strength. Even though I had never seen any saints, I knew that for people of their age, the price they paid to fight against such a crazy beast must be quite high.

The princess held out her hand to them, and Prince Baldwin walked forward with his attendants. The princess was a little surprised, but still took them in her arms one by one.

After being held up, those arrogant guys were already scared to death, their knees weak and they could barely stand up. Some people wanted to struggle frantically, but it was useless except for getting hit by more punches.

Everyone around me opened their eyes wide (maybe I did too), for them this was a rare event.

So many gentlemen, all dressed in silk, wearing gold and silver, and eating their fill, were now like roosters with their wings lifted, dragged by their arms to the path the princess would pass. One after another, they were ordered to kneel down and then their heads were chopped off.

Their blood spurted far away, splashing and flowing on the ground, and indeed paved out a road like a red silk carpet.

Amalric I's servant brought a horse - which was given by Amalric I's first wife, the Countess of Jaffa. The princess nodded slightly to express her gratitude, and then climbed onto the horse with the help of the king.

The two of them walked towards the Holy Cross Castle shoulder to shoulder, their horses' hooves stepping on the blood that had not yet coagulated, leaving a series of bright red rose marks on the cobblestone road.

I was also discovered and imprisoned like other Byzantines, but the time was very short. After all, the dinner to welcome the Byzantine princess was about to be held, and the princess's team had been reduced by one third. We couldn't let the remaining two-thirds spend the entire wedding in prison. That would be embarrassing for the princess, not us.

So, we, that is, those whom the king considered to be non-threatening, were released first and scattered around the two long tables.

I thought I would lose my appetite, but in fact, I was so hungry that I felt I could eat a cooked she-bear.

Before the wedding banquet began, the princess who was sitting on the podium side by side with King Amalric I suddenly stood up.

She raised her glass and first wished her husband to be invincible in the future and not be defeated by any conspiracy or failure.

Then she raised her glass to us, wishing us good health and all the best. When we all stood up, she raised her glass for the third time and handed the golden cup to Prince Baldwin beside her.

She said she has her stepson, Baldwin, to thank for what may be the most wonderful gift she has ever received.

We all knew that the prince had contracted leprosy and might not live past the age of thirty, but the princess, after only a slight hesitation, still wished him strong health and a long life, and that he could become a wise and brave king like his father. This blessing greatly eased the tense atmosphere between us and those Crusaders.

I know some of them even suggested canceling the wedding. Regardless of how these officials were bribed, or by whom, this incident, to put it bluntly, is a completely bad omen. Any future misfortunes could be attributed to this wedding.

I marveled at their devotion to Prince Baldwin, or perhaps they loved King Amalric so much that they could turn a blind eye to such obvious flaws in the prince.

Although I had heard before how Amalric I doted on his only son and how he fought against two churches (the Roman Church and the Alaskan Church) for this child.

He should have also asked our emperor for help, but some people in the Orthodox Church firmly believed that this marriage was evil because Prince Baldwin had leprosy, and that the princess of the Byzantine emperor should not marry the father of a sinner.

The Patriarch of Alaska condemned Amalric I, believing that he had blatantly betrayed his faith and God for the sake of his son, and that he was also a sinner and should be thrown into hell.

Some in the Orthodox Church also believe this.

There may be another reason why this marriage was finally confirmed, that is, they all knew that even if Prince Baldwin succeeded to the throne, he would not be able to maintain his rule for too long. He was blessed, but his leprosy was not cured.

In the end, there are only two people who could take over the throne: the child of his sister Sibylle, or the child born to Amalric I by our princess. The former should be supported by most of them.

As for the latter, they have always been wary of us. After all, people who owe debts are afraid of their creditors.

Here, the officials intentionally explained the reason in small print. Although the holy war originated from the Byzantine emperor asking the Roman Church for help and requesting the Franks, who were also a Christian country, to help them drive out the Saracens, the Crusaders looted many cities they passed by during their march into the Holy Land - most of which were Byzantine cities, which led to many conflicts.

"The princess handed her golden cup to Prince Baldwin, which was a public statement that she would regard Baldwin as her own son in the future and transfer some of her interests and rights to him." This statement certainly made people happy, especially King Amalric I, because these things would eventually fall into his hands.

When writing this, there was a blank space on the diary, which represented thinking. Then the official absentmindedly drew two little people holding hands on it.

“I stayed at Jalan Al-Assad for a while afterwards.

I often see Prince Baldwin and his friend going in and out together. They are together almost anytime and anywhere. Except when they are sleeping, I also know that when the princess expressed her gratitude, Prince Baldwin even pulled him to his side and said without hesitation that this is his brother.

Seeing this, the princess changed her gifts from the original gold plate, matching gold knife, gold fork and gold spoon, and a silver plate to two identical sets, and gave one to each of them equally.

I heard someone say indignantly that the prince's squire was originally just a slave.

Hey! "

-

"The monk's predictions were surprisingly accurate," Baldwin said.

(End of this chapter)