kingdom of nations

Chapter 46 Marriage (Part )

On the spiral staircase, Cesar met Princess Sibylle.

Although Cesar and Baldwin woke up, they still had to wait for several days as they wanted to meet.

When Baldwin was brought back to the Holy Cross Castle, everyone witnessed such a solemn miracle. While he was still sleeping, people kept asking to visit him and even serve him - of course, such requests were impossible to be granted, not only because Baldwin was still very weak, but also because he still had symptoms of leprosy.

Although it can now be said that this was a test from God rather than a punishment, Amalric I, after careful consideration, still put Baldwin's health first and ignored those anxious letters and pleas. Only after Baldwin had passed the critical period did some people who were deeply trusted by Amalric I enter his room.

Among them were Raymond, Count of Tripoli, and his son David, Bohemond, Duke of Antioch, and his son Abigail, as well as several other vassals and their heirs. Although these boys could not return to serve as attendants, their father would probably return to Prince Baldwin in the next few months - he would resume his classes.

As mentioned before, the prince's curriculum was originally very full, and the people who taught him, besides his father Amalric I, were his ministers and generals. Raymond, for example, originally taught riding and spear, while Bohemond taught falconry and archery. For elegant courses such as grammar and astronomy, one-third was taken by the deceased former patriarch, and the rest was taken by other priests.

After Baldwin was confirmed to have leprosy, the former patriarch ran away faster than he would have seen a Saracen. Raymond and Bohemond also stepped down. If Baldwin was no longer the king's heir, a monk would not be qualified to be taught by an earl or a grand duke.

Now the troublesome page can finally be turned over. Although leprosy is still a hidden danger, no one will doubt whether Baldwin can become a brave commander. The spear of St. George has revealed his future fate. As for infertility, he will die before the age of thirty. It doesn’t matter. After all, there are kings without heirs everywhere, and many of them do not live to the age of thirty.

With the visits of these important people, Prince Baldwin's room suddenly became small. Considering that Cesar had also been "blessed" like himself, Baldwin would rather let him stay in the room than stay with him, greet him when he saw him, and serve him and his guests.

Finally, Baldwin confirmed that there would be no visitors today, and immediately asked his servants to find Cesar.

What Cesar didn't expect was that when he took out a box of saffron and a box of honey mulberries sent by Dean John (he knew Baldwin would not be short of these, but sharing among friends is always a joy), he put them in his arms, walked up the spiral staircase, and ran into Princess Sibylle head-on.

Princess Sibylle was once hailed as a jewel among flowers, and she still is. However, this jewel seemed to have been sharpened, becoming sharper and brighter. Even in the dim spiral staircase, she seemed to be glowing, and the previous setbacks did not seem to have much impact on her.

César felt comforted that in the farce caused by Count Etienne's arrival, the two kings were the instigators and Princess Sibylle was an absolute victim.

From his point of view, whether it was simply sympathy for the victims, or for Baldwin's only sister, or for Damara's owner, he could not remain indifferent, or watch coldly or even gloat like others.

Sibylle was also looking at Cesar. She had once wanted this child, a handsome boy who should be with her like a brooch, a bracelet, and a ring, but when she knew he was Baldwin's new servant, she immediately gave up the idea.

It was not out of love or pity for her brother, but she had long known that Baldwin was the only one who could occupy an important position in the heart of their father, Amalric I. Now she had to feel guilty. Not to mention a smart and handsome servant, even if it was a stone, Amalric I would not allow her to compete with Baldwin.

It is difficult to say how much of it was for Baldwin and how much was out of the long-brewing malice when she approached Baldwin and told him that she could design a clever accident to eliminate this suspicion and doubt when Amalric I was wary of Cesar.

Crush a rose, cut a piece of brocade into pieces, smash a gem, the more perfect and flawless it is, the more satisfying it is to destroy it!
When they were holding the "selection ceremony", Sibyl did not go back to her room to rest, but knelt in the chapel and prayed silently. Others who saw this were moved by her piety and friendship. No one knew how turbulent her heart was.

Sometimes she cursed both of them, asking God not to bless them; sometimes she asked God to bless only one of them. She wanted to laugh when she thought of Baldwin staring at the servant's back with jealousy on his face, or how Cesar eventually failed to receive the blessing and slowly became an ordinary servant.

Did she want him to come to her?
No, she would tell Abigail to call an Isaac slave trader and let the slaves return to their own destiny.

But in the end, it was only Sibylle himself who fell into suffering.

God is merciful, so merciful!
After Count Etienne left the Fort Sainte-Croix, although nominally he was going to return to France to seek permission from King Louis VII to marry Princess Sibylle, everyone knew that this was just an excuse.

Sure enough, not long after, Louis VII's reply arrived. In the letter, he apologized and said that he could not agree to this marriage. He did not give the specific reasons, but everyone who heard the news understood what he meant and exchanged subtle glances with each other.

This situation even occurred among the maids around her. She knew that they were laughing at her behind her back. Not every maid could be as innocent as Damara... She hated them, and they might not like her much either.

The arrival and departure of Count Etienne seemed to have shattered something perfect. In addition to the maids, the noble sons surrounding her also began to look at her with more sober eyes. She was still worth pursuing, but apart from her beauty, her value had been declining - Prince Baldwin was blessed, perhaps he could have children, perhaps his life could be extended to forty or fifty years?
Especially now that the marriage between Amalric I and the great-niece of Manuel I has been finalized, Princess Maria Komnenos will come to Alaska on the anniversary of Saint Agnes (January 1st) and then marry the king on the Feast of Saint Peter (June 21th).

In this era, a princess waiting to be married would usually come to her future husband's country very early. This was to get to know this unfamiliar place as quickly as possible but to which she would have to devote the rest of her life, and also to reverse her "identity recognition" of the previous ten or twenty years - that is, to transform her from a princess of one country into a queen of another.

Princess Maria arrived in Alaska at the end of January and got married at the end of June. The people were already laughing at the king for being "impatient", and those ministers with a keen sense of smell had guessed that the king wanted to get a healthy heir as soon as possible. After all, on the battlefield, swords have no eyes, and the crown cannot protect the king from arrows or spears.

And when the king's new wife becomes pregnant, Sibylle's inheritance rights will be further divided. If it is a boy, then even if Prince Baldwin has no heirs, his younger brother can still inherit the throne of Alasar after he dies.

In contrast, the little slave whom she once regarded as a "thing" has now escaped from his original class and stepped onto a bright road because of the prince's trust and God's blessing.

As he stood there, she could see directly into his future, a servant, a page, a squire, a knight, a minister or a general. God had treated him even better than Baldwin, who might die in the prime of his life, while he would still be able to live and become the new king's confidant.

He was so clever, so handsome, so pious, he would live a long life, full of honors... perhaps he would carve out a kingdom for himself and become an earl, a grand duke, a king...

What about her? A man's wife.

How unfair. "Are you going to find Baldwin?" Sibyl said, her blue eyes dark. "Go ahead. He's waiting for you."

------

As soon as Baldwin saw Cesar, he came over and the two hugged each other tightly.

"I could hardly believe it," Baldwin said excitedly. "Of course, I saw the light overflowing from you, so dazzling, but then I fainted. When I woke up, I was very worried, afraid that it was an illusion caused by my excessive enthusiasm. Fortunately, they told me that it was true. I saw St. George and you saw St. Jerome."

At this point, the prince paused, a puzzled look on his face: "Did Saint Jerome make a shield?" But he quickly let the matter go. There were knights who had visions of virgins before, but they still galloped across the battlefield, invincible.

He took his friend's arm and sat down at the small round table. As they had done every time before, they had a big meal and only asked the servants to take away the leftovers when they were satisfied. Then Baldwin sent everyone away and pulled Cesare to sit on the carpet with him to appreciate and divide the gifts he had received.

Cesar brought out the saffron and honey mulberries, and the two children sat cross-legged, eating the sweet preserves while opening the box.

Jewels and spices were the most numerous, as they were expensive and small, followed by weapons, and then cloth - or rather silk, cotton and linen, which were all put directly into warehouses.

Baldwin asked Cesar to wait for a moment and took out an oak box from the triangular cabinet. It was not big, about one foot square and as high as a palm. Before he opened it, Cesar guessed that this might be the clothes that Princess Maria gave to Baldwin.

Sure enough, Baldwin proposed a colorful dark purple cloak that might only reach Baldwin's knees, but if this dark purple fabric with gold trim reached to the ankles, only an emperor or a king could wear it.

"This is... a Byzantine style, or a Persian cloak."

The box contained not only a cloak, but also an exquisite belt that only members of the royal family were allowed to wear.

Seeing the belt, Cesar remembered something. "Oh, by the way," he said, "Dean John also gave me a belt," and he showed it to Baldwin.

Baldwin clapped his hands in delight. "Excellent!" he said. "I've already asked the castle steward to look for it, but the Byzantine Emperor is very particular about this deep purple silk. Even the wealthiest merchant might not be able to get it—Abbot John is truly a meticulous man."

"Do you want me to go with you to greet the Byzantine princess?"

Baldwin gave Cesar a matter-of-fact look. "But it's not enough to just wrap it around your arm. I have a short cloak here that looks like silver in the sun and gold in the moonlight. I asked my maid to inlay this purple edge on the lapel so that we can look like brothers."

"Baldwin, you've given me a lot of things."

"A master is supposed to provide his servants with food and clothing," Baldwin said, his hands behind his back, the sun shining on his face. If he were only with Cesar, he wouldn't wear a veil or gloves. His handsome face still had some red spots, but most of his skin was still smooth. "And the king said he would launch a war against the Fatimid Caliphate within three years. By then, we will be his retainers."

"us?"

"Well, we're already brothers under God's witness. It's unreasonable to ask you to serve me," Baldwin said briskly. "The problem is, while you were my attendant, I could cover some of your expenses. But once you become a squire, you'll need to equip yourself with a lot of things...which is a huge expense. While there are generous masters who provide these for their squires, your reputation will be better if you can procure them yourself."

"I remember Count Étienne gave you a sum of money," Baldwin straightened up and began to count on his fingers. "And the Templar Geoffrey gave you a hundred gold coins." César hadn't hidden any of this from him. "Shield, mail, iron boots, longsword, dagger, leather tunic, heraldic surcoat, long quilted cotton lining, gloves, kneepads... horse... harness... If you want something from Tours (a famous French armor production center), the price might be higher."

"Of course," he laughed. "If my father can win a decisive victory, there are some things we can loot on the battlefield."

"Well……"
Seeing Cesar's rare embarrassment - Baldwin knew that his friend was very clean, almost a quirk - he laughed, and Cesar realized that he was just joking with him.

"But you really need to change your bad habits," Baldwin said. "Father showed me the armor he wore on the battlefield..."

There's a knock on the door.

Baldwin showed an unhappy expression. "I told you not to disturb us unless it's father or teacher."

Cesar stood up and opened the door. When the door opened, a lord wearing a dark gray velvet sleeveless coat and a gold buckle belt was standing outside. The servant beside him was a little uneasy. Cesar nodded to him, and he ran away like the wind.

The lord took a closer look at Cesar's face. With his green eyes and black hair, he must be the beloved attendant beside Prince Baldwin. His tone softened. "Please tell His Highness," he whispered, "I am Balian of Ibelin. My sister-in-law wishes to meet Prince Baldwin."

Ever since arriving at the Fort of the Holy Cross, Cesar had never stopped reciting the intricate and headache-inducing genealogy of the nobility. He knew Balian of Ibelin, a small territory near the city of Jaffa, but his sister-in-law?

"Let her in," Baldwin's voice came from behind Cesar: "That is the Countess of Jaffa and Ascalon, my...

Mother."

(End of this chapter)