((Private))
King Ferran paced around his chambers, reading the same letter over and over again. He'd been waiting months for this letter and now his plans would soon come to fruition. His attempts to sneak little Prince Ferran out of the kingdom while under the guise of visiting parts of the realm had failed miserably after pirates had intervened. Now he needed a new strategy, one that would assure that the boy never inherited the throne. Short of murder or kidnapping, the only legal way to get it done would be to get the boy to abdicate his claim to the throne. Knowing the boy, he would never do it willingly. He was too proud to give up a title he thought belonged to him next. Ferran had to give him a better offer. The letter in his hand provided that.
There was a knock on the King's door and then a portly teenage boy shuffled into the room. The 16-year-old Prince Ferran was still as short and fat as he had been three years ago. He truly did take after his mother. The boy waddled over to the King and said, "You wanted to see me, grandfather?"
King Ferran winced at the title. He was no grandfather, at least not of this pudgy boy. He didn't let that distract him from what he planned to do. "I have some wonderful news. You're to be married."
The boy's face lit up and his triple chin wobbled excitedly. "Who have you matched me with?"
Ferran couldn't help but smirk. The boy may not end up liking the conditions of this marriage. "You are to be married to Princess Anna, the daughter of the king of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor."
Little Ferran's chins looked like they were ready to crawl all the way up his face he was grinning so much. "That is quite the match. Our kingdom will be even more powerful with those blood ties, although Mother may not like me being married to the Bohemians who stole her family's title."
King Ferran wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders, a difficult task due to the boy's vast size. "You see, that there is a little problem I wanted to talk to you about. The king of Bohemia has been quite concerned with your mother's family. It would seem that some of her siblings have been causing trouble recently over Silesia. The Emperor needs a means to strengthen his claim to the region to keep it under control. That's where you come in."
Little Ferran furrowed his brow, thinking over it for a second. It took a few moments for him to grasp the plan. "So by marrying his daughter, I would give him my mother's claim."
King Ferran felt like he should be giving the boy a treat like he would a dog. "Exactly. This marriage will do exactly that. You cement his rule over Silesia."
"That's good then. I hope the Princess is at least pretty." A glob of drool trailed out of the boy's mouth and the King scowled in disgust.
Before the boy could leave filled with hopes and dreams, King Ferran had to crush those and cement his own succession. "There is a catch though."
"What catch?"
Trying his best not to grin, King Ferran said, "While marrying Princess Anna does give the Bohemian king a stronger claim to Silesia, it does also present a problem. All children of your union would be Trastámaras, thus giving a foreign dynasty a claim on the throne. The Bohemian king cannot allow that."
"I'm not sure I'm following."
King Ferran rolled his eyes at the boy. He knew nothing of politics. Then again, the King was lying through his teeth anyway. He had indeed arranged a marriage for the boy with Princess Anna, but it had nothing to do with Silesia. The king of Bohemia had an iron grip on the region by now and surely had no use for some weak claim through a younger daughter of the late king of Silesia. All it had taken was the mention of a matrilineal marriage and the Bohemian king had eagerly accepted.
"For this marriage to go ahead, you must agree that all children of your union with Princess Anna will belong to her dynasty." King Ferran let the boy take in that information before hitting him with the crucial part. "Also, to ensure you don't threaten the stability of our own kingdom through such an arrangement, you must give up all claims to the kingdom of Aragon and the many titles I hold."
It didn't take long for Little Ferran to process that last part. "But I am to be king! You can't take away my right as heir!"
The glare King Ferran gave the boy silenced him in an instant. "Your uncle is my heir, not you. This has the added benefit of ensuring you don't threaten his reign either."
Little Ferran stomped his feet like a child half his age giving a temper tantrum. "I want to be king! This isn't fair."
King Ferran resisted the urge to strangle the boy. He had to appeal to his pride instead. "Wouldn't you rather be Emperor instead?"
The boy perked up at that. "Emperor? How?"
"It's quite simple really. As the son-in-law of the current Emperor and an adopted member of his family, it is possible that you may be chosen as his successor, or at least some of your children may be." Ferran made sure not to actually mention that the odds were slim to none for that. The boy didn't need to know that.
"Emperor." Little Ferran let the word roll of his tongue. "I like the sound of that."
While the boy was caught up in his pride, King Ferran grabbed a document he had lying on the table. All he needed was the boy to sign it and he'd give up all his claims to the kingdom and other titles. "Now if you just sign this here at the bottom, you can take the first step towards that title."
Little Ferran was ready to sign when King Ferran stopped him. He almost forgot that he needed a witness. He couldn't have anyone contesting this later. He hurried out into the hall, looking for the first respectable person who could witness the act. Preferably it should be someone with a good reputation, perhaps in the Church....
As if answering his prayers, Cardinal de Soneta wandered down the hall. Before the man could react, King Ferran grabbed him by his arm and dragged him into the room. "I need you to witness something, Cardinal. It won't take long."
Now with a witness present, the King beckoned for Little Ferran to sign the document. He seemed hesitant to do so now. King Ferran let out an irritated sigh and said, "What is it now?"
"Why do I have to give up my claim to the throne? If I keep it, I could be King of Aragon and Holy Roman Emperor." The boy looked up at the roof, day-dreaming of such a future. King Ferran had to tear that apart and get him to sign that document now.
King Ferran leaned over towards the boy and did his best to whisper in his ear so Cardinal de Soneta couldn't hear. "Listen here, you little brat. You are going to sign that document right now. There are other less pleasant ways to get you to give up your claim and I will resort to them if you don't do it now. Do you understand?"
The boy gulped and immediately picked up a quill. Without hesitation, he signed his name at the bottom of the document. King Ferran nearly squealed with glee. The deed was done. "You have done a great service for your kingdom."
"It's not my kingdom now anymore, is it?" Little Ferran said bitterly as he stormed out of the room. King Ferran shrugged, letting the boy go. He had what he wanted now.
Turning to the Cardinal, King Ferran said, "Thank you for your services once more. I apologize for keeping you from your duties. You may go now." The Cardinal wandered off, seemingly bewildered by what had just happened.
Once he was alone, King Ferran examined the signature and resisted the urge to shout with delight. Adrenaline was puimping through his veins and his heart thumped in his chest, accompanied with an unusual tightness. His succession was secure. The mistakes of his brother's had been fixed at last.
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