kingdom of nations

Chapter 206 White Flax, Red Flowers. (Part 2) (Bonus Chapter)
For Anna, marriage was once like a door in the Grand Palace that had never been opened before. By opening this door, she could escape the jealousy, ridicule, and hatred of the women in the palace, as well as the pursuit of the men.

But she had no idea what awaited her after pushing open that door. Would it be an elegant and tranquil garden, or a far more filthy and muddy swamp? Or perhaps, what awaited her behind the door wouldn't be any kind faces, but countless wolves and tigers...

She was never sure, but she had no choice but to push open the door.

The nightmare of choosing between known and unknown fears had tormented her for over a decade. Now, this marriage had become the only gift in her life, a thread that pulled her from hell to heaven.

When she decided that she did not need the archbishop of the orthodox church, namely the archbishop of Cyprus, to officiate her wedding, but instead had Heraclius, the patriarch of Arassavian, officiate it, and that the entire wedding would be conducted according to the practices of the Roman Catholic Church, the Byzantine ladies-in-waiting around her advised her that she should not give in at this time.

“We know you have fallen in love with that handsome young man,” said one of the maids. “We can understand that. But if you love him, you should treat him with the same care that the mistress of the beast and the lord of the wilderness (the moon goddess) took for the shepherd boy Endymion. You should know how fickle a man’s heart can be, especially since he is so young and easily tempted. If you give him all your power…”

"What will you do then?" another maid said. "I am not asking you to abandon your husband or try to control him; that is not what God requires of us. But besides being a woman, you are also the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor. Your father may have neglected you in the past, but now that he has given Cyprus as your dowry, it is enough to make up for all his past mistakes."

Therefore, even for the sake of your children, you should firmly grasp the sovereignty of Cyprus—that's what everyone wants to see. Your bloodlines should be intertwined, the Komnenian and Flanders (the family name of Godfrey in Bouillon) linked through marriage. This is what a Byzantine princess should do, not like those foolish peasant women who blindly submit to their husbands.

But no matter what they said, Anna did not change her mind.

She knew exactly what these women meant. Behind them stood their brothers and fathers, who had never even seen her—how could they love her or care about her?

She had sworn to her adoptive mother, Theodora, that she would take her place and live freely outside the Grand Palace, in place of her biological mother and Theodora, and obtain the happiness they had never had.

Having read so many books and witnessed so much, how could she not know that those who wield power are monsters? If she listened to them and fought with her husband for power, their relationship would surely become extremely strained. Even if they had children in the future, they would only be a couple in name only, or even become enemies who hate each other.

“I believe in him,” she murmured, gazing at her reflection in the mirror. She had never held the stakes in her own hands before, and now this was her only chance; she had to go all in.

At this time, apart from the bride, the groom and other participants and witnesses had gathered at the St. Lazarus Cathedral, which has become a pilgrimage site that every Christian hopes to visit because it houses the relics of saints.

The wedding was held here. It was even more meaningful for Cesare and Anna, because they would not be settling in Constantinople; this was where they would spend the rest of their lives together.

At this moment, only a little over a hundred selected people had gathered in the cathedral square. Calling them "people" wasn't entirely accurate; they were all upper-middle-class people, such as goldsmiths, merchants, and scholars. However, they could only stop outside the square and could not enter the cathedral. They could only wait anxiously outside the door for the ceremony to end.

This was the first time César had ever seen his teacher so dignified and serious, even though he had participated in many prayers, processions and masses before.

Heraclius wore a tall bishop's hat, a white robe, a gold-trimmed cloak, and gloves, and held rosary beads in his hand. What seemed slightly out of place with his posture was his expression; his joy was bursting forth from his heart. Even though he tried his best to purse his lips, one could still glimpse his heartfelt happiness from his eyebrows and the corners of his eyes.

Unlike some of Baldwin's insatiable greed, Heraclius, a monk of humble origins, knew very well how good this marriage was for his dearest student—so good it was almost unbelievable.

When he heard the news, he mobilized all the merchants and spies under his command, hoping to find out what was wrong. However, the feedback seemed to prove that he was just overthinking things—perhaps Manuel I had indeed gone mad to make such a decision—he could only comfort himself with this thought.

But once tonight is over, Cesar will become the owner of this rich land, and the Crusaders will fully support him in turning this illusory claim into an undeniable fact, even if it's just to get Cyprus.

He first summoned Cesar to his side, “Count of Edessa, Knight of Bethlehem, Royal Steward of Alassa Road…”

Before they left Arathor Road, Baldwin specifically gave him this position—a position that was only given to the king’s most trusted people, usually blood relatives—and if Josephine III had not died, this position would have been his.

People didn't say much, which was also to emphasize César's significance in the marriage.

"With all the people as witnesses, are you willing to abide by the laws, regulations, agreements, privileges—whether in Edessa, Bethlehem, or Cyprus—and all its laws, morals, and doctrines?"

“I do,” Cesar said.

Chirac nodded slightly and stepped aside to let him go to the shelf to sign the marriage certificate. Cesar picked up a quill pen and dipped it in ink under the watchful eyes of the crowd—their gazes were filled with jealousy, envy, and resentment, so intense that they seemed to materialize into needles in the air.

A timid person might even tremble because of this.

Cesar picked up his quill and wrote his name without wavering or hesitation, which disappointed some, but Heraclius paid no heed. Would a knight who had seen the battlefield care about the gazes of a few cowards?
“You may go and greet your bride now,” Chirac said.

César turned around, and the bride, Anna, the Byzantine princess, was walking out of the side door of the church. Although she was dressed in the attire of a Frankish woman, she still wore a sleeveless blouse of dark purple silk over a long white linen shirt, and on top of that, a magnificent gold-threaded cloak.

Her face was hidden beneath a veil as thin as a cicada's wing, like a flower shrouded in mist, appearing soft and delicate. Even Baldwin, who had always been somewhat dissatisfied with her, could not utter a word that would belittle her appearance.

She clasped her hands tightly to her chest and, accompanied by her maids, approached Cesare, who took her hands in his. They both turned and placed their knees on the kneeling mat. "By the will of God," she said, "we are here to witness a sacred marriage that unites two servants of God, Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor, Count of Edessa, and Cesare."

He lowered his eyes and uttered the question that made everyone tense: "Does anyone object to this marriage?"

Does anyone object?

"Can anyone provide evidence that this marriage should not have taken place?"

A hush fell over the room. Chirac relaxed his shoulders, and Baldwin exhaled clearly. "Then I hereby declare that God's servant Cesar and God's servant Anna are husband and wife, in the name of the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Son, Amen."

"Amen!" the crowd responded.

Then, Chiraclius took the crown presented by a Cypriot nobleman and placed it before Anna, allowing her to kiss it. He then personally placed the crown on her head. After Anna wore the crown, she was supposed to place it on her husband's head, signifying her willingness to share ownership and rule over Cyprus. However, Anna did not do so. The two crowns prepared by the Cypriot nobles were not significantly different in size, but Princess Anna's was clearly more dazzling and magnificent.

After all, she is the rightful owner of Cyprus.

But she hesitated for only a moment before taking off her crown, kissing it, and returning it to the patriarch. Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, she whispered, "Please give this crown to my husband."

Heraclius gave her a complicated look. By bestowing the crown upon her husband through his wife's hand, he was essentially handing over the rule of the island to her husband, just as Constance and other queens of the Crusader kingdoms had done.

But there is no doubt that the Queen has the initiative in doing so, and her husband is only assisting her. Did Anna consult with her brother or father before doing the opposite?

Obviously not. Even the Cypriot nobles looked incredulous. This meant that Princess Anna had given up all her power. Wasn't she afraid of encountering misfortune in the future?
But Chirac did not hesitate. He immediately and firmly handed the crown to Cesar. In fact, without Cesar even having to bow his head, he directly touched the crown to Cesar's lips and then swiftly placed it on his student's head.

Then, with a speed befitting an elderly man, he picked up the second crown held by the Cypriot nobles, bumped into Anna, and placed the crown on her head.

Now he was completely satisfied.

“God, save your people and let them live in abundance and peace. Protect our king and let him be victorious in every battle, guarding you and your faith. I solemnly swear that this is a sacred marriage,” he said, and everyone raised their hands and made the sign of the cross.

He was already in a good mood today, and now he even felt like he could burst into song. He suddenly turned to look at César and thought, who says a face is useless? It's extremely useful.

The patriarch looked up at the sky, where the last rays of sunlight were streaming through the cathedral's stained-glass windows and falling on the newlyweds, as if a saint from heaven had come to bless them.

Heraclius, Baldwin, and the other nobles of the Crusader Kingdom watched the newlyweds walk onto the terrace outside the cathedral to receive the cheers of the crowd. They finally breathed a sigh of relief. The wedding ceremony was over, and next was... the consummation of their marriage.

Whether in Rome or Constantinople, consummating the marriage is arguably the most important step in the entire wedding ceremony. This is because neither the Roman Catholic Church nor the Orthodox Church considers marriage to be based on love or desire, but solely on procreation.

If a husband or wife is proven to be infertile in a marriage, the other party has the right to petition the church to annul the marriage.

Of course, when they say this, they must insist that they have never consummated their marriage and that their wives are still virgins. Otherwise, it is very likely that the priests will insist that you can still try it before they have received enough benefits.

This attempt may take thirty or fifty years, until both parties are old and frail, at which point whether or not they divorce seems to become irrelevant.

Therefore, in marriages, especially those that directly involve territory, even if they are embarrassing and uncomfortable, the necessary procedures must still be followed. All that Patriarchs Heraclius and Baldwin could do was to minimize the number of witnesses.

The Crusaders would have preferred to fill the room to the brim to avoid the marriage being declared invalid due to a lack of witnesses.

Heraclius, Baldwin, Raymond—as the Count of Tripoli, he must be present. The Grand Duke of Antioch should also be here, but he suddenly fell ill and was unable to travel to Cyprus.

So Philip, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and the Grand Master of the Knights of Charity became the other two witnesses.

"The bride's brother must be here too."

"You mean Alexius? He rejected you, saying he loved his sister too much to bear seeing her suffer."

Chirac hesitated for a moment before refraining from uttering an extremely vulgar curse. "There must be a Byzantine witness here. Go and summon the Archbishop of Cyprus. Also, bring two local Cypriot nobles with you."

In other words, there were six witnesses in total, and the Archbishop of Cyprus walked in reluctantly.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be a witness; it was just that Princess Anna had refused to let him officiate at her wedding, which made him feel extremely embarrassed. He wanted to return to his residence as soon as possible and hide away from everyone, but he was dragged here to be a witness.

“He’s rather old,” Baldwin said in a low voice. “That’s good.”

“He’s not that old, definitely not as old as me. It’s just that the orthodox church requires their bishops to have beards, and long beards at that,” Chiraclo whispered. They knew that Cesar would be more tolerant and respectful of the elderly, and that they would be better witnesses than the young lads. They were sure they would find an opportunity to tease Cesar.

The bride and groom were each escorted by servants and maids to the next room to change clothes. They had to take off all their clothes and put on a linen robe that only reached their knees. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, they lay side by side on a bed, where Baldwin and Raymond would pull up a sheet for them.

Then the newlyweds should perform sexual intercourse under the sheets, either real or feigned.

Only when the entire process is over, and the witnesses leave the room to announce that the newlyweds have consummated their marriage, can this extremely embarrassing affair be considered over.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Frank clothes don't suit you, sister."

Anna, who was examining herself in the mirror, suddenly turned around and saw her brother Alexius.

Before she could even cry out, Alexius's dagger had already pierced her abdomen.

(End of this chapter)