Heirs of Charlemagne

Chapter 51: A Secret Revealed

“No one ever keeps a secret so well as a child.”

Victor Hugo


Nantes, July 3, 1082

Late at night in his and Bert’s tent, Gaston de Toulouse pulled his blanket closer to his chin, “You’ve been avoiding talking about it.”

Bert, who was trying to go to sleep on the other matress at the other side of the tent, still wanted to avoid the subject, “Look, could we talk about something else…”

“No,” Gaston said firmly, “we’ll talk about it now.”

Bert was still hesitant, “Look…”

“You know what happened. Why did she…” Gaston did not feel like he needed to, or should, finish the question.

“Well,” Bert started, “Clara…” He trailed off.

“She what?”

“Clara has had…” Bert paused for a moment, “a bit of a crush on you.”

“She…what?” Gaston was caught off guard. His mind went totally blank, and he could not think of anything to say. “W-w-who else knows?” He stuttered after some time.

“Bregida,” Bert answered quickly, “and Pieronela, I believe. Look, I hate keeping secrets from you.” Gaston now felt a bit anoyed. Yet that’s what you did, all of you.

“Why did she only…” He began to ask.

Bert said, “I’m no wise man. I don’t know everything.” Bert turned over and said nothing, presumably trying to get some sleep.

As Bert drifted off into sleep Gaston lay awake, thinking. No one told me about it. Not even Bert. He knew.

Clara has acted a bit strange sometimes, Gaston realized. I’ve seen her smile at me at times, giggle at what I’ve said.

She stopped short of kissing me, though. Why? This was one of his last thoughts before he dropped off into sleep.



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Well, there we go. I've been planning this since Clara was introduced:

(from Chapter 40)

Gaston’s answer came from the giggle of the girl standing next to Bert, Bert’s twin sister, Clara. She reveled Gaston’s shoes.

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Smiling, Clara walked over to Gaston and gave him his shoes, which he quickly began to put back on.

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(from Chapter 47)

Still holding his arm, Clara asked, “You’ll all be gone a long time?” It came out more as a statement than a question. She was biting her lip.

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Specialist290: I'll see if I can get you a list of characters this weekend. If I don't, just keep bothering me.

CSK:

That and the fact I believe Eberhard's feelings towards Clara are a bit more too makes me think we have some troubles ahead.

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Hm, what gives you that idea specifically?

Shuma: Well, we can hope for the best.


Wait a minute, since when has "the best" happened in this story?

stnylan: To quote Our Town:

All that can happen in a thousand days...

Click to expand...

Do'h! Sorry, I just have the play etched into my brain right now. It is getting pretty close to preformance time.

Veldmaarschalk: I've made their lives complicated. Intentionally.

Chapter 52: Most Prominent Vices

“It is our fate. Let the black flower blossom as it may!”

Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter


Toulouse, July 28, 1082

Adelaide de Vermandois looked down at the diary she had “found”. This had better work, she thought. Well, what of if it doesn’t work? If it works, I have made a new enemy of my dear husband.

And also if it works, there will be so much poetic justice. His downfall will be derived from one of his most prominent vices.

She would, behind Hugues back, get rid of the scribe she had hired to mimic Oda’s handwriting. There can’t be any evidence to what I have done.

Adelaide took the “diary” and searched the manor for the one she was hoping to give it to. Without too much trouble, she found the twelve year old clubfoot breathing hard as he was trying to make his way up a flight of stairs.

“Eberhard.” She said to get his attention.

He turned as around as she came up the stairs behind him. “I have something for you.” She continued.

“What is it?” Eberhard inquired.

“It is something that was your mother’s,” she said, “that I think you are now old enough to have.”

Eberhard’s face, which was shinning with sweat, lit up. “What is it?” He asked again, a bit more exited.

Adelaide revealed the diary, “You should tell no one of this, not even Peironela. Your sister is not old enough yet, I feel.”

He reached out for the diary and took it, “Thanks.”

“Remember, tell no one.” Adelaide reminded him.

Too exited to truly be listening, Eberhard turned back around and started up the stairs again, moving more quickly than he usually did.




By the time Eberhard reached his chamber pain was shooting up his leg from his foot. Feeling a bit woozy, he sat down on his bed. Blinking, he stared at the diary in his hands. My… mother’s…

Eberhard was filled with the urge to open it, to read every page, to read it through a second or third time. He and Peironela did not have much to remember their mother by, except their memories.

It took a while for him to notice that his hands were shaking. Eberhard was was filled with nervous energy. I’ll read it later, he thought. He stuffed the diary under his bed, next to all of his private thoughts, and limped over to his seat by the window to write.

Specialist290 and Veldmaarschalk: Perhaps.

Shuma: Perhaps she sees him as a sort of unlikely candidate for being an enemy to her "dear husband", and hopes that it will come as a surprise.

If, of course, he does what Adelaide hopes he does.

stnylan: If Adelaide was hoping for instant resaults, like Eberhard reading the diary, riding after the crusaders, and stabbing Guillaume in his sleep, she'll be disappointed.




I don't think I'll update tonight, but I will give you a list of important de Toulouse family members and how they are related (special for the Specialist ):

First Branch

Guillaume de Toulouse: Duke of Toulouse, Languedoc, and Mallorca



Second Branch

Hugues "The Elder" de Toulouse (deceased): An old courtier distantly related to Guillaume. Guillaume irrationally thinks Pierre poisoned him.

(by unknown first wife)


(by Oda von Pfirt)



(Please note that I haven't included everyone descended from Hugues "the elder". There are just too many of them to realistically include in the story.)



Other Characters of Note:

Bert and Clara: Twins of the minor nobility. Bert is Guillaume's squire.

Raymond de Narbonne (deceased): The former count of Narbonne. Died in Mallorca.

Barnard de Narbonne: His son. Becomes a friend of Pierre.

Lois d'Hautpoul: The court chaplain.

Jabir Najeeb (deceased): Chancellor of the Emir of Mallorca. Killed by Guillaume.

Ali Iqbal al-Amiri (disappeared): The former insane Emir of Mallorca.

Hammud Bari: A mallorcan General who later leads an Arab army in Ireland.

Raymond de Toulouse: One-eyed brother of the Duke. AKA Bertrand d'Bearn.

Agnes: The servant girl who Guillaume ordered to poison Euphrosine.

Tibaut: The corpulent innkeeper in Narbonne who took Agnes in and gave her a job.

Aimeric: A boy who works for him.

Gisulf: A Lombard Venetian diplomat "held hostage" by Hammud.

Henri de Bourgogne: Duke of Bourgogne and brother of Hildegrad. A leader of the Irish Crusade.

Renaud de Nevers: Right hand man of Henri.

Rodrigo de Vivar: A leader of the Irish Crusade.

Otto von Habsburg: A leader of the Irish Crusade.

Geoffrey de Boulogne: A leader of the Irish Crusade.

Baudoin de Boulogne: A leader of the Irish Crusade.


(That is as much as I can remember off the top of my head.)

Whew! Tonight was the first performance of our school play and it went very well. I'm in a pretty good mood at the moment.


Sadly, I don't have an update yet, but I will reply to your comments.



Specialist290: Thanks for the tree! Once I get the chance, I will put a character list in the first post.

Veldmaarschalk: Hell, its helpfull to me, even. Now we will all know Eberhard is Miquel's half uncle.

CSK: Unkown to the game engine, really, so anything is possible. (Evil Laugh)

Take your time, I'm sure you will get to what you want to say eventually, and I am rather interested to see if you caught anything that others may not have.

Shuma: [Sarcasm]He fits right under his mother and father, obviously[/Sarcasm]

stnylan: Your welcome.




And thank you again, Specialist290. If you weren't around, I would have had to redemonstrate my skills with MSPaint.

Chapter 53: Landing in Laigin

"A true-devoted pilgrim is not weary
To measure kingdoms with his feeble steps;"

William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona


Laigin, August 19, 1082

Gaston de Toulouse was glad to finally be back on solid ground again. He hated the sea, the way it stretched seemingly endlessly in all directions. He disliked the sea even more than he did rivers. Gaston mostly stayed toward the center of the ship to avoid looking out at it.

But, for now, he was back where he was comfortable. From the shore, Gaston looked out towards inland Hibernia. “Where are we, exactly?” he asked Pierre.

“We are in Laigin.” Pierre answered. “It is a part of Leinster. Leinster was a kingdom before this crusade.”

“I have seen Hibernia on maps.” Gaston said. “I can’t imagine any kind of kingdom existing in a land so small.”

“There is more than just Leinster.” Pierre continued. “That is only one of the larger kingdoms. Most of them are small. Many of them have even less power than most counts in France.”

“But why do they call themselves kings if they have little power?”

“You must learn that France is not the world.” Looking up at the ominous storm clouds gathering overheard, Pierre said, “We are in very different place now.”

Gaston looked up as well, thinking about what Pierre had just said. Hibernia was very different from Toulouse. He had only been in Laigin for less than an hour and he was beginning to understand that already.

Thunder sounded in the distance. Pierre began again, “Well, a storm is coming. Camp needs to be set up. Tomorrow we will go further inland to where the rest of the crusaders are camping.

“They are from all over; France, the Empire, Iberia, Venice, England, Scotland, and Wales. With such enthusiasm for one cause, can that cause fail?”

As Gaston helped set up Pierre’s tent, he pondered that question.