kingdom of nations

Chapter 67 New Members

Baldwin took a step back slightly.

This action made him look a little childish, which was rare. After all, he and Cesar had grown rapidly in the past three years. Now they were about six feet tall and weighed one hundred and forty pounds.

Cesar was still worried about whether this growth rate was normal, which caused Heraclius and Amalric I to burst into laughter. It was still very interesting to see Cesar occasionally asking these childish questions.

Heraclius immediately dispelled his doubts. He said that if the child passed the "selection ceremony" before the age of fourteen, or even earlier, he would be bathed in the light of heaven and become stronger and taller, just like wheat seedlings growing vigorously in the sun, and visible changes would be seen in them every day.

This is a good thing, but it can also be said to be not so good, because if the child is too young, even if they survive the backlash after being "blessed" or "given a blessing", in the future, the sudden growth of bones, swelling of muscles, or even high fever caused by tooth loss can cause them to die.

Now when he and Baldwin go out, they are almost the same as adults, except that their muscles are still a little thin. Cesar seems to be born like this, while Baldwin's is because of the chronic disease that is still tightly wrapped around him.

While Amalric I was worried, he was also looking forward to the arrival of his second son. The Byzantine princess was fifteen years old when she married him, which was a good age for conceiving offspring. However, there was no movement in the first year. In the second year, the king built another chapel to pray for the arrival of a son, and promised that if the second son was born, he would build a church for the Virgin Mary.

The Byzantine princess Maria was also under great pressure because of this. Before each sexual intercourse with the king, she would fast for seven to ten days - in fact, this practice was not conducive to conception, but Cesar could not say it - and pray with the king before going to bed. After intercourse, she would not get out of bed at will, but only send a capable maid to pray for her, so as not to waste the precious seeds.

Finally, nine months ago, she was suspected of being pregnant.

Heraclius examined the queen's urine and confirmed that it was grayish white and contained sediment. He then used some ancient methods to verify it, such as soaking seeds in urine to see if it would make them germinate early, or sprinkling urine on pregnant female animals to see if they would become anxious, etc. The result was of course satisfactory to everyone.

The king celebrated a thanksgiving mass, a grand procession, and almsgiving, and requested a priest, inspired by Saint Joseph (patron saint of women and the family), and a Templar inspired by Saint Anthony (patron saint of lost property, the poor, the oppressed, and pregnant women), to come to the Castel Santa Croce to comfort and protect the unborn child and the queen.

He even moved the queen's rooms to the main tower, the original armory, on the grounds that it was quiet and secluded enough so that the pregnant woman would not be disturbed. In fact, everyone knew that the king hoped that under the protection of the True Cross, the queen could give him a healthy son.

Although it was not yet the case that the public was allowed to watch the queen giving birth - that was centuries later - the maternity room was still covered very tightly, with wooden boards and tapestries covering the windows. The contents of the tapestries were carefully selected, either saints or geometric figures, without beasts and knights, so as to avoid causing hallucinations in pregnant women and causing the fetus to be deformed due to fear.

In such a dark room, only a small candle is allowed to be lit. The air is turbid and shadows are everywhere. A timid pregnant woman might even faint.

But the ground is definitely covered with the freshest rushes and herbs to ensure it is a "comfortable environment".

Fortunately, Princess Maria was in good health and was able to give birth while sitting in a chair without the need for a maid to hold her. There was also a specially fixed rope on the ceiling that she could pull when she felt pain.

However, these were all relayed by several noble ladies. Men were not allowed to enter the delivery room. The king and Prince Baldwin, Heraclius and Cesar, as well as all the important ministers were waiting and praying in the chapel.

Cesar heard Bohemond discussing the queen's buttocks with Raymond. This was not disrespectful, but was entirely out of concern and love for the heir to the kingdom. Bohemond said that although the queen was young, she had wide hips and strong legs, so giving birth to a child should not be a problem. But Raymond cited his own example. His wife died of complications during childbirth with her first child - and then left him a son who was as strong as a bull.

He said that being young is certainly an advantage, but experience is the most valuable. A woman who has given birth would not be so worrying.

The facts seemed to be going in the direction Raymond said. Generally speaking, a woman, even if it was her first time, should be able to give birth to a baby within a day, or at most a night. However, no good news came from Queen Maria's room.

The Countess of Jaffa walked into the chapel with a solemn expression, wearing the Virgin Mary's belt around her waist. The queen also had one around her waist, as did the other noble ladies who were called in to oversee and deliver babies - they were called "Sisters of God."

There will also be a parchment belt on the delivery bed, but it is more like a scroll than an ornament. It is filled with prayers for a safe delivery and pictures related to fertility. It is said to ensure a smooth delivery for the queen.

But these relics did not seem to save the queen from the devil's tricks - the Countess asked for a fragment of the True Cross so that the queen could hold it in her hand, and the king agreed.

It was late at night when the queen launched the attack. Now it was already dawn of the next day. The king looked out the window and felt that he could not wait any longer. "Let her come in, and let them come in too."

She was referring to a dirty, old woman, timidly carrying a basket with a cloth draped over it, but when the guards inspected it, Cesar still saw the scissors and hooks inside. She was the person most likely to be accused of being a witch in the village, but sometimes, she was indispensable because when a woman had a difficult childbirth and her husband still wanted her, she would hook the fetus out - or if she couldn't, she would chop it into pieces.

Baldwin saw it too, and it was at this moment that he took a step back. Although they had followed Amalric I through several wars, big and small, in the past three years, some against the Saracens, some against the Seljuk Turks, and some against bandits, but the thought that the one being cut was his brother or sister...

They are a group of criminals.

Queen Maria was moved to the window of the room. Once she was in place, the servants, under the king's orders, began to whip the criminals vigorously. They used all their strength, and in the gradually brightening light, their naked backs were immediately covered in blood. The criminals wailed one after another, praying, begging for mercy, and cursing...

They knew very well that if the queen still could not give birth to a child, they would be whipped to death.

"If the queen were not a Byzantine princess," Bohemond gloated, "the whip would have fallen on her."

What was gratifying was that the frightened princess seemed to have burst out her last strength. With the surprised shouts of the maids and ladies, a baby was born around the time when the sky was completely bright.

But disappointingly, the True Cross could not guarantee that the devil would replace the son in the queen's belly with a daughter at the last moment.

——————Damara was sure that she saw Princess Sibylle smile.

She immediately lowered her head and even breathed softly. Ever since Count Etienne left, no one mentioned the absurd marriage anymore. But that was just the beginning. Everyone kept it in their hearts and brought it out from time to time to savor and laugh at it. At least that was what Princess Sibylle thought.

The visit and rebuke of the Countess of Jaffa made matters worse. After the Countess slapped the princess and left, Princess Sibyle burst into tears, a rare occurrence, and didn't eat properly for several days. If this had happened before this incident, there would probably have been many young men to comfort her, but they all felt like dead during those days.

Oh, no, that's not right. At least Abigail insisted on visiting the princess, but before Count Etienne could safely return to the Castle of Sainte-Croix, his father sent knights to send him back to Antioch. It is said that when he "left", his cheeks were swollen like a peach pickled in honey, and the two knights treated him very badly, almost putting him in shackles and chains.

The situation did not improve much until Amalric I married the Byzantine princess Maria. These young men seemed to have grown up overnight. They still treated the princess with respect, enthusiasm and even earnestness, but even the simple Damara could feel the subtle sense of alienation, especially after Queen Maria was confirmed to be pregnant.

Damara's father analyzed to Damara that if Queen Maria failed to give birth to a son, the inheritance right of Alazarus would inevitably fall to Princess Sibylle or her descendants. As long as he became the princess's husband, as Bohemond had once expected, he could at least rule Alazarus together with the princess, or even replace her.

But what if the queen gave birth to Amalric I's second son? Then Baldwin could pass the throne directly to his younger brother without much thought. This would not be the first time in the case of Alazarus, and Princess Sibylle's right of inheritance would be postponed - if her younger brother got married and had children soon, then the possibility of using her to obtain Alazarus would be even slimmer.

When the news came from Queen Maria that she had given birth to a princess instead of a prince, Sibylle's smile was sincere. She turned to the maids - if she had not suffered a loss at the hands of Count Etienne before, she would almost share her joy with them!

And just as she thought, soon the king sent someone to ask her to go to the chapel to pray for the newborn baby with everyone.

------

Baldwin's eyes were almost full of awe... Although he didn't make a sound, Cesar could tell that he was begging the saint to give him protection. Yes, give him protection. He would not tremble when facing four or five fierce enemies on the battlefield, but he was at a loss and shaky in front of a swaddling baby.

Cesar had to hold him up. If the prince of Alazarus, the future king, had fainted from excitement when he saw his sister for the first time, people would have talked about it for years.

He looked down at the baby, wrapped in layers of snow-white linen, from chin to toes. At the time, people believed that babies' bones were soft, and if they weren't wrapped in this way, they would grow into a dwarf or a monster. He had seen many babies during his internship, and he could tell this one would look a lot like Baldwin when it grew up...

She inherited many characteristics of Amalric I, but failed to inherit the most important one. The king did not hide his contempt for his daughter at all. He even asked someone to bring the baby to Baldwin to see. But even though Baldwin's condition was well controlled in the past three years, this careless attitude - he had already started discussing some things about the expedition with Bohemond and Raymond.

Cesar could understand the king's unhappiness. After all, they had decided to set out on the expedition in September of that year to avoid the hot summer and cold winter. This expedition might take several years.

In other words, during these years, Amalric I could no longer sleep with Princess Maria and have children. This daughter was not what he expected at all.

Baldwin was overjoyed, but he still didn't dare to touch or get close to his little sister. "Hold her for me."

Cesar held the princess in his arms, and Baldwin leaned on his arms and looked at her for a long time.

"Father," he asked excitedly, "have you named her yet?"

Amalric I had prepared a name for his son, and for his daughter... "Isabella."

The name Isabella is of Hebrew origin and means "God's oath" or "sacred promise."

If it wasn't when the expedition was about to begin, the name would be considered solemn and elegant, but at this time, one couldn't help but wonder what this "oath" and "promise" meant.

Baldwin also noticed it. On the way back to the left tower, he sighed and complained to Cesar that Amalric I's attitude was too cold. Even though Amalric I had been expecting a son, he was still very young, and he and Queen Maria would have many children in the future.

Cesar really couldn't persuade him in this regard.

"You don't have to stay with me," Baldwin said. "Go to bed. You haven't slept all day either."

Despite this, Cesar returned to his room and drank a cup of coffee to eliminate the little sleepiness he felt. He called a servant and asked him to go and see whether Damara was asleep or awake, and if so, whether she was interested in going to the market with him.

Due to the need to prepare food, fodder and military equipment, the market that was originally held once a week was changed to twice a week. Even if it was not a market day, there were merchants coming in to buy and sell goods. As long as they were not too conspicuous, the supervisors would turn a blind eye.

Cesar never missed a market, but he always went there under the pretext of accompanying Damara, and for this reason a whole layer of gold coins was missing from his box. Damara was not a greedy person, but Cesar would never ask anyone to work for free.

He left the castle again that day and did not return to his room until mid-afternoon (2-3 p.m.).

He only had time to close the door, and before he could reach the window and lift the tapestry that blocked out the light, he heard someone cough lightly, "What did you buy?"

Cesar loosened his grip, and a large package hidden under his cloak fell to the ground.

(to be continued)
(End of this chapter)