Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily.
Maria received two letters on the same day. One, positive and full of hope, coming from the Rhine. It contained words that promised support. This letter made Maria very happy, but it contained a statement that surprised her. It stated that the Aragonese branch of the House of Barcelona had been excommunicated by Clement VII. Both Popes had spit in the eye of her cousins, and the Elector of Pfalz wanted his heir and Maria's cousin to be named heir to Sicily, bypassing the Crown Prince of Aragon, her next of kin.
The idea of bypassing her legal heir made her uncomfortable, especially since His Holiness had been ignoring the letters sent by Palermo in recent months, as if he had abandoned Sicily. The Roman Pope had excommunicated all of the followers of Avignon, and Rome's agents surrounded Sicily. They had even invaded her eastern shores.
Then, some hours later, she received the Saxon letter. Friedrich of Meissen offered a truce if Maria would agree to marry him and allow both of them to rule together using differing titles. Friedrich warned that he had the support of the Luxemburgs, and that Naples, too, intended to invade.
This floored Maria. Naples had given up their claims years ago, and now the idea of Neapolitan invasion had become real once again. It could have been a lie orchestrated by Friedrich, but in Palermo, it was thought that Charles of Durazzo was the Antichrist. She did not hesitate to believe that Charles had asperations to seize Sicily for himself.
The Queen was caught between a rock and a hard place. She could betray Aragon and accept the Wittelsbach heir and future elector as her heir, but this would alienate Sicily from her strongest ally. However, it would bring them some much needed manpower at that moment. It wouldn't be good in the long term, but for now...
But, then, on the other hand, there was Friedrich.. and Federico.. The former was a German prince who demanded what he felt was rightfully his, spitting in the face of Maria, her dynasty, and the recent history of Sicily. But, if she would accept his offer, the conflict would end and Neapolitan invasion would be next to impossible.
Heidelberg's position on the church was unstated, but so was Dresden's. With Maria excommunicated by Rome and abandoned by Avignon, she was unsure of what to do. Federico was virtually imprisoned in Trapani to protect him from assassination. Her relationship with him was rather odd. She loved him, but she also hated him. He was not in her "league", and yet she was enamoured by him.
If Friedrich had been telling the truth, and that he had support from the Luxemburg realms, it was unlikely that Sicily would be able to defend herself without the support of Pfalz. However, if Maria wanted Pfalz's support, it was likely she would have to recognize the younger Ruprecht as her heir, which would cause a rift with Barcelona.
There were no entirely good options. No matter what she decided, people would be angry. The Catalan faction, including the powerful Count of Malta would not be pleased if she agreed to change her heir. On the other hand, if Aragon had been excommunicated, it would be wise to do just that.
She paced around her bedchamber for hours without end. Would she invite Ruprecht to Palermo, make him her heir, and grant him some titles? Would she send yet another letter to the pope? Would she decide to damn the risks and marry Federico as planned? Would she instead marry Friedrich of Meissen as he had demanded?
She didn't have any answers, and no one in the court seemed to have the courage to give any answers of their own.
By the end of the night, she had four letters prepared. She would go to sleep, and when she awoke she would sign one, two, three, or maybe all of them. Whatever she chose that next morning, Sicily's fate would be altered.
As she closed her eyes, she had a hard time sleeping. However, after a half an hour, she finally drifted away. The last thoughts on her mind before losing consciousness were of her father.
