Royal Court of Lotharingia (Burgundy)

[Lord E]

Louis and Anna

Louis blushed. He could see that he had upset the Queen, and that had not been his intentions. He spoke in a careful, almost humble tone.

“Oh… I am very sorry Your Majesty I wasn’t aware off that. Well it seems I will have to punish some more of those unreliable Mercenaries then. They have been nothing, but trouble since I hired them. First they used old English maps showing the wrong ways, then they weren’t able to locate the correct way to Dijon, and now you tell me that the information they have been bringing me from Éléanore is false. I am really getting annoyed

My men are taking up their positions around the walls of the city now, and I hope there is even more I can aid Your Majesty with? We are at Your Majesty’s service.”

He drank some wine, and tried to calm down. Anna seemed like she was going to blow any moment, she seemed angry, but Louis though he could see that she tried to get control over her self once again.

“Now as to the matter of Montpellier. I see that Your Majesty is having as difficult as I am to agree on this matter. I am sure Your Majesty agrees that no King would give away land for free. Maybe we can agree…. But all I wanted to say was that maybe we could speak about this again after the great meeting with the Lord of Lotharingia I hear is going to happen soon?

Again Your Majesty you show me great honour by presenting with the Order of the Golden Fleece, and I am very pleased to accept it.

I would be honoured to accompany Your Majesty to Châteaux d’Argilly and I hope we will be able to discuss certain matters further there. For I can see I have upset Your Majesty, and I did not intend to so for that I am sorry, and as such I believe we still have lot of things to speak about!”

 

[unmerged(18481)]

Louis and Anna - near Dijon, September, 1454

The Queen Dowager Anna made an annoyed gesture of hand, accepting the King’s apology carelessly, as if he’d been but something of a nuisance. She suddenly felt exhausted as she glanced aside.

Why I’m wasting my time on this man? she thought, feeling more and more desperate. He just wants to use me, he just wants to make use of my misery, he just wants to be sure he’ll be in favour even if I happen to win, despite his best efforts… Anna cursed the fate that forced her to rely on such an opportunistic bastard, on such a misbegotten traitor…

“Well, we would need gold,” she answered his earlier inquiry all of a sudden. “Gold and silver, but mostly gold. Our daughter’s riches remained in Dijon, thus we are rather much short of… money…” Embarassed and furious at once, she trailed off.

Traitors. She was surrounded with traitors. Even her own House was doing the exact opposite of what she had asked them to, and of course their actions had their consequences… Irritated, and not afraid of showing her irritation, she clapped her hands in impotent rage, and she suddenly felt so miserable, she felt so defeated, she felt so needless and useless and insignificant that her eyes filled with tears. Why should I? Why should I? Why should I? she kept repeating in thought. Why should I? Why should I? Why should I? Why should I?

They’ve ruined my life, her mind screamed, and she began losing her grip on the reality. Her body sat there in front of the King of France, her body sat there, keeping shaking her head, but she could feel not outside world, now she could feel only her misery, her misery, her misery. They’ve ruined my life!. There she was, an aging woman with a rapidly detoriating body, thirty-two long years old, verging the total insanity, her hair already turning grey, it was very apparent now that she did not bother dying it anymore, she had nine pregnancies behind her, one of which ended with abortion, one of which ended with a premature birthing of a stillborn child, one of which ended in a premature birthing of twins…

Anna took a deep, shaky breath and looked up at Louis with barely concealed hostility in her glance. “We are listening,” she said finally in her husky contralto, “We are awaiting Votre Majesté eagerly to bring up the topic Votre Majesté wishes to discuss about…” She paused for a moment or two. “Or perhaps we should wait with those most important topics until the meeting of the Estates-General is concluded?” she asked with a honeyed smile spreading across her face. “We shouldn’t be in a rush, right?” she went on. “We wouldn’t want to make hasty decisions, right?” Her smile promised storm.

 

[Lord E]

Louis and Anna

Louis looked carefull at the Queen. She seemed more and more irritatied the more he spoke. He knew now that she couldn’t be trusted, and it seemed she was a very dangerous woman with much anger. Louis was mad he had managed to annoy the Queen to turn angry and irritated, but well done is done and now he ahd to try to make it better again.

“Your Majesty, gold and silver you say. We would of course be willing to help Your Majesty with that, just state the amount.”

He wondered what happened in Anna’s head, but even Louis was able to understand that she was pondering over many different matters, and that she probably had very many problems that he didn’t even now off, and that it might in the end turn dangerous not confronting the problems and taking action. Or maybe not? Louis wondered…

“We agree with Your Majesty. The most important matter now is the Estates-General, and we will return to our discussion after that. We look forward to speaking with Your Majesty again then, after the meeting. Indeed there is no need to rush…”

Louis smiled.

 

[unmerged(18481)]

“We agree with Your Majesty. The most important matter now is the Estates-General, and we will return to our discussion after that. We look forward to speaking with Your Majesty again then, after the meeting. Indeed there is no need to rush…”

Louis smiled...

...and Anna smiled back at him, beaming with delight.

Got you! she thought with bitter joy; now she could be sure of his betrayal. It was so terribly simple: he would wait for the lords to decide, and then he’d negotiate with the victor. For him, the person of the victor was unimportant. By Christ, Louis, it's so easy to see through you!

Still smiling, Anna stood up. “In that case, Monseigneur,” she said, “if you would be so kind to excuse us, we would retire now, as we feel somewhat indisposated. Nothing to worry about, still... We heartily hope Votre Majesté understands.” She courtseyed. “We will send an appropriate clerk to meet with an appropriate clerk of Your Majesty’s, so that the profane issue of money could be discussed. We thank Votre Majesté’s help in advance… Indeed, we are grateful to the Lord Almighty for giving us such a loyal and honest friend in the hour of need.”

Indeed, why not to milk him dry until she could?

O Louis, you thought you ensured the benevolence of both Éléanore’s and mine, right? she thought as she courtseyed again. But you won’t get away with this, you won’t!

The marriage of Marie de Bourbon-Berry and the Dauphin was a non-issue, she decided as she awaited him to leave her tent. And as soon as he would do so, she’d immediately summon her scribe to write a letter to the King of England.

 

[Cecasander]

A plain letter arrived at Argilly. It was simply adressed to 'Queen Anne', and it didn't bear any marks or seals. Yet, the messenger was explicitly told to hand it to no one else but Anne.

Onto Anne,

You cannot know how much this hurts me. Bremen is indeed quite far away, but this won't give us a 'watch for calamities from savety'. Au contré, the distance creates a gap in which most reports disappear, and only leave the rumours. We only hear these few rumours, and the rest is foggy. I have no clue what happens in Lotharingia. The rumours that Dijon fell had only just been confirmed by your letter. The 'fog of war' that covers Lotharingia kept us a part, my dear niece.

Yet, that does not mean I do not care. My father, the duke, left the political stage, or so it sometimes seems. He spends most of his time with the Hansa traders, and I have the feeling he witheld important information to his heir. I think he believes Dijon is to far away. I do not know much about my mother. the fate of our holdings of Boulon also got unclear since the beginning of the civil war. My sister, Silke, had send me letters, short ones as she doesn't bear writing a lot. They speak of violence, even though not in those words.

When my father leaves to Novgorod on yet another trading mission, I shall travel south under the diplomatic banner, in the light of stopping the fighting in Lotharingia. I can meet you then, yet not without creating an abnoxious statute. Untill that time, I will try to pull as many strings as possible, as far as I'm allowed.

Yours,

Johann Kasimierz

 

[Lord E]

Louis and Anna

“Very well Your Majesty. We shall speak again over these subjects. Now I will leave Your Majesty!”

Louis smiled, bowed and walked out.

When he got outside he walked over to the Captain of the guards.

“We are afraid that Her Majesty might be in danger from the rebels. We have understood that rumours are that they plan to kill Her Majesty, and since Her Majesty’s guards are too few We will use Our guard to guard Her Majesty. Remember no one are to enter or leave the camp without being searched. Oh and also send out patrols, We need to ensure the rebels are not able to summon more aid, so therefore We need to close and control the roads around, into and out of Dijon in all directions. Send a company of chevaliers to the different roads, We don’t need to say that all messengers are to be halted and all correspondences are to be read, and We are to be informed personally about all letters, notes and oral messages. If the messengers don’t want to do it peacefully you are allowed to take any actions you see fit.”

”Very well, Your Majesty. So all people are to be halted and search both if they enter and leave the area?”

“Oui, monsieur Captain. That is correct, and all correspondences are to be informed to Us. Any letters address to people associated with the rebels, or other people that might be a threat to France of course!”

”Oui, Your Majesty!”

The Captain walked off to ensure the guards around the Queen’s tent were strengthen with moreFrench soldiers, and to send the chevaliers on patrol around the area.

Louis smiled. He knew he had upset Anna, and this way he might be able to see if she was a dangerous a woman as he had heard she was, because if she was she would probably begin as soon as possible to work against him. He spoke silently to him self as he mounted and rode against his tent.

“It might be dirty tricks, but well I want have her working against me. Not now…”

 

[Avernite]

A visit to Holland

Falco looked out from his ship, little more than a fishing boat, as it entered the port of Amsterdam. He could immediately see why he had been sent here. Harlingen, his hometown, one of the biggest ports in Friesen, looked like a mere fishing village compared to this.

He saw vessels from the Hanse, great ships laden with the riches of the baltic, and even some that looked as if they could sail to Iberia. And then to think that Antwerp, the great port of Flandern, was rumoured to be even bigger. He certainly understood now why so many people wanted to rule this land, and gain access to it's riches.

As he stepped off his ship, he noticed the great guildhalls a few streets beyond, splendid buildings showing the might and riches of Amsterdam. He could only hope that one day, his hometown would look like this.

He walked to one of the inns that seemed to be around in the area of the halls, paying with the funds provided by the council. He needed to look fine, afterall, for his visit here.



After cleaning and resting from the journey, Falco went out to the guildhalls, where he adressed one of the persons standing at the gates: "Excuse me, I am looking for the mayor of Amsterdam, where can I find him?"
He had apparently adressed the wrong person, a man in such fine clothes that his own looked only slightly good in comparison, and the man was in a hurry. Still, despite obviously not liking it, the man pointed him to the 'vroedschap', apparently some important group, similar to the city councils of Friesen. Certainly, they would do.

Falco arrived where the man had pointed him, and adressed what looked like a crossover between an apprentice, a guard and a clerk, undoubtedly because the man was simply the one to recieve all visitors at the gate: "Good sir, I have come here as a messenger from Friesen, to speak with the vroedschap of Amsterdam. It concerns trade, and I have heard that they are the most important group on that matter. Could you kindly request an audience?" with that, Fokke handed the man a letter sealed by the governor of Friesen, that proved his identity as an emissary.

Now, he could only hope that the vroedschap was indeed in a position to do anything, because otherwise he would probably have to meet some noble, undoubtedly much less like the rulers of Friesen than this council.

 

[Lord E]

Dijon autumn 1454


Louis felt proud. He now knew that he had suspected correctly, why else would she act like this? He had her now, he knew it. This she wrote about one of her men eating letter made him even surer. When he had been informed by the guards he had suspected something, why else would this man eat a letter, and now Anna had confirmed it, she had already started or she was going to start working against him, or maybe against Lotharingia. No she wanted her daughter crowned, then maybe against Éléanore. He knew Anna didn’t like Éléanore, but he though she wouldn’t go so far, no he though Anna was working against him.

Louis smiled, and drank some more wine. It seemed Anna was scared, her letter was hastily written, and he did think she was true when she said she was annoyed, but he though he could see that it was a letter written in hast and fear.

“”I got her. Damn, now I got her”

He called for pen and paper and sat down to write:

Anna, Dowager Queen of Lotharingia

Your Majesty,

We hear Your Majesty’s complains, We wish to give Your Majesty a excuse for the act of some of Our soldiers. It seems some of the German mercenaries We hired from the Empire have not understood Our orders, We are very sorry that servants of His Most August Emperor have acted in these ways against an other servant of His Most August Emperor.

Your Majesty say there are holes in the line around Dijon, We can’t understand where those weak areas in the encircling of Dijon are, for We know that Our army has fully covered Our parts of the encircling of the city.
WE understand that some of Our men might have overstretched their orders, We will at once make sure those men are punished and Our orders made more clear so that Our men do not break Your Majesty’s privacy in Your Majesty pavilion.

We will send new orders to Our soldiers at once to make sure that Your Majesty will no longer suffer so great personal pain. But then We must also say that We can no longer then guarantee Your Majesty’s safety.

Louis

After giving the letter to a messenger Louis calls fro the Captain of the guards, and the Duc d’Orleans.

“We are sure you know of the safety measures We have taken to ensure the safety of the camp and the life of Her Majesty. Receiving a letter from Her Majesty we need to alter Our strategy. She thinks Our men are doing their work to good, so we will trick Her Majesty into believing We are moving Our men away, but in reality We are just altering Our strategy. “

”So Your Majesty want me to pull the men away from Her Majesty’s pavilion?”

“Yes, monsieur Captain. That is necessary. We will also alter the control of the roads, now We shall let people move in without any problems, and We will also let them go out again, but then We shall make sure all dangerous persons are halted, but it isn’t possible for Us to continue halting them like this. Now We need to halt messengers after they have got away from the area, and We need to take steps so that they can’t return to Her Majesty to complain. We need to i]silence[/i] them!”

”Your Majesty, Louis, do you know what this will lead to?”

“Yes, Jean I know, but it is necessary. We have received proof that Her Majesty has plans to work together with Our enemies against Us and the stability of France and Lotharingia. We need to ensure We know off all of Her Majesty’s correspondence so We can act against it.
Captain informs the guards that they are to let people in and out, and that we are to pull most of them away from Her Majesty’s pavilion. Those that stay will only guard not search anyone or enter the tent.
Jean we need to inform Our agent off the possibility of one or several letters leaving Dijon on the way north, maybe even to England. All messengers are to be taken care off, and the letters are to be secured at once and sent to me. But Our men will also take the place of the messenger they took the letter from and deliver the letter, We shall let the communication happen, but We shall try to know off all of it!”

”Oui, Your Majesty, I will do it at once!”

”Very well Your Majesty, so we are to expect Her Majesty corresponding with the rebel or the English or what?”

“Well Jean if only I knew, if only I knew…”

……………………………..​

The same day most of the guards where pulled away from Her Majesty’s pavilion to strengthen the guards on the outskirts of Dijon on the different roads, and letters where sent with the new orders. In all harbours and ports along the Channel men received letters and at once they got to work to ensure they would know if any messengers where trying to cross the Channel.

 

[Cecasander]

As the previous letter from Bremen, this was also a very plain looking message. It bore no seal, and only said 'Queen-regent Anna, for her eyes and her eyes only'.

Onto Anna

Dear niece, you should understand that if I wouldn’t care for your fate, I would have probably burned your last letters. Also, I do not fear fancy titles. I am married with a Trastamara, for heaven’s sake, not to mention I have the blood of some of the most noble families of Germany stream through my veins. I wouldn’t care for your title, for that matter. In your letters you sound the same person I always knew, and that’s all I need to know. The reason for my formalities was merely the result of the shock your letter caused me, so long ago, yet still so blunt and fermiliar.

You should also know that I do like to get in touch with you. To meet you. The city gates of Bremen sometimes look like prison gates, even though I have full liberty to travel all around the countryside. The court makes one numb. My father has become old and irrational, his servants and scribals are young and naïve, or either powerhungry and pushfull. The nobility gets more powerfull by the week, and more disloyal too. I need to get out of here. The Küsterburg has been my home for pretty much all my life, but now I want to flee it. A bit strange, no? After living there for twenty-eight years, quite some time passed maturity, your cousin wants to leave the nest after all. Sometimes I envy my little brother and sister, who live in Boulon with my mother. They never had the responsabilty of being a duke hereditary. Nor will they ever have to cope with a father that will restrain your power and freedom even due to that responsibility.

I will convince Rosa Maria to follow me, and to take the children, else I will travel to Boulon on my own. I do not seek to refrain myself from the duties in Bremen, but knowing my father he won’t step down in a decade, and I just need to get out.

Ofcourse, it’s only coincidence that Boulon is so close to Dijon.

Yours,

Johann

 

[BusterBunny]

A visit to Holland

Falco looked out from his ship, little more than a fishing boat, as it entered the port of Amsterdam. He could immediately see why he had been sent here. Harlingen, his hometown, one of the biggest ports in Friesen, looked like a mere fishing village compared to this.

He saw vessels from the Hanse, great ships laden with the riches of the baltic, and even some that looked as if they could sail to Iberia. And then to think that Antwerp, the great port of Flandern, was rumoured to be even bigger. He certainly understood now why so many people wanted to rule this land, and gain access to it's riches.

As he stepped off his ship, he noticed the great guildhalls a few streets beyond, splendid buildings showing the might and riches of Amsterdam. He could only hope that one day, his hometown would look like this.

He walked to one of the inns that seemed to be around in the area of the halls, paying with the funds provided by the council. He needed to look fine, afterall, for his visit here.



After cleaning and resting from the journey, Falco went out to the guildhalls, where he adressed one of the persons standing at the gates: "Excuse me, I am looking for the mayor of Amsterdam, where can I find him?"
He had apparently adressed the wrong person, a man in such fine clothes that his own looked only slightly good in comparison, and the man was in a hurry. Still, despite obviously not liking it, the man pointed him to the 'vroedschap', apparently some important group, similar to the city councils of Friesen. Certainly, they would do.

Falco arrived where the man had pointed him, and adressed what looked like a crossover between an apprentice, a guard and a clerk, undoubtedly because the man was simply the one to recieve all visitors at the gate: "Good sir, I have come here as a messenger from Friesen, to speak with the vroedschap of Amsterdam. It concerns trade, and I have heard that they are the most important group on that matter. Could you kindly request an audience?" with that, Fokke handed the man a letter sealed by the governor of Friesen, that proved his identity as an emissary.

Now, he could only hope that the vroedschap was indeed in a position to do anything, because otherwise he would probably have to meet some noble, undoubtedly much less like the rulers of Friesen than this council.

The clement morning had brought ill news from Argilly. It was said that nothing was progressing as expected, and peace seemed far from reality.

For Jan van der Vost, this meant that he had to manage his city alone. Amsterdam was far from Dijon anyhow, and the French didn’t really understand matters of trade. They understood taxes and war. But not trade.

But without the support of the royal armies, trade couldn’t be secured. The loss of the Burgundian Waddeneilanden meant difficult times for Amsterdam, the Waddenzee was now either dangerous, or taxed. Both cases were not good.


The vroedschap didn’t stay idle. It did try to remove this blockade from the Duke of Gelre. When taxes could be raised, he would send mercenary raiders, one of the islands, trying to get some control of the waterways. But each time, it ended up with many deaths, and more Gelrean taxes. With peace being talked in Argilly, he simply hoped his envoys, members of the vroedschap, could come back with more troops to stop the madness. As burgemeester, Jan stayed behind. He didn’t need exposure to the nobility

Two ships were ready to depart that day. He looked as the sailors raised the sails, and slowly moved to the horizon. It seemed that, though taxes were high enough in the islands, Amsterdam was still a profitable city. War brought needs, and needs brought the prices of goods up... or so they say.

A messenger came running at Jan. He gave him a letter of introduction coming from a Friesian. Looking at the seals, he was quite surprised to see sudden interest from Friesians for the city of Amsterdam.

He walked back to the vroedschap house, and as he came closer to the Friesian representative, he grew more concerned at the business at hand. He finally bowed his head slightly, to greet the man.

”I am Jan van der Vost, burgemeester of the city and head of the vroedschap of Amsterdam. I understand you are from Friesland.... What is your business here?”

 

[Avernite]

"I am honoured to meet you sir. My name is Falco van Harlingen, emissary of the Governor of Friesen.

First, before I come down to business, I feel I need to explain a few things. The recent months have brought great changes to Friesen, changes that coincide closely with my mission here.

The county of Friesen, or what's left of it, has a new government. We are now ruled by the Governor, who is elected by the council of cities. I believe this is similar to how a burgemeester is chosen by the important guilds, allthough I haven't had the time yet to confirm this idea.

This new government has brought a great emphasis on the cities, and on what cities want. And one of those things is trade. While we don't suffer as much as you from the Gelrian tolls, this is mostly because we have most of our trading relations to the east, in Denmark and beyond.

However, your city has proven that the west could very well be profitable aswell. Therefore, I have come here, and I will continue through much of Holland, to establish somesort of trading relation with the cities of Holland.

The idea is very simple:
Ships with goods from Denmark and the Baltic can easily come through to Friesen without encountering the Gelrians. From there, they can sail along the Frisian coast, provided they know the local waters, and can dock at port if a storm approaches. Thus, you could avoid many of the taxes imposed on trade by the Duke of Gelre, while Frisian cities gain increased traffic.

A second point is, that it may be possible to use the current overland routes between Amsterdam and the western coast of Holland, to avoid the Gelrian tariffs on goods from England and France enroute to Friesen.

As such, I believe it would be very profitable to establish a trading relationship, and allthough we prefer the official route, we believe we have the best chances by approaching cities rather than the officials in Dijon, who are occupied with other affairs.

Our proposal is that we lower tariffs raised by Friesen on goods enroute to Amsterdam, so that it is feasible to avoid tariffs by going through Friesen, and likewise you would lower taxes on goods passing through to Friesen.

In this way, we would both ensure our own profits, and ensure that the Duke gets no more money than necessary, thus improving the chances of someday removing them from the islands.

I have some official documents prepared which would more or less describe this proposal, but I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter before making anything official, as I'm sure you, with local expertise, know better what would make a profit in Holland."

 

[Mettermrck]

He was somewhat mollified at being sent to Argilly, where he could observe the Burgundian squabbles and continue to express his gratitude to the Lord that he was an Englishmen. Yet it would not due for Burgundy, or Lotharingia, or whatever they called themselves, to remain perpetually divided. They had their foot close to France’s neck, and in the absence of England’s bootheel, it was a favorable situation to maintain.

Sir Roger de Lisle, the Lord Chancellor in France, did not possess the traditional appearance of the diplomat and was more suited to a captaincy of some chivalric bodyguard than one of scholarly knowledge. He appeared large in his courtly robes, his thick neck and imposing face preventing him from disappearing in a crowd. He sighed…perhaps his King was at last growing up, and with good timing too, though he had appointed that fat Cardinal to the Chancellery, leaving Lisle to make sure the French behaved. Some assertive maturity would be needed at a time like this. He remained calmly standing, awaiting the chance to announce his arrival and begin his involvement.

 

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March 16th, 1455 - at Argilly, Duchy of Burgundy, Lothariniga

The Diet of Argilly

~ les États Généraux du Royaume de Lotharingie ~​

Éléanore bowed slightly to Anna and other members of the Church. “It is important, my Lords. I present to you my brother… Philippe du Berry.”

Anna turned pale immediately on hearing Éléanore’s words. She got dizzy, her heart gave a leap, she got so very much enraged that she almost fainted. And everything went black.

It felt hours, but in reality only moments had passed until she opened her eyes again. She opened her eyes, opened her ice-blue eyes, only to see the red-haired young man standing there, a relatively handsome young man of an innocent face, having an air of aloof dignity around him. She opened her eyes, opened her ice-blue eyes, only to see him, him, the murderer of her husband, standing there. He did have a resemblance to Éléanore.

“I--I protest---” she tried to say, but her throat was too dry, her voice faltered.

Everything was blurred, nothing seemed real. The words ‘betrayal’, ‘spoil’, ‘impudent’ and ‘traitors’ kept echoing in her mind. Desperate, she closed her eyes, as if hoping he would disappear. Of course he did not, but at least she calmed down, though only a bit. Anna took a deep, shaky breath, and though her knees trembling, she was barely conscious, she felt barely alive, she rose to speak.

“O God Almighty, I can but admire my well-beloved sister’s purity!” she cried out loud, her contralto rich and sonorous. “Indeed, great is my admiration for my sister the Empress Éléanore, I can but stand at awe when I am confronted by her innocence and purity that are like those of a newborn baby. She is, my Lords,” Anna faced her audience, “she is an example for all of us: nobody is that white as her. We wish we had more of such men and women in our daughter’s service.”

She fell silent for a moment as she courtseyed deep before her sister-in-law.

“The Empress Éléanore’s heart is so uncorrupted that she believed this man to be her long-lost brother merely because this man said so,” Anna continued in a more subdued tone. “He said he’s Philippe de Berry, and our sister, innocent like a newborn child, believed him, embraced him, gave him her confidence and love! We, you and I, corrupted by this evil world, should indeed bow before her sweet naivity that is truly that of a maiden. We, you and I, do know that people sometimes… lie. That people lie, this way trying to get advantages, to get things that is not theirs!” she continued quickly, in a louder voice, not letting Philippe or anybody else speak. She was sweating, she needed full concentration to prevent her voice from trembling: speaking in public wasn’t her thing. “We call these liars frauds, these people who pretend to be someone else to gain something. And my well-beloved sister, in her purity, is being decieved by such a fraud! The man introduced to us as Prince Philippe de Berry is in reality called Benjamin, is a Jew, son of a miller from Alsace.”

Anna waited for a moment, letting the murmuring silence.

“His father is in this very castle,” she continued, her voice firm. “The old miller has been shocked by the misdeeds of his son, and has come to us, he pleaded us on his knees to forgive Benjamin… “ As she spoke, she firmly believed that she was telling the truth. There was indeed an Alsatian Jew in the Castle of Argilly who would swear at any time that the red-haired man was his son, Benjamin. The old Jew would have sworn any other thing at any time, but that’s another matter.

“And now I will tell you the reasons why this individuum will be removed from this hall,” Anna continued in a booming voice, “and the number of my reasons will be three, in honour of the Holy Trinity. One, for the Father: this individuum is not of noble birth, therefore he is not a noble of the Realm, therefore has no right to attend this meeting. Two, for the Son: this individuum is dishonouring the blessed memory of my lamented brother the Prince Philippe, and is therefore guilty in high treason. And three, for the Holy Spirit: this individuum is one the murderers of the King Louis, and is hence a régicide to be convicted and sentenced. And even though my daughter’s letters of summon provide immunity to those fighting against her, including even this individuum, no-one may require her to endure the presence of her father’s murderer. And therefore, even though this individuum has been allowed to come, and will be allowed to leave unharmed, he must leave now, and leave immediately, unless---”

Anna took a deep breath, and suddenly swirled around to face the red-haired murderer of her husband.

“---unless you have come to surrender to our daughter fully and unconditionally,” Anne du Griffon said in a low voice. And there she stood, an aging woman, his victim, panting, her cheeks blushing, her hair dishevelled. There she stood, beautiful in her rage, staring deep in his eyes.

 

[Lord E]

French Camp, Dijon, late 1454

The man stumbled forward. He was breathing heavy and he could barely stand. The blood was dripping out of wound in his back; he staggered towards the Royal Pavilion. Spotted by the guards, they first assumed the man was drunk, but then they saw the wound and the colour of his face, and they ran forward to aid him.

”The King! I must see the King! The Gryphon…. Ssssshe is ploooting with Edmuuu gah”

He tries to speak, but couldn’t say more, and as he fell forward a piece of paper with bloodstains fell out of his hand. The guards try to shake him, but he was dead. As the guards was standing there wondering what to do, the Duke of Orleans, passes by.

”Hey! You men. What is this?”

“This man Your Highness, he stumbled in here, asking to see the King and trying to say something about the Gryphon and then he died after sayings something like:she is plotting, oh and this paper fell out of his hand.”

The Duke picks up the paper, and first he looks at the blood, but then he quickly looks at what is written down on the paper.

Anne, Queen Dowager of Lotharingia, on behalf of her très-chère & très-aimée fille, Marie, of this name Second, by the grace of God Queen of Lotharingia, Duchess of Burgundy & Lady of France, Duchess of Montpellier, Countess of Montpensier, second Sovereign of the Most Illustrious Order of the Golden Fleece: to Edmund, of this name First, by the favour of divine mercy King of England & King of France, Lord & Master of Scotland, Ireland & Aquitaine, Duke of Normandy, York, Britanny & Count of Anjou, Grandmaster & Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter -- greetings and salutations.

DEYEO REFEB LFINA QEHGB PMLDH HFUUR XREMG OBDEO OGSES RHGLI BLUGS EXAOA NRGRE HGSAG YEUAO OEMGS EPRMT WLNLU OLGSA IRMTR A: IEYEOH -- OEWYB AMECR OEAGI ARGLI XLFMG AMWAQ EDRHS UIAFW -- SAVEN FIWEI EWGSE KILKE IOBXI LDMEW AMWAM LRMGE WPRMT LUGSE NRWWO EPRMT WLNAM WSAVE HGAIG EWAMF MTLWO BXSAH EATAR MHGSR HSERI EHH. DELFI WAFTS GEIHG FGLIA MWSAI WEMSA VEFMU FIOEW LFIXL OLFIH GLURT SGGSE IETRX RWEHD RGSGS ESEOK LULFI WAFTS GEIHO LBAOV AHHAO HAMWL FIURT SGDLF OWSAV EZEEM IEAHL MAZOC HFXXE HHUFO RUMLG GSEGI ARGLI HGSAG HFIIL FMWFH. LFIEM ENREH AIEMF NEILF HAMWL FIEME NREHA IEGSE HANEA HGSLH ELUBL FINAQ EHGB. GSEHK RWEIR HLME: SERHK IEGEM WRMTG LSEOK FHYFG RMIEA ORGBS EHFKK LIGHG SEENK IEHHA MWHSE RHGSE HEXLM WEMEN BLUYL GSLUF H. GSEEN KIEHH RHARN RMTGS EGSIL MELTE MTOAM W: HSEXO ARNHG LYEGS EKIRN AOSER ILUGS EOAMX AHGIR AMORM ELUGS ESLFH EKOAM GATEM EGAMW RGRHM LHEXI EGGSA GLMXE HSETA RMHGS EGSIL MELUG SENRX XOEPR MTWLN, HSEDR OOFHER GGLEC GEMWS EIKLD EILMG LGSER HOEH. DEXAO OAMWI ESFEI GBLFI NAQEH GBGLS EOKGH, GLXLN EGLLF IARW, AMWBL FINAQ EHGBN FHGWL HLMLG LMOBY EXAFH ELUGS EXSRV AOIBA MWSLM LFIYF GIAGS EIYEX AFHED ENFHG HGAMW FMRGE WATAR MHGLF IEMEN REH, EOHEG SEBDR OOXIF HSYLG SLUFH. DENFH GHGAM WFMRG EWLFI SLFHE HNFFG FMRGE AMWGS EIEUL IEDEL UUEIG SESAM WLULF IWAFT SGEIG LBLFI NAQEH GYLII AGSEI GLGSE UFGFI EKIRM XELUD AOEH. IEKOB FHRMT GSEHA NEXLWE.


Anna R.

”The King needs to see this, at once. Get this body out of here. Bring it to His Majesty’s pavilion!”

………………………………….​

Entering the Royal pavilion with the paper in his hand, and the two guards carrying the body behind him the Duke nods to the King, gestures for the guards to put toe body down, and orders them out.

“So Jean… what is all this?”

”Well Your Majesty, not knowing all I would ay that Anna has started to plan with Edmund the bastard in England. Here take a loot at this Your Majesty, although I can’t understand the code I guess the heading says enough, if it is correct of course.”

“So I presume he brought it here.”

”Yes, Your Majesty. And judging from his wounds I would say he has been shot by an arrow, it is actually strange he has even been able to get here with the note.”

“Yes, Jacques was always a good agent; it is too bad to see him die like this. Damn…damn….damn!
Bloody whore that is what she is. Working against the people of Gaul and me like that plotting with this English dog, so I guess we can presume that Jacques was killed by her men, well that he was able to see and try to write down the letter is good. Now we need to get to know what it means! “

”Yes, Your Majesty. But I don’t understand it!”

“No, we don’t understand it… not yet. But now we know where we have Anna, and we know she can’t be trusted. So Jean you still think we can’t hire someone to take care of it?”

”No, Your Majesty. She is a Queen of Lotharingia after all. What if someone got to know that Your Majesty was behind it? It would surely toss all of Gaul into turmoil, and it would give Edmund the chance he is longing for. I say it is to risky to take such steps. All we can do is watch her, and when we get to this Grand Meeting Your Majesty needs to talk to the Queen!”

“Yes, yes. We shall do it like that. Now make sure Jacques get a decent burial, and tell the Captain of the guards that the surveillance is to be even stricter, and that the men are allowed to take any measure necessary so that we get to know what Anna is up to!”

Louis smiled.
Now I just need to play my hand right, and then we shall see Anna who is the one with the most cunning plan

 

[Cecasander]

Another letter arrived from an unknown destination. It was unmarked and the adress only said 'Anna'. Still, this was all the messenger needed to know.

Onto Anna

So far my journey is not going very well. It seems the odds are against me. On the road from Hannover to Koblenz we are attacked by highwaymen several times. Apparently the Hessenians don’t care for keeping their routes safe. When we arrived at the Rhein bank opposite of Koblenz, the water level in the river was so high that no ferryman dared to make the cross, afraid of sailing over rooftops or something. I must say I didn’t believe that was possible in the first place, as the water was standing high, but no higher than a few thumbs above street level. When we finally got across, the journey got well along the Mosel until Bernkastel. There we learned about the unrest in the north of your realm and the diet…

To make a long story short, dear Anna, I am now in Trier. Several people have disencouraged us to travel towards Nancy, and I fear Rosa Maria and Heinrich might have gotten the flue. Trier is safe for them, as nobody dares to attack the papal holdings. However, I shall move on. I shall travel south to Metz and then to Nancy with a few retainers, fighting any rebel or angry peasant that comes on my path. Rosa Maria and the children will follow when it’s safe. Do not fear, dear Anna, as we shall meet soon, either in Nancy or Dijon, or my mother’s castle in Boulon. You will be in my thoughts. I only beg you to take care of yourself.

In best regards,

Johann Kazimierz

 

[BusterBunny]

Philippe du Berry and his entourage listened to Anna’s speech. The accusations regarding Philippe’s origins were well known by now, but hearing them so violently made him shiver.

Éléanore smiled when Anna began her accusations. She stood aside from the main group, but when Anna pointed her finger at her, she moved closer to Philippe. Much had been said in Dijon, and many things just made sense now.

When Anna ended her speech, the room stood silent. An old monk, from Philippe entourage, broke the silence by moving forward, standing in front of Anna.

”This man is under protection from the Monks of the Abbey of Morimondus! As part of our congregation, Brother Philippe shall not be harmed!”

The old man was recognised to be Father Richard de Monrimond, head of the Abbey of Morimondus. Whispers could be heard from the crowd. Phoebus de Châteaupers approached Anna and said ”My queen, the Abbey cannot protect this man expect if...”

Philippe cut Phoebus short.

”... Except if I decided to dedicate my life to God, and joined the Abbey of Morimondus, dear Phoebus!” he looked around.

”And so I have done just that.”

The whispers in the crowd grew louder.

”I am surrendering, officially. I am surrendering to the only Queen of Lotharingia...”

He turned to Anna, and then to Éléanore, kneeling.

”Queen Éléanore, I surrender my possessions to you. May you forgive me, and let me live in peace at the Abbey”

Éléanore smiled. ”Indeed, dear brother, I forgive you....”.

Éléanore then turned to Anna and to the crowd in general. For the first time since her coronation, she addressed the lords of Lotharingia formally.

”Lords of Lotharingia! Hear the plea of the only daughter of the blessed Marie de Berry!

My Lords! This war can end now, as we speak. My brother stands accused of not being who he claims he is. I do have proof of his origins, and I am willing to show them to everyone. However, what will this prove to any of us?”

She stopped, and looked to Anna, while not addressing her directly. ”Even if I would prove of my brother’s origins, even if I would show to you that he comes, indeed, from the womb of my mother, even then would some people claim this was forgery, and THIS WAR WOULD GO ON!”

She paused again and turned to the crowd.

”These people would probably tell you that I am the daughter of a Venetian whore if they could! Like they do at the moment with my brother. But then perhaps even Louis de Montpensier is really just a beggar made king...”

”HE WHO DOUBTS THE BLESSED ORIGINS OF MY BROTHER DOUBTS THE BLESSES ORIGINS OF ALL OF US!”

The words had quite an effect on the crowd, as some approved and others disapproved.

”Beware he who challenges your origins, for he dreams yourself your master.”

”And so we are now here to set the records straight. We are here to choose another king or queen.”

She looked around, and pointed at Anna.

”Her majesty Anna proposes her daughter to be the next queen of Lotharingia. We all know that many Houses of the Empire and beyond would love to see this happen. But let’s be honest. Do we really want a queen that wages war for five years against a red-haired miller Jew with 2 silver florins, a unknown French count and an upstart merchant from Arras?”

”If it took Her Majesty Anna de Savoie five years to grind the offensive of a miller Jew to a halt, what will it be when the Empire, or the Kingdom of England, decides to invade us? What will we do then?”

The crowd grew silent. These lords were perhaps more pragmatic than what Éléanore had thought at first. That was good.

”I, on the other hand, was born from the blessed Marie de Berry. Many of you remember my crowning, and me surrendering my crown in order to prevent civil war for these lands. I believed that King Louis de Montpensier would be able to do that. I was wrong, and for this, I ask your Lorships for your forgiveness.”

She bowed her head, and then resumed.

”This Assembly is divided. Some supported me, some supported Queen Anna, and some, not here right now, supported my brother Philippe. With my brother’s surrender, there is only Queen Anna in the name of her daughter, and myself, to claim the throne of Lotharingia. Whatever the decision might be, half of this assembly might decide not to follow and so in 10 years of now, war will be upon our lands again.”

She turned to Anna.

”In order to prevent civil war, we would need to have a quasi unanimous Diet. This would mean to have a situation where my supporters and Queen Anna’s supporters would be satisfied. This is not an easy task, as we aim the same goal. And whatever the situation, there might still be discussions as to the legitimacy of the new heirs! You Lordships would call Anna and I your queens, but then whose children would rise to the throne?”

Many lords nodded in the crowd. Éléanore was anticipating their questions.

”What if you didn’t have to choose?”

She let the words sink in. ”Could my children, and Queen Anna’s children, rise to the throne? Yes, yes it can. By marrying my son, Antoine de Wittelsbach-Berry to Marie de Montpensier-Savoie, we would have an undeniable king and queen to Lotharingia. We would have reformed a true Berry line!”

”This is the only way to prevent war within ourselves. I am willing to allow this marriage. I am willing to allow for peace to prevail”

She turned to Anna. ”Now, the only question that remains is whether Your Majesty, Queen Anne, also want peace to prevail....”

 

[unmerged(18481)]

By God’s teeth, sometimes I wish the poor Marie de Berry had been strangled before she could have turn loose these horrible children on the unsuspecting Earth.

- Anna von der Greif in a letter to Friedrich von Wittelsbach, 1448.​

Anna looked at her hands and she saw that they were trembling. She stared at them for a minute or two, and then she clasped them, and pressed them tight against her belly.

She looked up, glancing at the right, towards Charles de Wittelsbach: their eyes met for a moment, but only for a moment before he turned his head away. Her eyes said: you betrayed me. She had shared an idea with him, she had entrusted a secret to him, and he had handed over that secret to her enemy, so that the enemy could now ride in the scene victoriously, making use of all the things she had built up so painfully… Queen Dowager Anne du Griffon cast down her eyes and bent down her head as Éléanore kept on speaking. Anna listened only with mild interest; the real things were said, now she but awaited the crowd to start cheering, falling on their knees before their pretty bitch, the only Queen of Lotharingia. Anna felt a bit like vomiting, and she also felt a strong impulse to make a scene.

Queen Dowager Anne du Griffon was wringing her hands. They kind of looked like pale worms fornicating.

“This is the only way to prevent war within ourselves,” Éléanore went on. “I am willing to allow this marriage.”

How nice of you, Anna thought. Her throat constricted with a spasm of disgust, and she remembered Louis de Berry. She remembered, she remembered Louis de Bourbon-Berry, she remembered the King Louis of Lotharingia, this large man who’d been like a rock weathering a storm, this large man who’d been her husband, this large man who had loved her, this large man who had been murdered. Now she realized she still wasn’t informed of what had happened with his corpse. Nobody seemed to know it. His corpse was probably disposed, thrown out with the rubbish. Maybe they just threw his body in the Ouche, letting the river take care of it. Her eyes filled with tears as she thought of it, as she imagined that big, once-so-strong body stripped naked, tossed rudely on a cart… Tears appeared in her eyes as she imagined the scene, as she imagined the naked corpse of the once-so-powerful man falling in the Ouche like a ragdoll.

“I am willing to allow for peace to prevail,” Éléanore said.

How generous of you, Anna thought with tearful eyes, keeping biting her lip. She remembered her former suite in the Tour Philippe le Bon, her very own private chambers. She remembered her clothes, her books, her letters, her writing bench. She remembered the flowers, the jewelry she used to have, she remembered the falcon she used to call Fluffy. And she remembered Marie, her daughter, she remembered Marie as a baby, she remembered Louis holding her carefully in his arms, beaming with pride and joy.

“Now, the only question that remains is whether Your Majesty, Queen Anne, also want peace to prevail....”

As if in a reverie, Anne du Griffon lifted her head very slowly, she looked up, glaring in Éléanore’s eyes, in those eyes the grey of which reminded Anna to the stormy sky, and also to some past years the memories of which she had buried very deep.

“I’m no Queen, chère sister, at least not in the opinion of your well-beloved swindler,” Anna said, her voice trembling. The words were torn from her. Tears were flowing down on her cheeks, one by one, one after another. Watching Éléanore, she wondered if she could strangle her on the place. “Whether I want peace to prevail?” she echoed. “Whether I want peace or not?” She hesitated. “Judge by the things I have already done, très chère sister,” she said finally. Her voice held bitter sharpness.

Then she turned around to face the abbot Richard.

“My lord Abbot, you got me terribly wrong: it doesn’t matter if this individuum,” she waved towards the man whom Éléanore had introduced Philippe, “is under your protection or not. He is under the personal protection of my daughter while he’s in here, and is therefore, as I have said, well allowed to stay and leave unharmed. However, it will be better for him never to leave that abbey of yours, for if he does, he shall be apprehended and trialed by our bailiffs, as it is the royal law that prevails in the countryside. And the royal law is not very forgiving when one is charged with fraud, murder and regicide. Furthermore, I believe a Ruler should not and cannot grant forgiveness until the accused person wasn’t put on trial by a proper court of justice… do not you think, my Lords?”

Anna was already crying then, she was very near to break down. There was a wry, painful, near-hysterical grin spreading across her face as she ran her eye over the crowd of nobles. She could barely see them through her tears.

“And now I have to excuse myself, my Lords,” her voice trembling, she adressed her past supporters and past enemies, “I would love to stay, but the presence of the frère Meurtrier makes me unable to.” And with this, she courtseyed swiftly, and hurried away, away, away, away, weeping, not glancing to the right nor to the left, not caring of the old de Croÿ rushing after her to drag her back, she was fleeing the scene of her abasement, she was fleeing the scene of the second murdering of her husband, she was fleeing, fleeing, fleeing to her daughter.

 

[Mettermrck]

Sir Roger listened politely to the political theater being enacted. A man without power giving his possessions to a woman who abdicated that power. Only the foolish couldn't spot the obvious flaw in the whole performance. He turned his back as soon as it was permissible and looked around the gathering for someone appropriate to pass on his missive. King Edmund cared little for discretion, as if Roger could conceal his mission, but at least the text would remain hidden, which might suffice for the present.

He finally spotted an appopriate lord in Anna's entourage, just as Eleanore was finishing her speech. The Arras faction and their pronouncements. Sometimes it seemed Eleanore had forgotten her own limitations. Shrugging, he decided to wait for Anna's response, and he noted with concern her emotional reaction to the whole affair. Perhaps Edmund's letter was more well-timed than he thought. Then he had an idea, forgoing the entourage. With quick thinking, he positioned himself close to the Queen's path of escape and slipped the letter into her hand, murmuring quietly, "King Edmund hears you, Your Majesty." He pressed it firmly to make sure she didn't discard it, and then backed away quickly, to give the gossipers less to talk about.

BLFIH RHAXA FHEGL YEIEH KEXGE W. EMTOA MWRHA UIREM WGLGS ETIER UHAMW EHKEX RAOOB BLFIN AQEHG B. GSEUI
 EMXSA MWGS ERIYF ITFMW RAMAO OREHA IEVFO GFIEH DSLKI EBLMG RGOEH GSAGW LMLGI RTSGU FOOBY EOLMT GLGSE
 N. RGRHA XIRNE GSAGB LFAIE WEMRE WBLFI YRIGS IRTSG, AMWBL FIWAF TSGEI SEIH. AHP, AMWDE HSAOO TRVE.
 BLFME EWMLG DLIIB LMEMT OAMWH AXXLF MG. BLFII EOAGR VEHRM KLNNE IAMRA HEEPL FIARW AHDEO OAMWD ERMGE
 MWGLL UUEIR G. DETOA WOBAX XEKGB LFILU UEILU NAIIR ATEGS LFTSF MWEIH GAMWA YOBGS RHDLF OWYEW EOABE
 WULIA TEHHA PE. SLDAI EGSRM THRMA ITROO B? DEGIF HGGSE UIEMX SAIEP EEKRM TGSER IWRHG AMXE? LFINA
 MWEOR HOERH RMAIT ROOBR UBLFD RHSUL IWRIE XGXLN NFMRX AGRLM. DEAIE XLMGE NKOAG RMTXL NRMTL FIHEO
 VEHRU HEXFI RGBRH KILVR WEW. DEPML DBLFA IEHGI LMTAM WDEGA PEXLN ULIGR MBLFI ECANK OE.

 

[unmerged(18481)]

There is, or at least so they say, a mechanism built in the human mind designed to prevent one losing his sanity. If no such device existed, people would go insane each time they meet seemingly insurmountable obstacles, each time they are confronted by their limitations. Madness is not nearly as common as it might be because of the presence of that mechanism. It’s like a tiny demon that sits on one’s shoulder. When one starts to lose his footing, the tiny demon starts to whisper sweet lies, it tries to soothe the troubled mind, it tries to make a defeat a victory, it tries to make hard facts seem untrue. It’s not a comfortable process, not a bit it is; the Queen Dowager Anne du Griffon knew it all too well.

Her field of vision was very limited as she hurried away, away, away, away, she could see only her way stretching out ahead toward the pavilion where her daughter was. She was fleeing, though she was indeed careful not to run, she was careful not to sob. She was fleeing, and the thoughts were racing in her mind, arguments and counter-arguments, in a brain-racking order, that she got to surrender, she got to find a way out, she got to kill herself, kill herself and her daughter as well, so that they could be in safe from them, so that they could never get her, ultimate escape, but NO!

Anna’s head felt exploding, her heart was beating unendurably hard as she was fleeing, fleeing, fleeing.

“King Edmund hears you, Your Majesty,” someone whispered suddenly in her ear in a conspirational whisper, and then he disappeared almost instantly. At first she thought he was a demon of some sort, or maybe a mere vision, product only of her tortured mind. Confused, she glanced back above shoulder, but she saw only the menacing mass of nobles, all those eyes seemed to stare at her -- her sanity was washed away by her terror immediately.

Only minutes later she noticed that she was holding the letter in her hand. Surprised, she slowed her pace down, broke the plain seal automatically, and she could but stare blankly at the gibberish writing there. I’ve gone queer, she thought, and it took her minutes to recognize the code. She felt a brief spark of hope then, but then it flashed through her mind: Too many question marks, and the desperation returned. Though the tiny demon within her mind suggested the letter held good news, her racked soul was simply sure things could just go worse. And that was the moment Anna of the Greif started to weep.

 

[BusterBunny]

Phoebus right leg was dragging him down. He walked with determination, his back straight, not showing any emotions. He limped lightly; his right foot had never really recovered from an arrow at Arras some decades ago. Each step seemed physically painful, but nothing showed on his face. He remained focus on getting as fast as he could at the other end of the great hall, getting to the main corridor.

The crowd remained behind. He could see the Wittelsbach, Karl, talking to Éléanore, probably congratulating her on what he would perceive as a great chance to get Imperial influence back on the throne of Lotharingia. But there were enough sycophants in the main great hall, and this just confirmed to Phoebus that these were now the “ideal” of these times. Honour and duty were no more, long gone were the chivalrous ideals of the last centuries.

Phoebus blamed the game of chess for that. This game, that the Church had condemned so many times now, had no honour in it. You grabbed a piece by any means possible. You simply jumped on the occasion. Pawns would kill queens, and at the end, no one even respected the king. Everyone on the other side would jump at him, cornering him and then killing him. The values transmitted in the game of chess were exactly the same as the members of this diet were showing. Thus, both were obviously linked.

And above all, the most powerful piece of the game was the queen, not the king. The king was the legitimacy, but everyone really feared the queen.

If the diet and the game of chess were linked, then perhaps these would be the new rules of Lotharingia. And of course, the queen would be the main person to attack. The others were just there to protect while she made her wide, unpredictable moves. Anna was that kind of queen. She was surprising, and she tried to defend herself with all the pieces around here. Unfortunately, she had almost just pawns around her.

The poor queen ran away. For once, she ran away. The most powerful piece of the game simply vanished in tears. He tried to follow her, but she ran quite faster than him, in her pain, or her fury. He wasn’t sure which she felt right now, and he had prepared for both. And both were understandable.

He stepped outside of the castle. Rain had been here not long ago, and humidity reminded that he wasn’t as young as he once was. He still liked, however, this strange calmness that came after the rain, which allowed for armies to regroup, for men to think, for farmers to hope. Phoebus turned toward the left field, and quickly found the giant tent bearing the arms of St-Claude. Many guards stood in front of it, many from allied armies that supported Queen Anna.

”Your Grace, Her Majesty Queen Anna asked for no visitors.” the young guard said.

”I am not here to visit, young man, I am here to counsel.” Phoebus answered. The young man seemed confused. Obviously, Queen Anna had meant that no one should enter the tent… but she did say “visitors”, so technically, Duke Phoebus was right.

The man stepped aside, and Phoebus entered the large tent. Anna was there, her back turned to the main entrance, watching the centre fire, giving a suffocating smell to the whole tent. It was, however, warmer than outside, and the humidity had vanished. Phoebus couldn’t see Anna’s face. Perhaps she was crying, or laughing. But at least she was where he had expected her to be.

”Your Most Benevolent Majesty, I am sorry.” Phoebus began. ”I am sorry, for I did not really anticipate Éléanore to come with such an offer… I didn’t not anticipate your enemies to ally so quickly…”

He didn’t believe them to be enemies in the proper sense of the terms. Surely rivals, but not enemies. However, to Anna, they were all enemies in a sense, and he surely understood the pain this could cause.

”My counsel has failed you, and I beg for your forgiveness, Most Gracious Majesty.”

He put one knee to the ground. ”Your Majesty, we have enough troops to take Dijon at this point. I do not know if we can win the war, but as God is my witness, we can give them hell for the affront they gave to you today!”