kingdom of nations

Chapter 96 The Death of the King (4)

Cesar had been guarding Baldwin. When he heard Amalric I's call, Baldwin immediately pushed his hand and signaled him to go out immediately.

Amalric I and Baldwin shared a tent. This was Amalric I's request, just as he had insisted that the tent be set up there—within a dashing column of Saracen cavalry—next to the tent where the negotiations were taking place.

He was unwilling to appear before the Saracens because he could not sit upright or stand for long - but he always adhered to his duties as the Lord of the Holy Land, and even when he was dying, he was unwilling to easily abandon the obligations owed to King Alasar.

In addition to his responsibility to his Lord, Amalric I was also worried about his son. He knew that his injuries were irreversible, and even if he could survive for a while, he would no longer be able to bear the heavy responsibility of commanding the Crusaders.

He was not without regrets. Amalric I thought he had at least ten or twenty years left to live. During this time, he could train Baldwin to be a qualified heir. Even if Baldwin's leprosy prevented him from marrying an heir, he could still pass the throne to his half-brother. His bloodline would still remain on the throne of Alasar, forever glorious and great...

But what he didn't expect was that the Byzantine princess only gave birth to a daughter instead of a son, and it was impossible for him to return to Alaska. This meant that Baldwin took over his crown and became the new queen of Alaska, and his heir could only be the son of his sister Princess Sibylle.

Amalric I did not have much confidence in his daughter. True, she did have ambitions that ordinary noble ladies did not possess. Perhaps because she had seen so many of her female elders' "achievements," she also wanted to become a true king who could control government and even war, rather than a mere figurehead or puppet.

But as people once feared, a man unable to wield a sword could not become the king of Alaska, let alone a woman. So no matter how smart or decisive she was, she would eventually have to hand over power to her husband, unless she could also receive the blessing of God and the favor of the saints and lead knights into battle.

If her husband could transfer power to their children—which wouldn't be the worst outcome—but if they had no children, or if her husband had a child from a previous marriage, or if her husband suddenly grew tired of being the husband of a queen rather than a king in name only…

What worried Amalric I the most was that his only heir, Baldwin, clearly still harbored some fantasies about his sister, Sibylle. But Sibylle, on the other hand… Ever since Sibylle had accepted the marriage without hesitation—Count Etienne was over twenty years older than her! She remained unconcerned, even delighted. The king knew that Sibylle might also love her brother, but this family affection clearly couldn't compare to her ambitions.

He also knew that Sibyl had once suggested to Baldwin about "creating an accident". At that time, he still felt a little disgusted with Cesar and did not object and even thought it was feasible. But now think about it, if he really indulged Sibyl... Was Sibyl really saying this for Baldwin?
Or would she prefer Baldwin to be a true loner?

"Come closer," he said to Cesar, "son."

The king had Heraclius administer numerous potions to numb his body and dull its pain, knowing that this would only hasten the decay of his body and hasten his death. But what good would it do to delay his death for a few days or months? He preferred to remain conscious in his final moments, to offer a glimmer of hope to Baldwin, his family, and Alasarus.

He looked at the black-haired young man. Even after such a brutal battle and the erosion of fire, he was still so dazzling and eye-catching, and the faint sadness lingering between his brows made people feel pity for him. Amalric I could now fully understand Abigail's jealousy of Cesar.

If Cesar had also been the son of a duke, no, even of a count, Abigail would not have hated him so much.

It is precisely because he came from a humble background, but possessed an appearance and character that David, Abigail, and even Baldwin could not achieve, that it is difficult to eliminate the evil thoughts in people's hearts.

The king once thought that this was a good thing, but at this moment, he couldn't help but feel deep regret and even remorse. If he had tried to arrange a background for Cesar before this - let him be the son of a knight, he could even give him a castle!
Baldwin would not be isolated and helpless in the court later...

The king closed his eyes slightly, putting aside this useless emotion. "How many days have you and Baldwin been fasting?"

Cesar was slightly startled, but then he understood what the king meant. After all, Heraclius had reminded him before that if he and Baldwin could win outstanding merit in this battle, the king could use this merit to hold a "sword-granting ceremony" for them in advance and officially promote them to knights.

Before Chavar's conspiracy was exposed, Cesar thought the king would hold a ceremony for them in Fustat. Later, Heraclius told him that the king still wanted to complete this important work in the Fort of Santa Croce in Alaska - after all, this was pagan territory, and even if it had become Christian, it would take some time to convert the Saracen temple into a Christian church.

According to tradition, the fasting period ranged from three days to a week. But now Amalric I was no longer sure if he could wait that long, so he asked Cesar this in front of several knights, obviously wanting him to shorten the process as much as possible.

Cesar didn't hesitate at all and replied immediately, "One week. We have fasted for a week."

Amalric I smiled, and he knew that Cesar would not let him down.

"Tomorrow, then," the king said weakly, "when Heraclius returns, tell him..."

The knights nearby couldn't help but express surprise. Aside from Amalric I's current condition, there was no Christian church here... Where could these two young trainee knights go to pray and receive blessings?
But since the Patriarch of Alaska is here, such worries are unnecessary.

After Heraclius came back, he heard what Caesar had relayed and immediately made arrangements. They set up a new tent, which was larger than the tent where Amalric I was currently staying. After all, there would inevitably be many witnesses to the subsequent "sword-giving ceremony".

The king's eagerness was justified.

Baldwin is fourteen years old this year and is in a very delicate period. In terms of age, he is an adult, but not yet old enough to be convincing. However, if he is knighted, there will be much less doubt and contempt for him.

After all, the prototype of the knighthood ceremony was the coming-of-age ceremony of ancient Germanic warriors.

When an ancient Germanic man was considered able to assume the obligations and rights of an adult, he would be awarded a shield and a javelin by his leader or father in front of all the fully armed warriors. After completing this ceremony, the young man would be considered a warrior and an official member of the tribe.

After the Germans converted to Christianity, this custom continued. For example, Charlemagne's eldest son received the sword from his father when he was less than thirteen years old.

Although Amalric I's condition was critical, neither Heraclius nor anyone else could persuade him to return to his tent to receive treatment and recuperate in peace. For the sake of the king, the prince, and Alasarus, they had to complete the ceremony as quickly as possible. The two primary witnesses, Bohemond, Duke of Antioch, and Raymond, Count of Tripoli, also heard the news. Compared to the usually volatile Bohemond, Raymond's reaction was particularly dramatic.

Amalric I was suspicious of him.

In Alasarus's court, no one was more suitable to be Baldwin's regent than him. By doing this, wasn't the king saying he didn't trust Raymond to sincerely assist Baldwin? Not only that, he also believed that Raymond would seize the opportunity of regency to usurp Baldwin's power - so even though he was about to die, he had to make Baldwin a knight in advance to avoid being constrained by him.

He almost rushed out of the tent to debate Amalric I, but he stopped short. What could he say? Amalric I was still his sovereign. Even if he approached and complained about his grievances, it wouldn't necessarily evoke Amalric I's sympathy or apology. Instead, it would only make Amalric I believe he had ulterior motives.

He had no choice but to suppress his boiling emotions and turned around to walk back.

On the way back, he suddenly saw a stone. Raymond was inexplicably moved, walked over, lifted it up, and suddenly put it back. He moved so fast that he could almost guarantee that he could not see whether there was any living thing under the stone - such as a bug or a snake.

His heart was pounding, even though he kept trying to tell himself that he was not trying to divine the king's life or death.

This is a very popular form of divination here and now. When a person is seriously ill and dying, his friends and relatives will go out and turn over a stone at random.

If there is life under this stone, whether it is an insect, a snake, a frog or a toad, as long as there is a small life, it means that the person can survive, otherwise there will be no life at all.

Raymond knew he shouldn't do this. He walked away for a distance, but turned back without warning. He turned over the stone with trembling hands.

There is nothing under the stone.

----

A cross with a fragment of the True Cross was quickly erected in the new tent. The king had brought it with him to boost morale when the siege reached a stalemate, but he hadn't anticipated that Chavar would take a shortcut, so he couldn't use it.

Now it stood in the tent, with a crude altar made of trunks in front of it.

Even so, it is God's holy dwelling place on earth. Anyone who is a Christian will make the sign of the cross when passing by this tent or seeing it.

Cesar and Baldwin were brought into the tent after bathing and praying. This was a great test for Baldwin, as he had exhausted his strength in the previous battle and had his hands burned while trying to rescue his father. The double torture of illness and fire continued to torture his body. His lips were gray, but his cheeks were as red as fire.

He and Cesar were arm in arm, and everyone could see that he was putting most of his weight on his companion - seeing this, the patriarch's priests recited the scriptures much faster.

The two young men have changed into long white shirts and put on red robes. The long white shirts represent purity, and the red robes mean that they will fight bloody battles for Christ.

The makeshift altar was covered with a layer of snow-white linen, on which were placed a spear, two shields and a long sword - representing the weapons and armor of Baldwin and Cesar, and also important items for them to destroy the enemy and protect themselves on the battlefield.

They are placed here to ask for blessings from God and saints, and to guarantee their faith with sacred weapons.

They would worship and pray in front of the altar all night, and at dawn the bishop would come to preside over mass for them.

This night was unusually long, even longer than the night of the "Choose Ceremony", or rather the night of the "Choose Ceremony". They were full of expectations, but now they were full of sadness.

The next morning, Heraclius hurriedly held a mass for them.

Amalric I no longer lay on the couch, but insisted on walking from his original tent into this sacred place.

Witnesses also arrived: Raymond, Count of Tripoli, Bohemond, Grand Duke of Antioch, Balian of Ibelin, Jocelyn of Tanlong... as well as the Grand Masters and Head Priests of the Knights Templar and the Knights of the Charity, and important figures from various Crusaders...

They watched the two young men kneel before the king - of course, it should be one, then the other, but the king might not be able to hold out that long. This special treatment made Bohemond rarely show displeasure. It would be fine if he could be crowned by the king, but to stand shoulder to shoulder with the prince - well, his son would probably be crowned by Baldwin in the future. The thought of this was really unpleasant.

On the other hand, Raymond, who always attached great importance to his status, was stunned, and no one knew what he was thinking.

It was not until a word suddenly jumped into his ears that he was startled and broke free from his thoughts.

Raymond turned around, but he could no longer see the person who spoke, but he must have heard it right.

The man said, "A will."

(End of this chapter)