Renata was dead, taken by the sudden sickness that overtook her following the birth of their daughter, Caterina only weeks before. Don Ferran wept briefly, and withdrew himself further from Aragonese court-life, devoting these several years to his family, now all rapidly growing. As the years passed, and the King grew increasingly ill himself, Don Ferran began to truly consider the future of his family. In truth, he feared Principe Alfons, whose brutality and paranoia had only grown over the course of his Regency. Upon hearing of the King’s passing, Don Ferran weighed his options and considered his position; after several days of deliberation (and entrusting his aged mother to keep her grandchildren safe), Don Ferran declared himself for the Bastard of Naples and offered his services to his new King, for better or worse. In the event of his death, he hoped his family could rely upon the support of their kinsmen, the Agramunts, but he could permit a monstrous and cruel master such as Alphons to lord over the realm as a tyrant.
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