The son begins to stretch his own muscles in front of dad. He'll probably need to in the future.
And independence is all but a matter of time from here.
And independence is all but a matter of time from here.
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Before Plantagenet – A House d’Anjou AAR
- Thread starter JabberJock14
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I’m so very glad Geoffrey took the time to explain the situation to Foulques. I was already losing my patience with the boy as I read! I can easily see how our Iron Duke would have dealt with the situation!
As others have said, it all appears to be coming up Milhouse right now...I grow nervous but hope this all plays out. Can’t wait to see how the Kingdom of Aquitaine interacts with the rest of the world!
As others have said, it all appears to be coming up Milhouse right now...I grow nervous but hope this all plays out. Can’t wait to see how the Kingdom of Aquitaine interacts with the rest of the world!
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Really nice last few chapters! Tell me, will we begin to see some PoV from Foulques soon? Or any of Geoffrey's other children/siblings?
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Everything falls into place. Now the question is if Geoffrey's patience will be rewarded, or if Hugues dies before he can begin and his favours start to wear off, the dukes start turning against him again.
But if everything works out, even Toulouse's added bribery funds will probably not be enough to save his son from falling under Geoffrey's influence. Young Guilhem doesn't have any redeeming trait like Hervé, so he will likely suffer. As will France. Valencia will become a place the French will avoid for quite some time, no matter how it turns out.
But if everything works out, even Toulouse's added bribery funds will probably not be enough to save his son from falling under Geoffrey's influence. Young Guilhem doesn't have any redeeming trait like Hervé, so he will likely suffer. As will France. Valencia will become a place the French will avoid for quite some time, no matter how it turns out.
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Oof that was expensive. But, as I said, you've got the treasury to make sure it happens. Toulouse going independent is important since it's de jure Aquitaine, so you can pick him off once you've created the Kingdom. Can't put a price tag on avoiding another expensive war with France.
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Geoffrey's memories and bitterness toward his father are fresh, so he aims to avoid the same pitfalls. But it helps that he can promise his son battles, glory and power down the road. If there's one thing Geoffrey is good at, it's selling people on things.
Thanks. I do feel dialogue is what I'm best at, so embrace your strengths, right? But I really need to shorten though, I feel. I don't like the pace I'm getting them out. And long chapters tend to be harder to read. Of course, then there's some tidbit I want to throw in and it keeps going...
Geoffrey's doing the best he can to clear an easy path. But you know these things are never easy. Suffice to say, there will bumps in the road.
Yes, originally I didn't have that Foulques conversation. It was much more... reserved and dutiful. But I liked forceful disagreement because as I thought about it - Foulques would be annoyed he had his inheritance bartered away. The old Iron Duke never concerned himself much with kingship, and it makes sense the younger Foulques would, at first blush, value the thought of being direct overlord to Anjou, Aquitaine, Poitou and Gascony as more valuable than being king. But a stubborn teenager also doesn't like being told what to do... so not having to bow your head to anyone has its own appeal.
Geoffrey definitely learned from his father. He doesn't want to be hated by his family, like the bitter feelings he had toward the Iron Duke. The Simon situation also shook him - he would not risk a similar situation with his son by trying to cow him into following orders.
If he wants to be a powerful lord in his own right, he'd better be. His father and grandfather were never afraid to stand up to authority when required.
It certainly looks like Independence is coming. But there is more to happen. Things I didn't plan on.
The boy, in fairness, has a decent argument. Being the direct overlord of a third of the realm would make him de facto king of the Franks in a lot of ways. He could basically choose who rules on his own, akin to a late Roman general. (A reference Geoffrey would surely appreciate) That actually might be a fun game - invite claimants to the crown to your court, get favors from them. Win the revolt against the liege. Install them as king. Then have them conquer things for you as a favor.
But in this situation, you are 100% right that being King is better. He just needed to see that.
Aquitaine, kingdom or not, is going to be very busy over the next few years.
Thank you! I am uncertain on a Foulques chapter. There's a chapter where his viewpoint might work, but I'm unsure. I'll know when I get to that point and write it.
Agnes, I believe, will have a chapter coming up soon. (Not next chapter but the one after, most likely)
There is a matter of urgency to all this. It's really now if he can win in Gascony fast enough. Once he has that, Geoffrey has everything he needs. Unfortunately, sieges do that time.
Well, the younger Guilhem (of Toulouse) will have a role to play in the future. And yes, Valencia will probably develop quite the lore around it - the downfall of Frankish kings or at least making life difficult for them back home.
It was. In theory, if it helps the faction make a demand the king has to accept, it could be worth it, since you save on wasting money on military upkeep. And in this case, as you note, it's important for de jure Aquitaine.
His dream for sure. But that latter one is rather ambitious. I'm not sure I can accomplish it - but we shall see!
To all - working on the next chapter, which I hope to have by the end of the weekend. It's coming together, but I've been sidetracked a bit as I've worked on bits of it and the following chapter at the same time. (When inspiration/ideas strike, got to go with it) Hopefully that means there won't be too long a wait between the next chapter and the one that follows.
Thanks as always for the commentary and feedback! It remains so very much appreciated.
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I can relate. I'm much better at descriptive narration than at dialogues (well, I hope my dialogues are believable and interesting enough, but it doesn't come easy enough to allow me to write big ones), and so descriptive narrations ends up making the bulk of my chapters. As a consequence, I sometimes encounter the opposite issue - the need to lengthen things by adding details, thoughts, etc ; because the narrative style lends itself well to short summaries. The tidbit which keeps going is something I know all too well (but I'm more pleased when it happens). Often, details entirely invented to make the story consistent or to link two game events together take a life of their own.
Long chapters have an upside - it takes longer to read them, which when the read is enjoyable, is, well... enjoyable. But at some point, length can be an issue, for the time it takes you to write or for the time it takes for a new reader to catch up. By my estimate, this AAR is easily north of 600.000 words, which is huge (and I should maybe capitalize this, HUGE).
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Maybe Geoffrey's son, a great warrior and conqueror, might conquer Iberia, and reform some sort of Empire... that of course, if you continue the game that far
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And this is why you are probably the pre-eminent writAAR in these forums: you pivot From a well crafted battle scene to the face off between Toulouse and Geoffrey (and what payback) and finally the exhortation to his son where the ambition and vision is laid bare. And how effortlessly.
Bravo once again for a superb chapter superbly told
Bravo once again for a superb chapter superbly told
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I definitely agree with Asantahene here. I think that last chapter was one of the best you’ve written in this work, and that is saying something. I thought it was clever, sophisticated and had some great, perceptive lines in it. Both the negotiation with Toulouse and the heart to heart with Foulques. Bravissimo!
On a game aside: poor Toulouse! A son who looks barely mediocre, but a daughter who looks like she will be one of those boss characters once she comes of age! And she is headed for House d’Anjou!
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Yeah I'm the opposite. I'll write pieces of dialogue and form the chapter around them. Outside of my battle scenes, normally the key events are characters talking.
Short but vivid description is not a bug, by the way, it's a feature. It's impressive to be able to convey the imagery of a scene in few words. And helps get the point across better. But yeah, situations tend to have to be invented. CK2 obviously provides detail, but its on the authAAR to fill in the details. And since some events repeat, you've got to find a new and interesting way to tell it.
I don't even want to know how long this is overall. I'm on my 10th Google doc and I move on to a new doc after I get around 100 or so pages in there. So... yeah...
Perhaps, perhaps he will.
I don't know if I'll continue that long. We'll see how I'm feeling. It's a lot of work, as you might imagine!
Thank you! I wasn't necessarily a huge fan of the battle, but I did the best I could. Part of me wanted to make a separate chapter for it, but I decided against it because this is long enough already.
But I'm glad you liked it because the transitions are what came last in the chapter. I had the scenes mostly written, but then had to tie them all together. The good news is the stronger Geoffrey/Foulques conversation came toward the end of the process, so the wait proved worth it.High praise from you as well, thank you! I enjoyed both (though when I first came up with the Toulouse conversation, I swear it was better, though I couldn't get it down at the time, unfortunately)
As for your last point... everything stated is truth.
To all - the next chapter follows. It contains some important information and... some closure of sorts, to a plotline/family I'd left unresolved but have been meaning to tie off. I just never found a good opportunity to put it in. Hope you enjoy it.
Thanks to everyone, as always, who comment, and of course, those who read!
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Chapter 160 - January 1113
Before Plantagenet - Chapter 160
January 1113 - Sluys, France
Another year. Another feast. Another wedding. Another winter in the north.
Geoffrey sipped his wine, as he sat upon the dais, looking out at the gallery filled with courtiers, knights and others. They were gathered in the keep in Sluys, in the county of Brugge, to celebrate the union of Duke Arnulf to Ermengarde of Anjou, Geoffrey’s half-sister.
How many more of these will I need to attend in the near future, Geoffrey wondered? There would no doubt be one for his half-brother Guilhem in a few years, and then Philippe would follow suit. But those would be in Bordeaux - at least he would not have to travel for them. And Aines was just a babe, many years away from marriage.
Unless I discover I have yet another sister, Geoffrey thought.
While Geoffrey did not mind seeing places other than Bordeaux, travel with large parties tended to be inconvenient. And this journey had taken them on an unusual route to Sluys.
They moved north through Anjou and then into Normandy. But rather than continue overland, they took boats and traveled along the coast until arriving in Brugge.
The reason? An outbreak of consumption that had affected Flanders, Normandy up to the Seine, and south through Valois and down to the Ile de France. Even Melun had been affected, leaving Geoffrey relieved he had not returned to the capital since the vote in the spring.
And much like Antoinette’s wedding to Alphonse, Geoffrey had much of his family present. Agnes came, as did their brothers Foulquesson and Guilhem. Philippe was also permitted to come as well.
This time, however, Geoffrey’s son did not attend, as Foulques, along with Herve, oversaw the siege of Duke Etienne’s keep in Marsan with his father away.
However, as she had sufficiently recovered from her pregnancy and childbirth, Duchess Marguerite was present for this wedding. And that kept Geoffrey from repeating his prior antics of bedding Haldora while in Anjou, or spending too much time with Agnes.
As much as he knew Marguerite could not do anything to him directly, he was wary of drawing her ire. Potentially embarrassing her over a night with Haldora seemed not worth the hassle.
But aside from taking a different route than normal, everything on the journey was fine. Geoffrey used the opportunity to visit with Alphonse, who greeted him warmly enough - likely helped by the fact Antoinette had given birth to a daughter in the months before.
When they arrived in Brugge, they had a short trip east to the keep in Sluys. It wasn’t his first visit - he had come quite a few times during his year as the king’s chancellor, and made a few visits as his advisor, given that Alphonse could hardly be trusted in what could be delicate talks with the grandson of a former claimant to the crown.
But it had been a little while since his last visit and there was one notable absence in the court - Robert of Artois.
The former regent of Arnulf had eventually run afoul of his liege lord, who had imprisoned him. The lecher had died not long after, never being released.
It had caused a notable strain between duke and new count, Robert’s son, as he was not present in his father’s stead - not only in court but at the wedding itself. Or at least Geoffrey had not been afforded an introduction, if he was around.
Still, Geoffrey could not be too concerned of the affairs of the De Bethune family. He was here to give his sister Ermengarde away to Duke Arnulf, and ensuring that went off without any problems was paramount.
Thankfully, it did, despite the concerns he had over what might happen when the Flemish court actually got their first look at their new duchess. And a large credit for that went to young Ermengarde herself.
Geoffrey was impressed by his younger sister. She was a dwarf, and he knew she had to endure the whispers behind her back, including those which claimed she was not Foulques’ true daughter, for surely the Iron Duke could not sire such a girl.
But Ermengarde carried herself with such dignity - living up to her grandmother’s name. She was graceful as Geoffrey led her to her promised, her head held high, yet the touch of her hand gentle. When Arnulf received her, he seemed genuinely enamored, and greeted her with a warm smile.
As Geoffrey watched Ermengarde throughout the ceremony and the feast, he grew more and more impressed with his sister, as she deftly handled conversations, in Frankish and Flemish, spoke clear to those who likely looked down upon her with the confidence that was needed from her new station.
Thus Geoffrey was left with a thought he did not expect when this journey began:
She is beautiful, he mused.
It is a thought echoed by Arnulf as they sat together at the feast. While Geoffrey had been seated in between Ermengarde and Marguerite originally, the ladies and Agnes had vacated his side, both mingling with prominent high-born ladies present, including Arnulf’s mother, the stunningly beautiful Countess Serhilda of Hainault.
“I admit,” Arnulf said. “I was furious when I learned your sister was… well I had heard stories. It did much to color my dislike of Artois. But when I saw her in Bordeaux in the summer, I was surprised. And today… she is a lovely young woman. I could not have asked for more in a wife.”
“I am happy to hear you say that,” Geoffrey replied. “She can offer you much - that much I am certain. And I would not feel much guilt over your decision with Artois. He may have done well for you here, but it was not his intent. He sought to enrich himself in the process, first and foremost.”
“So I had heard,” Arnulf said. “Though he did not receive anything from you, did he?”
“His life,” Geoffrey said. “He had done something that would have run afoul with a powerful person - not you, of course. That he squandered it by ending up in your dungeons does not surprise me.”
“You know when I threw him into my dungeons, not a single one of my vassals objected?” Arnulf said. “In truth, I did not expect the order to be followed, as I was not yet of age. But there was no argument. He was hauled before me, brought to his knees, and then imprisoned. That is how disliked he was among his peers in my court.”
Geoffrey smirked. He had never forgiven Artois for touching Agnes and siring a child with her. That he died in the dungeons below where they now sat only made this evening more enjoyable.
“I think they were worried he might try to bed their wives,” Geoffrey said.
“I was concerned for my dear twin sister,” Arnulf said. “She was young, but who knows what that old lecher might have done. Regardless, it is done now, and he is dead for now three years. His son rules in Artois, but we have little love for each other. So little in fact that he sends his fat pig of a sister Helvis in his stead.”
Arnulf pointed out Helvis in the gallery. She was tightly squeezed between two women, alone.
The last time Geoffrey had seen her was not long before he ventured south with the king to Catalonia. She had been rather irritating at the time, rather forcefully demanding they couple, with little regard to the fact she was practically bursting with child, that she had grown much larger over the prior two years and that her husband was present in the same keep.
And yet, despite the fact she annoyed him, Geoffrey bedded her anyway. Perhaps he felt some sympathy for her - the child she carried, as one as the boy she had birthed the previous year, was likely his. Or perhaps he reasoned he would not have the comfort of known lover when he ventured south.
However, it had been the last time they had been together. After his father’s death, Geoffrey had never ventured to see her or summoned her to Bordeaux. He’d heard she’d birthed another boy, but her husband did not appear to suspect anything - he never did - and that was that.
She did not look pleased now. He imagined she was livid over her placement at the feast. She was probably embarrassed her husband had not attended with her - they were never on good terms. Perhaps there was some frustration toward her brother sending her in his stead.
And yet… Geoffrey found himself oddly tempted by her. Yes, he had the object of his desire, Agnes, nearby, and a wife he enjoyed in Marguerite with him.
Perhaps I shall have to send for her, he mused.
“But enough of that family,” Arnulf said. “There is a matter we might discuss before I depart for the evening. You gather support for your… movement.”
“I do,” Geoffrey replied.
“Why have you not taken your demands to the king?” Arnulf asked. “Alphonse, Champagne, Toulouse, Mallorca... Do you not have enough powerful lords?”
“I have my reasons,” Geoffrey said. “It should not concern you though, as you do not join.”
“I grow concerned however,” Arnulf said. “Alphonse has attracted the support of Toulouse and the Count of Menorca. With that he nearly matches the king’s levy… with your men included for the king. It is hardly uncommon knowledge that you are not loyal. What if Alphonse demands the crown because he believes you will not side with the king?”
“He…” Geoffrey trailed off.
He doubted that Alphonse would do that. But there was logic in Arnulf’s question. If Alphonse wished the crown, that move might be the best way to get it. He would take Toulouse with him, making Geoffrey’s own plans complicated.
“He… would be wise not to do that,” Geoffrey replied. “He will find many who do not support such a move - among those some of the most powerful lords in the realm.”
“My spies tell me he prepares for action,” Arnulf said. “But I do not know if it is action at your behest, or if he plots something else.”
Geoffrey had not heard that - Agnes had told him Antoinette gave little information. That was concerning. What does he plan?
“I do not trust him,” Arnulf said. “My cousin… I think back to what he said at our grand meeting of the lords. I think he would seek to reduce my strength here. His lands border mine, after all.”
“You worry of his strength?” Geoffrey asked.
“If he becomes king,” Arnulf said. “I can match him otherwise. That is why it is essential he does not become king. So, I ask, why do you wait? You have enough strength to bring the king to heel if he does not accept your demands.”
Geoffrey had not made much progress in the past with Arnulf in terms of joining his faction. While the Flemish Arnulf had no love for being under the thumb of the Frankish king, he also had to worry of the Emperor of the Germans, who had already seized Zeeland from his family a few decades before.
But that was before. Now, the Germans dealt with rebellion, primarily coming from the Italian and Occitan counts in the south, though there had also been some agitation to the east.
Some of those counts seemed to wish for a different manner of succession. Others still wanted to be free. But either way, the Emperor had much on his hands, and such things might well lure Arnulf to Geoffrey’s side.
“As I said, I have my reasons,” Geoffrey said. “Though if you wish to add to my strength, perhaps I can be tempted into action sooner.”
“I need assurances,” Arnulf said. “Assurances that you will not aid Alphonse toward gaining the Frankish crown, or against me.”
Geoffrey paused. He had promised he would aid Alphonse to take the crown had he gotten more support than the Independence movement. But that was now impossible - he would never gain Champagne. He would never gain Arnulf. And once the war in Gascony was won, he would not gain Adhemar either. There was no way Alphonse could get that support.
So Geoffrey was free to make a new promise here.
“You have my word,” Geoffrey said. “I shall not aid Alphonse in gaining the Frankish crown or work against you. You are, after all, both my brothers by marriage. I cannot favor one of you over the other any sooner than I could my own flesh and blood.”
Arnulf nodded. “Then you have my support, brother.”
…..
Geoffrey sat in his guest chambers alone after the feast. He felt calm, and slightly inebriated.
While he would never repeat his foolishness with Thoraed, that did not mean he could enjoy a happy occasion. Of course, that left him feeling his oats, especially when he could not turn his head at that feast without seeing a desirable woman, whether that was Agnes, Marguerite, Countess Serhilda, even Ermengarda…
And yet he was not waiting for them.
The door opened, and Geoffrey did not need to turn to know who it was. The heavy steps of Helvis gave it away.
“So you come,” Geoffrey said as he turned to her, holding a cup of wine.
“I wondered if you would summon me,” Helvis said. “With your wife here… I did begin to have doubts, but… then… well, here I am. You know I could not refuse an invitation from my favorite duke of the realm.”
“Yes, here you are,” Geoffrey said with a smirk. He had told one of his knights to invite her to join him for a drink after the feast. It was a risk, but Helvis had always been good at not arousing suspicion.
“You know, I have brought our sons,” Helvis said. “I would like you to meet them. Both are considered handsome by all who meet them.”
“They do not know me as their father,” Geoffrey said. “It is hardly necessary.”
“I did not say it was necessary,” Helvis replied. “I said it was something I would like.”
Geoffrey did not reply, instead sipping on his wine. It drew a raise of the brow from Helvis.
“Is there a reason you are so short with me tonight?” Helvis asked.
“I am thinking,” Geoffrey said. “Why I have summoned you?”
“What?” Helvis asked. “You jest?”
“It is an honest question,” Geoffrey said. “I struggle with the answer.”
“You called me here to insult me?” Helvis demanded. “I got enough of that from those in the gallery tonight. That welp Arnulf encourages them. And it is your fault as well.”
“My fault?” Geoffrey asked. “How? Pray tell?”
“You put two babes in my belly,” Helvis said. “And quickly. I had not long birthed your first son before you had put another in me. I have grown quite large since - they have begun to call me fat!”
Geoffrey smirked. “They always called you fat, Helvis. Since before I put any child in your belly. Which… if I remember correctly, was by your command. Something about I was to finish what I started?”
She glared at him. “You dare say such a thing to me?”
“I dare,” Geoffrey said. “Because it is truth.”
“I was not so fat you did not wish to lay with me,” Helvis retorted.
Geoffrey sipped his wine before standing up and approaching her, his hand brushing against her reddish hair. She recoiled.
“You put up a brave front, but you know the truth,” Geoffrey said. “Just as you know why Arnulf dislikes you. It is not your shape.”
“It is not my fault for what my father did,” Helvis said. “The welp should know that.”
“He is young and holds grudges,” Geoffrey said. “And your father was a foul man. I told you of his affair with the queen. Had I revealed that to the realm, his fate would have been worse than what he suffered under Arnulf.”
“It has been difficult since he was locked away, you know?” Helvis said. “I spend some time in the court of Philipp of Champagne, with my husband there. But we do not get along.”
“He suspects you have laid with others?” Geoffrey asked.
Helvis rolled her eyes. “No. He thinks I am incapable of drawing a man, so repulsed is he by me.”
Geoffrey shook his head. He could understand the sentiment. Helvis was difficult to deal with in many ways after all.
“Why did you call me here?” Helvis demanded. “Was it to taunt me? To laud that you only bedded me to make your misshapen sister this duchess here? To look at me and actually tell me that you are casting me aside, though I have not seen you since just before Aldebert was born? Whatever it is, be done with it quickly, so that I might return to my drafty chambers that I share with a merchant family and get some sleep before I travel back to Artois to see my miserable brother.”
Geoffrey looked at her. “I called you here, Helvis, to tell you that you are what they say. But that you are also right, that though I wished otherwise, I did find myself desiring you. You are an acquired taste, but one I did come to enjoy.”
“And now?” Helvis demanded.
“And now, I might wish to have another bite,” Geoffrey said as he leaned in close, their lips almost touching. “One final time, perhaps, as I doubt our paths shall cross again.”
Then he pulled away suddenly. “But if you wish, you can return to your drafty chambers and prepare for your journey. After all, I have been uncharacteristically blunt tonight.”
“Rude is a better description,” Helvis said.
“Fair,” Geoffrey replied. “But the choice remains up to you.”
Helvis glared at him. Then to his surprise, she began to undo her dress.
“Do not look so shocked,” Helvis said. “As I told before, Duke Geoffrey, it is proper manners to finish what you start.”
January 1113 - Sluys, France
Another year. Another feast. Another wedding. Another winter in the north.
Geoffrey sipped his wine, as he sat upon the dais, looking out at the gallery filled with courtiers, knights and others. They were gathered in the keep in Sluys, in the county of Brugge, to celebrate the union of Duke Arnulf to Ermengarde of Anjou, Geoffrey’s half-sister.
How many more of these will I need to attend in the near future, Geoffrey wondered? There would no doubt be one for his half-brother Guilhem in a few years, and then Philippe would follow suit. But those would be in Bordeaux - at least he would not have to travel for them. And Aines was just a babe, many years away from marriage.
Unless I discover I have yet another sister, Geoffrey thought.
While Geoffrey did not mind seeing places other than Bordeaux, travel with large parties tended to be inconvenient. And this journey had taken them on an unusual route to Sluys.
They moved north through Anjou and then into Normandy. But rather than continue overland, they took boats and traveled along the coast until arriving in Brugge.
The reason? An outbreak of consumption that had affected Flanders, Normandy up to the Seine, and south through Valois and down to the Ile de France. Even Melun had been affected, leaving Geoffrey relieved he had not returned to the capital since the vote in the spring.
And much like Antoinette’s wedding to Alphonse, Geoffrey had much of his family present. Agnes came, as did their brothers Foulquesson and Guilhem. Philippe was also permitted to come as well.
This time, however, Geoffrey’s son did not attend, as Foulques, along with Herve, oversaw the siege of Duke Etienne’s keep in Marsan with his father away.
However, as she had sufficiently recovered from her pregnancy and childbirth, Duchess Marguerite was present for this wedding. And that kept Geoffrey from repeating his prior antics of bedding Haldora while in Anjou, or spending too much time with Agnes.
As much as he knew Marguerite could not do anything to him directly, he was wary of drawing her ire. Potentially embarrassing her over a night with Haldora seemed not worth the hassle.
But aside from taking a different route than normal, everything on the journey was fine. Geoffrey used the opportunity to visit with Alphonse, who greeted him warmly enough - likely helped by the fact Antoinette had given birth to a daughter in the months before.
When they arrived in Brugge, they had a short trip east to the keep in Sluys. It wasn’t his first visit - he had come quite a few times during his year as the king’s chancellor, and made a few visits as his advisor, given that Alphonse could hardly be trusted in what could be delicate talks with the grandson of a former claimant to the crown.
But it had been a little while since his last visit and there was one notable absence in the court - Robert of Artois.
The former regent of Arnulf had eventually run afoul of his liege lord, who had imprisoned him. The lecher had died not long after, never being released.
It had caused a notable strain between duke and new count, Robert’s son, as he was not present in his father’s stead - not only in court but at the wedding itself. Or at least Geoffrey had not been afforded an introduction, if he was around.
Still, Geoffrey could not be too concerned of the affairs of the De Bethune family. He was here to give his sister Ermengarde away to Duke Arnulf, and ensuring that went off without any problems was paramount.
Thankfully, it did, despite the concerns he had over what might happen when the Flemish court actually got their first look at their new duchess. And a large credit for that went to young Ermengarde herself.
Geoffrey was impressed by his younger sister. She was a dwarf, and he knew she had to endure the whispers behind her back, including those which claimed she was not Foulques’ true daughter, for surely the Iron Duke could not sire such a girl.
But Ermengarde carried herself with such dignity - living up to her grandmother’s name. She was graceful as Geoffrey led her to her promised, her head held high, yet the touch of her hand gentle. When Arnulf received her, he seemed genuinely enamored, and greeted her with a warm smile.
As Geoffrey watched Ermengarde throughout the ceremony and the feast, he grew more and more impressed with his sister, as she deftly handled conversations, in Frankish and Flemish, spoke clear to those who likely looked down upon her with the confidence that was needed from her new station.
Thus Geoffrey was left with a thought he did not expect when this journey began:
She is beautiful, he mused.
It is a thought echoed by Arnulf as they sat together at the feast. While Geoffrey had been seated in between Ermengarde and Marguerite originally, the ladies and Agnes had vacated his side, both mingling with prominent high-born ladies present, including Arnulf’s mother, the stunningly beautiful Countess Serhilda of Hainault.
“I admit,” Arnulf said. “I was furious when I learned your sister was… well I had heard stories. It did much to color my dislike of Artois. But when I saw her in Bordeaux in the summer, I was surprised. And today… she is a lovely young woman. I could not have asked for more in a wife.”
“I am happy to hear you say that,” Geoffrey replied. “She can offer you much - that much I am certain. And I would not feel much guilt over your decision with Artois. He may have done well for you here, but it was not his intent. He sought to enrich himself in the process, first and foremost.”
“So I had heard,” Arnulf said. “Though he did not receive anything from you, did he?”
“His life,” Geoffrey said. “He had done something that would have run afoul with a powerful person - not you, of course. That he squandered it by ending up in your dungeons does not surprise me.”
“You know when I threw him into my dungeons, not a single one of my vassals objected?” Arnulf said. “In truth, I did not expect the order to be followed, as I was not yet of age. But there was no argument. He was hauled before me, brought to his knees, and then imprisoned. That is how disliked he was among his peers in my court.”
Geoffrey smirked. He had never forgiven Artois for touching Agnes and siring a child with her. That he died in the dungeons below where they now sat only made this evening more enjoyable.
“I think they were worried he might try to bed their wives,” Geoffrey said.
“I was concerned for my dear twin sister,” Arnulf said. “She was young, but who knows what that old lecher might have done. Regardless, it is done now, and he is dead for now three years. His son rules in Artois, but we have little love for each other. So little in fact that he sends his fat pig of a sister Helvis in his stead.”
Arnulf pointed out Helvis in the gallery. She was tightly squeezed between two women, alone.
The last time Geoffrey had seen her was not long before he ventured south with the king to Catalonia. She had been rather irritating at the time, rather forcefully demanding they couple, with little regard to the fact she was practically bursting with child, that she had grown much larger over the prior two years and that her husband was present in the same keep.
And yet, despite the fact she annoyed him, Geoffrey bedded her anyway. Perhaps he felt some sympathy for her - the child she carried, as one as the boy she had birthed the previous year, was likely his. Or perhaps he reasoned he would not have the comfort of known lover when he ventured south.
However, it had been the last time they had been together. After his father’s death, Geoffrey had never ventured to see her or summoned her to Bordeaux. He’d heard she’d birthed another boy, but her husband did not appear to suspect anything - he never did - and that was that.
She did not look pleased now. He imagined she was livid over her placement at the feast. She was probably embarrassed her husband had not attended with her - they were never on good terms. Perhaps there was some frustration toward her brother sending her in his stead.
And yet… Geoffrey found himself oddly tempted by her. Yes, he had the object of his desire, Agnes, nearby, and a wife he enjoyed in Marguerite with him.
Perhaps I shall have to send for her, he mused.
“But enough of that family,” Arnulf said. “There is a matter we might discuss before I depart for the evening. You gather support for your… movement.”
“I do,” Geoffrey replied.
“Why have you not taken your demands to the king?” Arnulf asked. “Alphonse, Champagne, Toulouse, Mallorca... Do you not have enough powerful lords?”
“I have my reasons,” Geoffrey said. “It should not concern you though, as you do not join.”
“I grow concerned however,” Arnulf said. “Alphonse has attracted the support of Toulouse and the Count of Menorca. With that he nearly matches the king’s levy… with your men included for the king. It is hardly uncommon knowledge that you are not loyal. What if Alphonse demands the crown because he believes you will not side with the king?”
“He…” Geoffrey trailed off.
He doubted that Alphonse would do that. But there was logic in Arnulf’s question. If Alphonse wished the crown, that move might be the best way to get it. He would take Toulouse with him, making Geoffrey’s own plans complicated.
“He… would be wise not to do that,” Geoffrey replied. “He will find many who do not support such a move - among those some of the most powerful lords in the realm.”
“My spies tell me he prepares for action,” Arnulf said. “But I do not know if it is action at your behest, or if he plots something else.”
Geoffrey had not heard that - Agnes had told him Antoinette gave little information. That was concerning. What does he plan?
“I do not trust him,” Arnulf said. “My cousin… I think back to what he said at our grand meeting of the lords. I think he would seek to reduce my strength here. His lands border mine, after all.”
“You worry of his strength?” Geoffrey asked.
“If he becomes king,” Arnulf said. “I can match him otherwise. That is why it is essential he does not become king. So, I ask, why do you wait? You have enough strength to bring the king to heel if he does not accept your demands.”
Geoffrey had not made much progress in the past with Arnulf in terms of joining his faction. While the Flemish Arnulf had no love for being under the thumb of the Frankish king, he also had to worry of the Emperor of the Germans, who had already seized Zeeland from his family a few decades before.
But that was before. Now, the Germans dealt with rebellion, primarily coming from the Italian and Occitan counts in the south, though there had also been some agitation to the east.
Some of those counts seemed to wish for a different manner of succession. Others still wanted to be free. But either way, the Emperor had much on his hands, and such things might well lure Arnulf to Geoffrey’s side.
“As I said, I have my reasons,” Geoffrey said. “Though if you wish to add to my strength, perhaps I can be tempted into action sooner.”
“I need assurances,” Arnulf said. “Assurances that you will not aid Alphonse toward gaining the Frankish crown, or against me.”
Geoffrey paused. He had promised he would aid Alphonse to take the crown had he gotten more support than the Independence movement. But that was now impossible - he would never gain Champagne. He would never gain Arnulf. And once the war in Gascony was won, he would not gain Adhemar either. There was no way Alphonse could get that support.
So Geoffrey was free to make a new promise here.
“You have my word,” Geoffrey said. “I shall not aid Alphonse in gaining the Frankish crown or work against you. You are, after all, both my brothers by marriage. I cannot favor one of you over the other any sooner than I could my own flesh and blood.”
Arnulf nodded. “Then you have my support, brother.”
…..
Geoffrey sat in his guest chambers alone after the feast. He felt calm, and slightly inebriated.
While he would never repeat his foolishness with Thoraed, that did not mean he could enjoy a happy occasion. Of course, that left him feeling his oats, especially when he could not turn his head at that feast without seeing a desirable woman, whether that was Agnes, Marguerite, Countess Serhilda, even Ermengarda…
And yet he was not waiting for them.
The door opened, and Geoffrey did not need to turn to know who it was. The heavy steps of Helvis gave it away.
“So you come,” Geoffrey said as he turned to her, holding a cup of wine.
“I wondered if you would summon me,” Helvis said. “With your wife here… I did begin to have doubts, but… then… well, here I am. You know I could not refuse an invitation from my favorite duke of the realm.”
“Yes, here you are,” Geoffrey said with a smirk. He had told one of his knights to invite her to join him for a drink after the feast. It was a risk, but Helvis had always been good at not arousing suspicion.
“You know, I have brought our sons,” Helvis said. “I would like you to meet them. Both are considered handsome by all who meet them.”
“They do not know me as their father,” Geoffrey said. “It is hardly necessary.”
“I did not say it was necessary,” Helvis replied. “I said it was something I would like.”
Geoffrey did not reply, instead sipping on his wine. It drew a raise of the brow from Helvis.
“Is there a reason you are so short with me tonight?” Helvis asked.
“I am thinking,” Geoffrey said. “Why I have summoned you?”
“What?” Helvis asked. “You jest?”
“It is an honest question,” Geoffrey said. “I struggle with the answer.”
“You called me here to insult me?” Helvis demanded. “I got enough of that from those in the gallery tonight. That welp Arnulf encourages them. And it is your fault as well.”
“My fault?” Geoffrey asked. “How? Pray tell?”
“You put two babes in my belly,” Helvis said. “And quickly. I had not long birthed your first son before you had put another in me. I have grown quite large since - they have begun to call me fat!”
Geoffrey smirked. “They always called you fat, Helvis. Since before I put any child in your belly. Which… if I remember correctly, was by your command. Something about I was to finish what I started?”
She glared at him. “You dare say such a thing to me?”
“I dare,” Geoffrey said. “Because it is truth.”
“I was not so fat you did not wish to lay with me,” Helvis retorted.
Geoffrey sipped his wine before standing up and approaching her, his hand brushing against her reddish hair. She recoiled.
“You put up a brave front, but you know the truth,” Geoffrey said. “Just as you know why Arnulf dislikes you. It is not your shape.”
“It is not my fault for what my father did,” Helvis said. “The welp should know that.”
“He is young and holds grudges,” Geoffrey said. “And your father was a foul man. I told you of his affair with the queen. Had I revealed that to the realm, his fate would have been worse than what he suffered under Arnulf.”
“It has been difficult since he was locked away, you know?” Helvis said. “I spend some time in the court of Philipp of Champagne, with my husband there. But we do not get along.”
“He suspects you have laid with others?” Geoffrey asked.
Helvis rolled her eyes. “No. He thinks I am incapable of drawing a man, so repulsed is he by me.”
Geoffrey shook his head. He could understand the sentiment. Helvis was difficult to deal with in many ways after all.
“Why did you call me here?” Helvis demanded. “Was it to taunt me? To laud that you only bedded me to make your misshapen sister this duchess here? To look at me and actually tell me that you are casting me aside, though I have not seen you since just before Aldebert was born? Whatever it is, be done with it quickly, so that I might return to my drafty chambers that I share with a merchant family and get some sleep before I travel back to Artois to see my miserable brother.”
Geoffrey looked at her. “I called you here, Helvis, to tell you that you are what they say. But that you are also right, that though I wished otherwise, I did find myself desiring you. You are an acquired taste, but one I did come to enjoy.”
“And now?” Helvis demanded.
“And now, I might wish to have another bite,” Geoffrey said as he leaned in close, their lips almost touching. “One final time, perhaps, as I doubt our paths shall cross again.”
Then he pulled away suddenly. “But if you wish, you can return to your drafty chambers and prepare for your journey. After all, I have been uncharacteristically blunt tonight.”
“Rude is a better description,” Helvis said.
“Fair,” Geoffrey replied. “But the choice remains up to you.”
Helvis glared at him. Then to his surprise, she began to undo her dress.
“Do not look so shocked,” Helvis said. “As I told before, Duke Geoffrey, it is proper manners to finish what you start.”
- 1
So now Flanders joins in on the fun. That faction will implode one way or another anytime now...
- 1
I doubt Geoffrey can hold this number of Lords together for long - might be better for him to make his move very soon indeed. It is, if not quite a house of cards, then at least built on shaky foundations.
- 1
Geoffrey gains another ally. He may have on the surface abandoned Alphonse but then again Geoffry is calculating and always doing what is best for him. He is unbelievable when comes to his affairs. He seems to have no filters when it comes to who, when, or where.
- 1
Honestly, I’d not be surprised if there was some erotic fan-fiction running simultaneous to this AAR. So much......adult content! Hahaha
- 1
Geoffrey is playing a dangerous game of duplicity here, and I don't expect Alphonse will be too happy to hear about his promise to Arnulf (which he inevitably will, one way or another).
And it's so very typically in-character for Geoffrey for him to contemplate bedding almost every woman he comes into contact with.
And it's so very typically in-character for Geoffrey for him to contemplate bedding almost every woman he comes into contact with.
- 1
Geoffrey: a diplomatic victory. And an undiplomatic conquest in the boudoir. He is incorrigible!
Surely this is now enough to act? Were he not to move now, he could become known as Geoffrey the Uncertain; or the Great Vacillator. I somehow think that isn’t going to happen, though.
Surely this is now enough to act? Were he not to move now, he could become known as Geoffrey the Uncertain; or the Great Vacillator. I somehow think that isn’t going to happen, though.
- 1