Book II: Pedro Berenguer de Barcelona
Chapter III: Trouble in the south.
Chapter III: Trouble in the south.
1078 - Harbourdistrict of Barcelona
The man was still walking before her, unbeknown of her presence. Busilla had stalked her prey for a while now all through the many alleys of the ever growing city of Barcelona. The city wasn’t as big as those of her native Apulia, making her work even easier. She was sure this was the man she was waiting for all this time, ever since that day she had offered her services to the local Duke. The Duke had payed her well for the pieces of information she had gathered for him and Busilla would repay his continued support this day. Her actions could determine the fate of the Duchy this day. She readied the small knife she was always carrying with her. It wasn’t especially ladylike to carry a weapon, but in her line of work preparation was everything. She just had to wait for the right moment to strike. She would complete the mission she had set for herself.
The mysterious young woman known as Busilla. Her Moorish parentage is clearly visible.
Busilla’s life hadn’t been easy because of her heritage. As the daughter of a Norman noblewoman and a Moorish soldier she would have to live with the shame of being of mixed blood. Her mother died giving birth to her, leaving her to grow up in the Duchy of Apulia all by herself. There she grew up being mocked and bullied about her parentage. Yet Busilla wasn’t the type to sit idly by when others did her harm. She thought back at the time when young Mathilde called her a pagan mongrel. The next day the court-chef found the remains of Mathilde’s favourite doll in his oven. Then there had been Cecilia, who had accused her of witchcraft. The next day Cecilia’s bethrothed, who was supposed to have been away, walked in on Cecilia and the stableboy in a less than honourable position. The man claimed to have received a mysterious tip. So was life in Busilla’s eyes, do unto others like they do unto you…
The next few months the wole court had been in an uproar, as many dirty secrets where suddenly revealed. Everyone looked at the other, but none came to suspect the young Moorish girl, walking in the shadows. Nobody, except Robert Guiscard, the Duke himself. She still remembered the smile on his face when he caught her. He had told her he liked the game of cat and mouse, but that she should never forget just who was the cat and who was the mouse. He also told that unless the mouse wished to be eaten alive, the she would serve the cat. And so she did until she turned 16. It was then that the Duke had send her to ‘Ser’ Thibaud, the current ambassador to Barcelona. She thoroughly hated everything about that man, the way he treated her, the way he looked at her, the way he touched her when his wife was away. That was why she had approached the Duke of Barcelona, to get that man one day…
Busilla hit herself on the forehead, this wasn’t the time to reminice! She should stay focussed on her target. The man was distracted, looking at one of the many harlots plying her ‘wares’ in the harbour. She slowly walked up to the man, hiding the knife in her right palm. She would strike any moment now…
Thud, she bumped into the man, while he was still staring at the harlot.
“Watch it you bitch.”
“Excuse me sir, I didn’t mean to…”
She quickly ran away, pretending to be a scared little girl. Yet she knew she had furfilled her mission. She had stolen a very important message from a supposedly anonymous courrier. She had stolen his purse too, cutting the leather cords the fastened it with her knife. Hopefully the lout would think he simply had been mugged. Now she had to deliver the message to the Duke in all haste. She would meet him in Tarragona, knowing that the city would probably be in his hands by now. As for the payment for her troubles, she already had something in mind...
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1078 – Banks of the Ebro
Duke Pedro Ramon overlooked the fields near the mighty Ebro. They where looking the same as always, with the odd flock of sheep quietly grazing in them. Nothing remembered of the great battle that took place here four years ago. Was it just four years? How time flew by. A lot had happened since those days, when he had simply been the Alférez instead of the Duke. Pedro also saw the city of Tarragona in the distance, the last Moorish city north of the Ebro. The Cid’s resistance prevented him from sieging the city four years ago. This time things would be different. Pedro was not alone in his viewing of the city. Accompanying him on the tour where his halfbrothers, Ramon Berenguer and Berenguer Ramon, as well as Count Bernat de Besalu, his old childhood friend.
Ramon and Berenguer where twins, but looked nothing alike. Ramon had the large girth of a man fully enjoying life. Indeed, he was the only man present capable of doing so, as he was the only one present without any actual responsibilities. Pedro had named him Master of the Hunt, a completely ceremonial title giving the simpleminded Ramon the time to indulge in his two passions: hunting and eating. But to be fair to the man, he had his uses. His likeable personality and lack of personal ambitions made him the perfect host to entertain visiting ambassadors and dignitaries while Pedro was busy. Yet even the normally carefree Ramon had his problems. Frail Urracca had severe problems while giving birth before, the surgeons did all they could, but she didn't survive childbirth this time. Pedro knew Ramon loved his wife, he couldn't help but feel some pity for the man, even if it was Almodis that gave birth to him.
Pedro did not held any such feelings for Berenguer though. That greedy little man had been a thorn in his side, especially after his marriage to that Greek witch. For some reason the cardinal had appointed him as the noble responsible for overseeing the christening of the city of Zaragoza. He and his wife had already claimed the Aljaferia-palace as their own. Proof of large amounts of gold being send to the couple by the Moorish elite where send to him by Busilla on a regular basis. Yet, even a Duke was not able to overturn a clerical appointment without a very good reason. For now the only thing he could do was try and prevent the couple from expanding their influence too much.
It looked like the city was just lightly defended, despite it being the new seat of the Emir of Zaragoza. The city would fall quickly, probably before the end of summer. The fall of his other lands and the loss of El Cid as a general must have hurt him deeply. The problem was that the Emirate of Toledo probably would assist him against the northern invaders. Yet Pedro had received several reports of a struggle to the death between the Emirates of Badajoz and Toledo, a struggle Toledo was losing badly. Now was the time to strike.
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. However, I am in 1200 ingame atm and both the Muratibids and Zirids are major powers in the Western Med. 
