Authors: Unknown
“Maybe I have,” he said after a moment. “Maybe I have spent so long trying to escape my father, doing everything possible to avoid his wrath, that I no longer know what it means to fend for myself.”
A
mihan looked up at his wife. “And I am
always
driven by fear for you.”
“Do not fear for me. I signed my death warrant the day I married you.” Krystállina settled back into her chair. “If Lord Léi Shēng wishes to execute me for marrying you, wishes to kill
our children for the sole reason that they are ‘half-breeds’, then so be it. I may have only nineteen years in Tahanan, but I have a husband and daughters and I have risen higher than most olive growers’ daughters ever
dare
to dream. I would not trade that for another nineteen, especially if I had to spend them without you.”
The Thunder God came and knelt beside her chair. “You do not fault me, then?”
“I am upset to think that there were times when we ran and we could’ve stayed, but that is in the past and no more can be done about it.” She looked down. “And if your next question is, ‘Do I still love you’, then the answer is yes. Very much so.”
Amihan got to his feet, raised Krystállina and kissed her deeply. While they were still in each other’s embrace, he asked,
“You do not wish to leave?”
“Let Léi Shēng come for us if He will. I
dare
Him! But in the meanwhile, I intend to keep the promises I have made and perform the duties concomitant to the title of Grand Duchess of Berlin.”
She drew him closer. “And it would please me greatly if you woul
d consent to attend my crowning and Chárí’s betrothal.”
Three Weeks Later
“His Imperial Majesty, Frederick the Second, would like to speak with Her Grace, the Grand Duchess of Berlin.”
“
Now?
” half a dozen women demanded. Since the Empress’s death, Krystállina had found herself with more and more accompaniment each time she was at court, so that eventually, Isabella’s entire cortege was following her. At the moment, at least twenty women were helping her prepare for her crowning.
“Tell the Emperor I will see him,” Krystállina instructed. “Ingrid and Anna, move that screen in front of the door. Hilda, see if you can get one of the gentlemen of the chamber to stand nearby.”
As the women scurried to do her bidding, Krystállina sat back and allowed the
Princess of Băihélù to continue brushing her hair.
“I don’t know that I shall ever be used to all this attention.”
“You were never treated like this at home?” asked Princess Midonyari. Her command of the courtly languages was poor, but she spoke Greek rath
er fluently.
“I have never been to Hartford,” Krystállina reminded her. “My husband married me in Thessalonica, then brought me here to live.
“But surely
you
are used to all this?” She glanced back, but Midonyari shook her head.
“We may be different than some of the courts of the East, but we still keep seclusion,” the Princess explained. “I feel sorry for my father’s…how would you say? ‘Little wives’? They are never allowed to leave the harem except to come to his bed.”
“Are you talking about me in here?”
“No, Your Imperial Majesty!” the entire room chorused. Some automatically sank into curtsies, despite being hidden by the screen.
“Are you present, Your Grace?”
“I am.”
“Why the screen?”
“I am dressing for my consecration,” Krystállina replied. “And I do not want
any
suggestions of impropriety. I am a married woman—only my husband is permitted to see my body.”
“That is what I wished to speak to you about. Your consecration makes you the highest woman in the land, now that the Empress and the Archduchess are no longer with us.”
Krystállina hadn’t given this much thought, but still she answered, “I am aware of it.”
“As Grand Duchess of Berlin, you only have me to answer to. You can do whatever you please.”
Midonyari had stopped brushing her hair and the rest of the women were listening intently, but Krystállina didn’t notice.
“Meaning
what
, exactly?”
“You could marry to your advantage,” the Emperor pointed out. “At this moment, you are wedded to nothing more than a commoner, a traitor to England who has stolen the title of Duke and the trust of the good people of Hartford. He has no political value here in the Empire, as you may remember, since he was stripped of the title of Grand Duke in all but name.
“It would hardly be a stoop to marry you,” he continued. “A Grand Duchess is a fine match for a man of such power as myself and I would
love
to build an alliance with what remains of Thessalonica. You can see that I am already looking for alliances outside the courts of Europe with my inclusion of the Princess of
Băihélù in your retinue.”
“Are you suggesting that I leave my husband just because I am a Grand Duchess and you think he is nothing more than a commoner?” Krystállina wanted to yell out the truth, that she was secretly wedded to the highest-ranking Prince
in all of the Three Worlds, but the magick of her handfasting would silence her voice. She had discovered that when she tried to whisper to the twins the secret of their paternity.
“I would legitimize your daughters,” Frederick added. “I would adopt Grace and Caroline and make them Archduchesses. As my Empress, I would give you the world on a platter.”
“What of Conrad? Wouldn’t he object to losing your favoritism to girls that aren’t even yours? And who is he supposed to marry if his intended bride becomes his sister?”
“There are a hundred Princesses out there,” the Emperor replied dismissively. “But there is only one Catherine Bestwick.”
“I will see you at the ceremony, Your Imperial Majesty.” Krystállina gestured for Midonyari to resume brushing her hair. “And I bid you a good day.”
Krystállina was surprised at how many courtiers and royals from other nations had turned out for the betrothal ceremony. In her limited education as a girl, her tutor had said that royal weddings were a time for national celebration, but it was betrothals that were made to be broken. Still, it seemed that the whole of Europe felt that the betrothal of the Holy Roman Emperor’s infant son was a life-changing event, for even the gentry were pressing at the doors.
“Frederick Hohenstaufen,” the herald announced. “Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, King of Germany, Italy and Sicily and King Regent of Jerusalem.”
The Grand Duchess wanted to watch the Emperor ascend the dais, but she was distracted by the presentation of Yolanda, the explanation of the proxy and the rattling off of the late Empress’s titles.
“She looks like a country mouse, compared to you!” Midonyari breathed in her ear.
It was true. For some reason, the Queen of Hungary had chosen a gown of some unfamiliar yellow material and accented it with jewelry done in gold and yellow diamonds. While the cut of the gown did much to accentuate her assets, the whole ensemble clashed horribly with her raven black hair.
“Catherine Christina Bestwick, Grand Duchess of Berlin.”
The room let out a collective sigh as Krystállina ascended the dais. Her ladies-in-waiting had selected an elegant gown of cloth-of-silver and matched it with jewelry of sapphire and silver, even going so far as to thread ropes of sapphires through her golden blonde hair. All were gifts from the Holy Roman Emperor and all in good taste, for there wasn’t a soul in the room who didn’t believe that Catherine completely outshone Yolanda.
Amihan made his trip up the dais and settled into the throne beside his wife. He had been allowed to use the title of Grand Duke of Berlin for this ceremony and had even been presented with a circlet in honor of his rank. From what Krystállina had heard during her stay in the palace, however, this slight wouldn’t last long.
“Emperor Frederick and Queen Yolanda have come forth to present their son, Conrad Hohenstaufen, King of Jerusalem, Archduke of the Holy Roman Empire, for betrothal in marriage. King Conrad’s intended bride is Caroline Marian Bestwick, Duchess of Hartford; daughter of the Grand Duchess and Grand Duke of Berlin,” announced a gentleman Krystállina strongly suspected was a cardinal. “Is there anyone with any objection as to why these two children should not be betrothed on this day?”
The crowd murmured no and a pair of rockers brought the imperial cradle onto the dais, followed by Chárí holding her nurse’s hand.
“The stipulations of the marital contract are as follows.
“The wedding of the King of Jerusalem to the Duchess of Hartford will take place in the summer of the year of Our Lord, twelve hundred and forty-two, in Vienna, when the Duchess has reached fifteen years of age. At the end of the ceremony, the Duchess of Hartford will first be consecrated Archduchess of the Holy Roman Empire, then crowned Queen of Jerusalem.”
The crowd seemed to murmur its approval and neither party voiced a disagreement, so the cardinal continued.
“For the bride price, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and the Queen of Hungary have chosen to award the bride’s family three titles, with the following provisos:
“First, upon consummation of the marriage, the Grand Duchess of Berlin will be created Duchess of Savoy. The Grand Duke of Berlin will be required to relinquish his title at this time, so that he may become the Duke of Savoy.
“Second, upon the birth of the First Imperial Granddaughter, the Duchy of Lorraine will be awarded to the Grand Duchess of Berlin, and the Duke of Savoy may also title himself Duke Consort of Lorraine.
“Finally, upon the birth of the First Imperial Grandson, the Duchy of Tuscano will be awarded to the Duke of Savoy, and the Grand Duchess of Berlin may also title herself Duchess Consort of Tuscano.”
Krystállina had summoned Princess Midonyari to her before the words of the final announcement were out of the cardinal’s mouth. “The cardinal said ‘the bride’s
family
’
!
” she hissed. “How is Grace to find a suitable husband if her only title is ‘My Lady of Berlin’?”
Frederick’s representative met the Princess halfway across the dais. Midonyari shared the Grand Duchess’s feelings and the Emperor conferred with the Queen for only a few moments before the Princess returned.
“He said Lady Caroline must beget a son before he will award Lady Grace the Duchy of Tuscano. If Lady Caroline has a daughter first, her sister will be lucky to be made Baroness.”
Amihan opened his mouth to argue, but Krystállina cut him off.
“We will take Savoy as a marriage gift,” she told the Princess. “Lady Grace will be awarded the duchy associated with whichever child is born first. We will be satisfied with whatever remains, and we will not claim it until the appropriate child is born.”
“What did you just
do?
” Amihan hissed as Midonyari walked away.
“Savoy is ours, regardless,” Krystállina explained. “If Chárí has a daughter first, then Galíní claims Lorraine and we will not take Tuscano unless and until Chárí has a son. The reverse is also true.”
Midonyari returned with a grave demeanor. “His Imperial Majesty agrees, but if you renege on even the tiniest term, you stand to lose all—including Berlin.”
“That’s fine.” Krystállina motioned for the cardinal to continue.
“In the matter of the dowry, the Emperor and the Queen require the Grand Duchess and Duke to pay five hundred thousand
thaler
—half to be paid at the conclusion of this ceremony and the other half upon the crowning of the Queen of Jerusalem. The remainder of the dowry shall be made up of domestic goods, the number and content of which shall be agreed upon by the Queen of Hungary and the Grand Duchess of Berlin.”
“
What?
” Amihan was so incensed, he flew up out of his chair, but his wife quickly dragged him back down.
“Half a million
thaler
?” he hissed at her. “You would think that Chárí was a Princess of the highest, most refined blood!”
“We are marrying into the imperial family,” Krystállina reminded him. “And I am sure we are being punished for our ‘Duke and Duchess of Hartford’ bit.”
“I cannot make that amount of money magickally appear! It is against the Laws of the Gods!” he argued. “Besides, if we have not called enough attention to ourselves already, the magickal appearance of five hundred thousand
thaler
will
certainly
raise my father’s interest!”
“We will go about it in the mortal way,” the Duchess decided. “I will raise the taxes in my duchy and we will raise the rents on our land—both on a temporary basis. We only need half of it now—the other half and the domestic goods can be acquired over the next fourteen years.”