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Aww, true young love. He'd best keep it discrete, I'd hate for the potential Aquitanian courtship to fall apart.
 
The Reign Of
PHILIP I of FRANCE
CHAPTER VI

Thursday, May 17th, 1067

"Guard" called Philippe, sitting down on his throne. It still wasn't a comfortable seat, but every so often, he tired of standing. "Bring me Amèdèe de Roucy."

"Yes, liege." replied the guard. He made his way out of the courtroom, and a minute or two passed before the King of Spies made his way in, kneeling before the throne.

"Arise" said Philippe, and Amèdèe stood. "I need you to do something for me, and I need it done right." Philippe produced a parchment before the spymaster, who took it and read it over.

"Is this-?"

"Indeed, it is the original charter for the Duchy of Normandy, between Charles the Simple and Rollo." explained Philippe.

"What do you intend with it? If you don't mind me asking, my liege" said Amèdèe, looking puzzled.

"I need to know if the Duke of Normandy is still loyal to the crown of Francia. I worry that Guillaume will no longer look upon me as his liege, but as an equal at the table, and I cannot have that. There may only be one sovereign crown in this land." explained Philippe. "And I need you to help me come up with an idea that will expose his position in relation to the crown."

"I see." said Amèdèe. "We could send an ear to his court, and find out that way?"

"No, no." said Philippe. "That would be too obvious. We need some way of coaxing it straight from the horse's mouth, without forcing it out." Philippe thought for a moment. An idea came to him, and he gave it breath, "Why not we invite our dear Duke of Normandy to a banquet of sorts, in celebration of the unity of our Kingdom? Let's invite all of our vassals and treat them to a good time! But, I shall have you watch Guillaume de Normandie's actions althroughout. What do you think?"

"That... is brilliant, actually." agreed Amèdèe. "With some fine tuning, I'm sure I could make it work out. I'll need the cooperation of some of the servile staff, but I'm sure they will comply."

"Excellent." said Philippe. It was simple, but it sounded like it would work. He quickly came to a second realization. "And, it would put me in the same room as the Duke of Aquitaine, should he attend. Two troublesome birds, one stone"

"The cup-bearer is an excellent candidate for an ear, sir, if we wish to know what the Dukes are saying. Do you think he's trustworthy?" asked Amèdèe.

"He certainly is." said Philippe. As fortunes would have it, the position of cup-bearer had been delegated to Thomas. "Guard, tell Janvier to have Thomas Saint-Hillaire to come to the courtroom."

"Yes, liege" said the guard, darting out the door again. Within a few minutes, in walked Thomas, smiling to see his friend the King, and respectfully kneeling.

"Arise, Thomas" said Philippe. "It is good to see you"

"As to you, my liege." said Thomas. "Do you require assistance on this day?"

"We are planning to hold a banquet" said Philippe. "As the cup-bearer, you are in a most honourable position. It is also the prime position for an ear over a certain guest to be present."

"Ah, so you wish for me to gather some sort of intelligence? Who in particular should I be watching?" asked Thomas.

"Guillaume, Duke of Normandy." said Philippe.

-later, that evening-

There, in the garden, on the banks of the pond, there sat two souls, Philippe and Sibylle, hand in hand. It was peaceful in the twilight hours, and for a short while Philippe was able to forget the stresses of the throne and simply admire her. There was no doubt that she was beautiful, with fair skin and hair as red as rust, and those eyes so blue that they put the endless sky to shame.

"Sibylle" he whispered.

"Yes?" she answered, looking up at him.

"I, erm.... I wrote a song... that may or may not be about you..." said Philippe, blushing.

"Oh, did you?" she said, smiling.

"Ah, yes, yes indeed." said Philippe. "And, I was wondering if you would... if you would hear it, perhaps, if you wanted to?" He lowered his eyes and smiled a sheepish smile.

"I would love to" she said, wrapping her arms around him. She let him go, and he stood before her.

"Ah, my knees are trembling" he said, laughing nervously.

"It's alright, nobody else is listening" said Sibylle, giggling. "It's only me"

"Alright, I'm, er... okay, here it goes" he paused for just a moment, gathering himself up. He commenced, and oh, did he sing! He was a gifted voice, with a wide vocal range, from the very low to the very high. It was only Sibylle that could ever get him to sing, but it was always a spectacle when she did convince him. He sang in her native German, and when he was finished, he sat back down next to her, and asked "So... how was it?"

"It was wonderful" she said, and wrapped her arms back around him. They stayed like that for what seemed like a long time, before Sibylle looked up at him and asked, "Can I ask something of you?"

"Go ahead" said Philippe.

"Would you..." she paused, and looked down. "Would you kiss me, Philippe?"

Philippe's eyes lit up, half in disbelief. "Would you allow me that?"

"A kiss on the lips, mind you" she added "As you would a lover." The two stared at each other, unsure of who should make the first move, until Philippe came a little bit closer, and Sibylle did the same. Philippe saw this, and jumped back nervously, unsure of himself. Sibylle giggled, and Philippe closed in again, as did she. They paused every inch or so, that their nerves may be calmed down enough to continue, until they finally met. When finally they did part, Sibylle sunk back into his arms, and said, "That was amazing"

"Sibylle?" asked Philippe. "May I ask you something?"

"Go on" she said.

"Do you think that we are in love?"

Sibylle thought for a moment, and replied "I don't know... but... it feels right"

Monday, June 4th, 1067

"Would you care for more wine, good sir?" asked Thomas, making his way around the table.

"Indeed, sir, I would." said Thibault, the Count of Champagne. He, along with many other prestigious members of the Frankish rulership and peerage were present at the royal banquet. All of Philippe's vassals were present. All, that is, except the one he had intended to be there. The Duke of Normandy was nowhere to be found.

"Where the hell is the Duke?" asked Philippe to Chancellor Tyrel, seated to his left. "Even to be late, he would have been present by now." Philippe was highly annoyed at this development, and it was beginning to show through his (admittedly fabricated) calmer exterior. The other guests didn't seem to notice, as they went about their conversations all up and down the long tables. Even the Duke of Aquitaine, an outspoken opponent of the King, was merry and sociable. The Duke of Valois and Burgundy, and Duchess of Aquitaine (and their respective consorts) were present, as were the Counts of Champagne, Flanders, Anjou, and Tolouse. Some brought their sons or daughters to be present. Notably present was Agnes d'Aquitaine.

"Clear the way!" shouted Janvier, trailed by several of the servantile staff, all of which carried various dishes prepared for this evening. Many geese and pigs were slaughtered specifically for this day, to be served alongside such fine delicacies as eel and Burgundian wine. One food which Philippe had ordered prepared specifically, a particular variety of strongly flavoured cheese, was mostly avoided by the upper class palates of the rulership, but some of the more adventurous did sample it. Philippe himself did not eat much, as he was waiting rather impatiently for the arrival of the Duke of Normandy.

"My liege" said Janvier, approaching Philippe. Those squinty eyes of his were slightly offputting to Philippe, as was the sound of his voice. To be honest, to hear Janvier talk was equivalent to hearing a raven thirst to death. However, his meticulous bookkeeping made him an asset, despite everyone's low opinion of him. "We recieved a message from the Duke of Normandy." he said, placing a sheet of parchment on the table before Philippe, who snatched it up and read it over:

Esteemed King of the Franks, Philip Capet

I appreciate your invitation, and for as short as it has been, you have been a fair liege, but I fear that English and Frankish affairs must be kept separate. Let it be so that I shall hold on to Normandy as my personal holding in Francia until my death, in personal union with the Kingdom of the English, and we shall go our separate paths. I may not attend this function as your vassal, as we are now equals at the table. I will not apologize, as I am only a tool of God's will, and this is how it has manifested.

Signed, Guillaume. King of the English, and Duke of Normandy.

At that moment, Philippe could have flipped the table...

layclaimtonormandy.png

An updated map of Francia, denoting the claim to all of Normandy
 
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Finally, one AAR in which the Capets are not the bad guys.
I'd really love to see those Normandie and Anjou provinces into the royal demesne of the french kings.
Montjoie Saint Denis !
 
The Reign Of
PHILIP I of FRANCE
CHAPTER VII

Tuesday, July 24th, 1067

"Chancellor" said Philippe, looking out his courtroom window. "I think the time is now that we should move against the Duke of Normandy."

"My liege, I don't think that'd be the wisest move. The Duke professed himself an ally, is that not enough for you?" Chancellor Tyrel attempted to sway his judgement.

"Chancellor" Philippe turned to face her, and continued, "For as long as I've been on the throne, I've attempted to consolidate my holdings. There may only be one King in Francia, and I am the King of the Franks."

"Is there no way that I can convince you?" asked the Chancellor.

"No, chancellor." said Philippe. "Find an envoy, and send a message to Guillaume de Normandie. I wish to formalize my declaration of war" he said, and turned back to his window. Chancellor Tyrel hesitated for a moment, before turning and making her way out the door. She was obviously unhappy with this, but nobody argued for too long with Philippe. He had made his position clear: he, and only he, was sovereign in Francia.

"Guard" he said. "Close the courtroom. I'm expecting someone."

"Yes, my liege." said the guard, and he closed and barred the heavy door. A few minutes passed before Sibylle emerged from the network of passageways behind the courtroom. Philippe heard her shut the door, and turned and went over to her, taking her in his arms. He could see the worry in her eyes. "Deary, what's the matter?"

"Philippe" she began, and hesitated before continuing, "Think back... it was the third sunday of May" Philippe knew what she was referring to. "I've been feeling off ever since then, and..." she took Philippe's hand and placed it on her lower abdomen. "I think there might be a little Capet in there."

A look of amazement and disbelief came across Philippe's face. He put his arms around her, and whispered, as he couldn't find the power to speak aloud "I love you, Sibylle"

"I love you too" she said, and kissed him. Unfortunately, this was only one happy moment among all that was to come...

Saturday, November 3rd, 1067

It was a cold November morning on that day, the day of Lucan. The field of combat consisted of two opposing ridges, separated by the river Iton. There were many rye fields along the banks, and a few scattered copses of trees, and a single wooden brige between the two opposing forces. Philippe himself was present on the field, but he was not in active command. That duty fell to Geoffroy de Sémur, the Frankish steward. Renaud de Marly, the Marshal, was not present, as he was gathering forces in Orleans, which made Philippe nervous. De Sémur was not an experienced warfighter, and had little knowledge of how to lead soldiers.

"Shall we commence the attack, my liege?" asked De Sémur, fastening the chinstrap on his helmet.

"You may begin your advance, sir." said Philippe. Immediately, things went awry, as De Sémur thrust his sword in the air, and called for a charge.

"FORWARD!!! GIVE THEM DEATH!!!" shouted De Sémur, and he spurred his horse on.

"Wait-" Philippe began, but the soldiers had already begun barelling down the hill towards the bridge. "Archers, rain your arrows at the bridge!" The archers did comply, as the infantry and cavalry continued towards the bridge. The Normans did attempt to cross, and took a few casualties, but quickly fell back, and the Franks were subject to their own arrows. De Sémur urged them across, and they quickly filed themselves into a bottleneck, only to be hacked apart by Norman soldiers on the other side of the bridge. De Sémur himself was not man enough to enter the fray, and instead had his personal guard push into the backs of the soldiers.

"We are lost." said Thomas. "De Sémur is a moron."

"I can see that" said Philippe, disheartened. He watched as his army fell apart upon the bridge, and as De Sémur made his way back up the hill. "Lieutenant, you leave your army?"

"My army has left me!" shouted De Sémur, indicating the retreaters. Arrows came from the other side, lodging themselves in the backs of the running Frankish soldiers, who'd been so carelessly thrown to their slaughter by an imbecile...

--The Franks would further be discouraged by subsequent defeats at Rouen and Vernon. The year would conclude with the Normans having the apparent upper hand.
 
The Reign Of
PHILIP I of FRANCE
CHAPTER VIII

Sunday, December 2nd, 1067

So, this was it. The Normans had made it as far as Paris. Philippe and his defenders sat, perched upon a hill, waiting for the next day to come, and along with it the Norman army which was encamped within sight of their hilltop. The Frankish army under De Sémur had been merged with De Marly's command, and so now Philippe could rely on the Marshal's sound judgement. The Franks had around 2,900 souls upon the field, whereas the enemy was able to field over 4,000. They were missing something, however; Guillaume de Normandie had only just arrived in Bayeux the day before, and so could not be here in Paris before tomorrow. If De Marly could outwit their commander at field, their advantage of numbers would be negated. That was a big if, however.

"One would have thought December would have brought snow." said Thomas, looking at the ground. "Never would have imagined that it'd bring mud just as thick."

"Excellent. First it rains Normans, then it snows mud" joked Philippe. "They shall know me for a thousand years as the King who could put up with such strange weather"

"Just watch, our Norman adversary will owe his defeat to it." said Thomas. "He will send back word, 'My liege, I apologize, but your army has gotten stuck in the mud. And we don't have paris.'"

"So close to home" thought Philippe, trailing off. He looked back in the direction of the city, and his thoughts went to Sibylle. He'd been able to come and visit her three times over the past 2 months, and missed her dearly.

"Is it raining?" asked Thomas, absent mindedly. A few drops of icy rain fell down upon Philippe as well. "Back to the tent, then, sir?"

"Yes, back to the tent." said Philippe, and they left the fire for Philippe's quarter.

--the next morning...

It had rained all night, and the mud was even thicker now than what it had been the previous day. The soldiers reluctantly took up their positions and formed their defensive line. At the foot of their hill, a creekbed had been turned into a muddy quagmire, which might prove difficult for the enemy to cross. On the other side, the Normans were forming up for the offensive, preparing to storm the hilltop in the name of their Duke, who was likely sitting in Bayeux enjoying a fine meal as his soldiers slipped and slid through the mud. Renaud looked over the field, looking at everything in detail. He formulated his strategy, and positioned the soldiers to his liking, in command of the hilltop.

"Whenever you are ready, Marshal." said Philippe, halting his horse next to Renaud's.

"We are all ready." said Renaud. "Now, all we need do is wait for them to be prepared." As he spoke, a Norman officer rode out in front of his men, presumably the commander at field, and began a long speech to his soldiers. It was too far away for the Franks to understand what was being said, but the Normans obviously liked it, as they cheered between every sentence. He went on and on, finally pointing with his sword at the hilltop, and all the Norman soldiers shouted in response, "Give them death!"

"I have seen enough." said Renaud. "Thomas, tell De Sémur he may have the Archers rain arrows."

"Indeed" said Thomas, riding off towards De Sémur.

letters-12040_1382585a.jpg

"Now, let the fighting commence." said De Marly. Philippe looked up to the sight of arrows falling upon the Normans, and watched as they made contact with their targets, who then began their slow advance across the muddy flat. The Archers were very much an asset, as in less than 20 paces over 500 Normans lay dead from arrows. They kept coming, however, continuing to push towards their adversary. The creekbed, however, would prove an obstacle, as their first rank made their way in, and quickly became bogged. The ranks behind kept pushing forward, knocking each other further into the mess. They were sitting ducks, and this is what De Marly had intended. The Franks continued to rain arrows into the creekbed, as the Normans struggled to pull themselves out on the other side and reform, rather unsuccessfully. Their first rank was finally able to pull together on the other side, where De Marly initiated the second part of his plan. He rode over to the commander of the Cavalry, and gave the order, "Their general is there; charge his personal guard."

Some 200 cavalrymen came charging down the hillside, colliding with the Norman officer's personal bodyguard. The General himself fled, and, at the sight of this, the remaining Norman soldiers retreated. The Frankish soldiers were suddenly full of life at their first victory in this war, and cheered and shouted insults at the beaten Normans. Renaud and Philippe rode out before their ranks, and Philippe displayed the banner of the crown, and shouted, "To victory! And to your brave Marshal!" De Marly held his sword up into the heavens, and the soldiers cheered for him. Today had been a good day. The armies from around France would all arrive soon, and the campaigns into Normandy would begin again. Tonight, however, Philippe would go home to Sibylle, and remain in Paris for a few days at least.

Wednesday, December 12th, 1067

"My liege, we've recieved a message from Rauol de Valois" said Thomas, entering Philippe's quarters. He handed over the message, and Philippe read over it.

"What does it say?" asked Sibylle.

My Liege;

Made contact at Evreux. Duke of Normandy commander at field. Victory, minimal losses. Guillaume de Normandie is dead.

-Rauol, Duke of Valois.

This was good news for the Franks. Guillaume was the greatest asset the Anglo-Norman armies had, and, with him dead, Philippe's armies could push back in force, particularly the armies from Brittany and Aquitaine.

"The war has turned." said Philippe. "We've obtained the upper hand. The Duke of Normandy is dead."

Monday, February 4th, 1068

Today was a day of celebration. Not only had the war completely turned, but the young King of the Franks had finally wed. The ceremony, and the banquet following, had been held here, in Bayeux, much to the frustration of the Norman adversary. Many hundreds of nobles from all over Francia had been invited, and a good many were present. The food was lavish, and the hall was brightly lit with all manner of chandelier. Philippe and his new bride, none other than Agnes d'Aquitaine, sat at the head of the hall, along with her father and the Bishop of Reims. The wine on this occasion was exceptionally strong, and, although Philippe did not drink heavily, it still rendered him a bit fuddled. He stood, and raised his cup, spilling a bit of wine over the table, and shouted, "Attention, attention everybody!" The hall fell silent after a few minutes, as everybody turned their attention to the head of the hall. "There are... a few things I'd like to say, if the wine doesn't tip me over first" he said, chuckling. "Is it not lovely that the good people of Bayeux should provide us such good food and drink for this occasion?"

"Huzzah!" the guests shouted almost in unison. The cheers fell silent again, and Philippe was able to continue.

"It's a damned shame that Hoël could not be here" he began, referring to the consort of Brittany. "He's been quite an asset over the past few months, but he's currently in Avranches, preparing to cross the sea and land in Bristol within the month! Is he not heroic?!" the cheers rose back up. "As for the rest of us... oh, I'm sorry, I must mention the Duke of Aquitaine, who will lead his armies to Guines, and make landfall in Maldon. Stand, Guillaume, you're a hero too!" The Duke of Aquitaine stood, uncomfortably accepting the applause. "And, to the Duke of Valois, who'll be landing in Southampton" the cheers continued. "And, to my lovely bride, Agnes!"

Agnes? It didn't sound right to him. He was suddenly overcome with sadness, as he sat back down, and thought about Sibylle. His anguish must have been obvious, as Agnes took notice immediately.

"Does something distress you?" she asked.

"I, erm..." Philippe tried to explain it away. "I was just thinking about somebody... a close friend of mine." He looked towards the window. "Somebody I haven't seen in some time..."
 
Ah, and now Phillipe learns about consequences...

I wonder what his bastard will think of him.

Still, excellent marriage with Agnes, and I look forward to seeing what you intend to do with the Saxons up north, now that their Norman oppressor is dead...
 
The Reign Of
PHILIP I of FRANCE
CHAPTER IX
Tuesday, February 26th, 1068

They'd arrived back in Paris in the middle of a snowfall. The air was heavy with silence, and the sky was a deep gray colour. It was almost uncanny how nature had seemed to reflect upon the mood of the young Frankish king. Today would be the first time since December that he'd seen Sibylle, and the child was due to be born at some time during the month, and he would have to explain this to Agnes, and it was all very stressful for Philippe to think about. He was home now, however, and that helped to ease some of the stress.

His courtroom was as he left it, lifeless as if nobody had been there for two months. He stood in the middle of the cavernous chambre, and looked all around, taking a deep breath of the cold winter air which had taken hold of the land. There was no warmth to be had here, and nothing left to do today, so he decided to go down to the servant's quarters to be reunited with his true love. He went through the back passageway, as he customarily did, and came to Janvier's desk, where sat the gristly guardian of the servant's quarters. He looked up and raised an eyebrow, grunted, and said "Hm, you're back."

"Indeed" said Philippe. "Have there been any occurrences of importance among the servantry?"

"Actually" said Janvier, "That German girl, Sibylle, she gave birth to a child two days ago. Healthy boy, they're both in a good state."

Philippe tensed up just a bit. "Does the child have a name?"

"The girl insisted that the child have the name Raymond" said Janvier. He looked up at Philippe with the worst piercing look, and continued, "And further insisted that he bear the name of his Father."

"Wh-what is the name of the child's father?" said Philippe, freezing where he stood.

"His name... is Philippe Capet." said Janvier. Philippe heard a gasp a few paces behind him, and turned to find Agnes, who'd apparently followed him down through the passageway. She turned and stormed back the other way. Philippe took her by the hand, but she wrenched free and continued back to the courtroom.

"Stop, please, let me explain!" pleaded Philippe, trying to block her path in the narrow passageway.

"Get out of my way!" shouted Agnes. Philippe refused, and she tried to push past him, but he held firm, and took both of her hands.

"Agnes, let me explain-"

"No! No, no no no no! No explanations! Don't you dare touch me!" She was surprisingly strong, and tore free of him, finally pushing past. She took a few steps up towards the courtroom, turned, and said, "Had I known you'd laid with a common wench... Augh!" She turned and left, and once more Philippe was alone in the dark, narrow passageway. He turned and ran back down the passageway to Janvier, who was still tending his books.

"I must see her." said Philippe.

"Go ahead, you obviously know very well where her bed is." said Janvier, sneering. Philippe turned down the hallway of the servants quarters, into Sibylle's chamber to find her, child in arms. He lingered in the doorway for a moment, almost in disbelief at what was before him...

Shortly afterwards, it was learned Philippe's Uncle (the Duke of Burgundy) and Geoffroy de Sémur were killed at the siege of Rouen. Within a week, Avranches was felled, and the new Duke of Normandy surrendered to Francia, becoming a vassal to Philippe. On April 16th, the first Frankish armies landed in England, and on August 30th, Robert of England capitulated.​

normandyacquired.png

The Kingdom of Francia -- August 30th, 1068 A.D.
 
Ohhhh.... getting interesting....
 
Oooooooh...

BUSTED!!!
 
The Reign Of
PHILIP I of FRANCE
CHAPTER X

Friday, November 7th, 1068

"My liege!" said Henri, Duke of Burgundy (and Philippe's first cousin), entering the courtroom. He was not a man of formalities, and it didn't particularly bother Philippe that he did not kneel. "My brother, Simon, is attempting to rise against me, and has raised a regiment in Auxerre!"

auxerrerebels.png

"Death be upon him" said Philippe. "Ready as many soldiers as you can muster. I shall have no less than a thousand men in Auxerre within the month to aid in your campaign."

"Thank you, sir. Let him be quickly vanquished with as little blood as possible." said Henri, saluting in the Roman style.

"You are dismissed" said Philippe, and Henri made his way out. "Guard, send for Thomas Saint-Hillaire." The guard left the room, and a few minutes later Thomas entered.

"My liege" he said, respectfully, as always he did. "Do you require my services today?"

"I'd like you to prepare our horses. There is an uprising in Burgundy that we must see to."

"Yes, my liege." said Thomas, heading off to the stables. Philippe closed the heavy courtroom door, and barred it, and made his way down through the back passageway to the servant's quarters, bypassing Janvier and going straight to Sibylle's bedchambre. She stood by her window, cradling Raymond in her arms. She heard Philippe enter, and looked over to him, smiling. Her smile faded as she quickly caught on to the fact that something was wrong.

"Sibylle" said Philippe. "I'm off to battle once more."

"You've only been home eight months and already you're off and away again" whispered Sibylle, looking as though her heart had just been pierced. She looked down at little Raymond, soundly asleep in her arms.

"It is only an uprising in Burgundy. I should be back soon." whispered Philippe, coming over to her. He kissed her gently on the forehead and said "I love you." He looked down at the child in her arms; it broke his heart that he had to leave them once more.

"I love you too" said Sibylle.

Agnes would recieve no farewell of any sort.

Saturday, November 29th, 1068

"Shields, up!" shouted the major. The air was filled with the sound of shields clattering as the crown infantry readied their formations for combat. It looked like an easy fight, one that their adversary would capitulate before any blood was spilled. Philippe and Henri had come to the field with some 3,000 soldiers, whereas Simon could only amass 400 or so. The rebellious Simon did not falter, however, and his small army stood firm.

"Forward!" shouted Philippe, raising his sword. The Crown soldiers cheered and began their advance, banners flying. They moved forward with some haste, as the enemy force was comprised of archers, and it would end in less bloodshed if they closed the gap quickly. The arrows came down, and at first there was no issue, but the formation became more and more disorganized as they went, spreading out to the left and right, and exposing the men to the arrows of their adversary. Philippe and Thomas rode with the soldiers, trying to keep the soldiers in their line.

cavalrymen.jpg

"Onward, sons of Francia! Quick step, close the gap!" shouted Philippe. "Onward to-" As he shouted, he was struck. Everything went numb, as if for a moment nothing was real. He had to look down at the arrow in his side before he realized he was hit, then his abdomen was flooded with pain.

"The King is wounded!" shouted Thomas, coming to his aid.

"It's superficial" said Philippe. "Just help me get back" Thomas and a few members of Philippe's bodyguard escorted him away from the danger. Reaching safety, he looked back at the field, to see Simon's banners struck...

Philippe would hold Auxerre for some time, returning it to Henri's control on January 10th, 1069.

Thursday, May 7th, 1069

"Sir" said Amèdèe de Roucy. "The child you sired with the servant... he draws negative attention to your rulership."

"I am not concerned." said Philippe. Agnes said nothing, preferring to remain silent in her throne.

"Sir, if you will listen" said De Roucy, approaching. He lowered his voice as he continued, "If you would just consider for a moment... I think I can rid you of this little problem."

vousbatard.png

Philippe took on a look of disgust and anger. "You would even suggest such a thing? We're not talking about some conspirator, this is an innocent child."

"A bastard child, and shall only cause problems down the road if you do not take action."

"Take action?" Philippe was enraged. "It would be wise for you to remove yourself from this room, Spymaster. It may be bad for your health to remain here." De Roucy went pale, and made his way out. Philippe motioned for the guard to bar the door, and turned to Agnes. "Did you have something to do with this?"

"You suspect me?" said Agnes, looking annoyed. "Well, I suppose that comes as no surprise."

"Do not trifle with me" warned Philippe. "If you could do your duty, we could be rid of each other."

"You expect me to part my legs again for one who lays with commoners? You're a fool, you are." said Agnes.

"Damn you" said Philippe. He sighed, and continued, mumbling, "I have damned myself."

Wednesday, January 27th, 1070

asonatlast.png

She had finally given in to his will. The fact remained that Aquitaine also needed a male heir, and, having no brothers, it was Agnes' duty to produce one. Thusly, was their marriage consummated, not in a union of intimacy, but simply as business.
 
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Who is the heir at the moment?

At the moment, Hugues is the heir to Francia, since Raymond is illegitimate. Guillaume of Aquitaine's heir at the moment happens to be Agnes.

The next update has already been played through, just needs to be narrated. I apologize for being so delayed the past few updates, without substantial result, but there's been a lot going on and I don't have the same amount of time that I'm used to having set aside for it. I aim for at least one update every week.

--EDIT; I decided to toss in a little more in the last update, as it wasn't enough to start building the next chapter.
 
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