Tyranny of Steel

While Berengar had begun his Conquest of the Kingdom of Portugal in the name of the Emirate of Granada, another war was waging throughout Europe, and that was in the heart of France. Due to Austrian interference, the factions that opposed the French Crown were equipped with a fair amount of firearms, thus turning the tides of war.

Under the guise of representatives from the now-defunct Iberian Union, the duchy of Aquitaine, and the Duchy of Burgundy, who was both in open rebellion against King Gilles de Valois, were well equipped to deal with the ongoing war effort.

Despite the collapse of the Iberian Union, Berengar's agents still managed to supply the enemies of France by claiming to be representatives of Aragon. Thus the arms trade between Austria and the rebellious French Duchies remained uninterrupted.

Despite the use of firearms by the enemies of France, the King had remained steadfast in his unwillingness to make use of the weapons provided to him by the Austrian Crown as a gift. For if he did so, he knew that the English King would undoubtedly make use of the scandal to cement his claim to the French Kingdom further.

Thus the Kingdom of France found itself in a rock and a hard place as they continued to wage war against their enemies, both internal and external. Few allies had backed the French Crown, and now they found themselves further isolated as the common people had begun to riot at the instigation of undercover Austrian Agents.

While this was ongoing, Prince Aubry was sitting within his chambers. At the moment, he was applying Austrian cosmetics such as lipstick to his feminine face. The Prince of France was dressed in a luxurious baby blue ball gown in the new style that had become common in the Kingdom of Austria.

Aubry had paid a substantial sum to acquire the dresses that pertained to the Austrian sense of Fashion. While he was applying his makeup, the Prince heard a knock on the door, which he quickly answered to with a lighthearted tone.

"It is open!"

Upon saying this, the Prince heard the door creak open, which revealed the appearance of his sister Sibilla. Though beautiful in her own right, she had always felt envious of her brother's cutesy and extraordinarily feminine appearance.

In a way, she was responsible for the way he had turned out, and after gazing upon Aubry's current appearance, a frown spread across her lips. However, rather than find conflict with her brother, she quickly began to address her reason for visiting.

"Portugal will fall to Austria and its allies within the next three months. Castile and Aragon are on the verge of being united and supplying our enemies. Father does not want to admit it, but if we wish to win this war, then we will need the support of Austria."

Aubry did not gaze upon his sister. Instead, he focused on applying blush to his cheeks; as he used his makeup, he spoke in a disinterested voice towards his sister's claims.

"What does that have to do with me?"

A cruel smile etched itself upon Sibilla's face as she approached her brother and tilted his head towards her face so she could look him in the eyes. After doing so, she kissed her brother on the lips before whispering something in his ear.

"I need you to personally visit the Austrian King when he returns from his little war. I don't trust anyone but my precious little brother to properly seduce the man and convince him to support our family's interests."

Aubry smiled upon hearing this message and nodded his head thrice; after doing so, he went back to applying his makeup before addressing his sister's request.

"That is fine by me; I've been meaning to meet this King Berengar. From what I hear, he is quite the capable ruler. If he is half as handsome as people say he is, then I am sure he will make a better lover than that limp dick bastard who turned against father."

The Prince was referring to his previous lover, the Duke of Burgundy. Sibilla knew this and immediately rolled her eyes before commenting further.

"I assume you will be able to complete the task?"

Aubry licked his lips with an excited expression as he turned around and faced his sister with a smile.

"I have always wondered what a German man tastes like!"

A look of disgust appeared on Princess Sibilla's face as she heard this; just how perverse was her little brother? However, it was quickly replaced with a sadistic grin as the young woman cupped her brother's face with her hands before whispering something else in his dainty ears.

"If you succeed in this task, I will reward you handsomely!"

A twinkle appeared in the eyes of the feminine Prince as he nodded his head once more, committing to the cause.

"You can rest assured, sis; I will make sure that King Berengar supplies our forces with the weapons they need, even if I have to give him my body in return!"

After hearing this, Sibilla smiled once more before departing for the door; she left a single phrase behind as she left her brother alone to finish his makeup.

"I am counting on it..."

After saying this, the Princess of France disappeared from her little brother's quarters, where the Prince got up from his seat and twirled around in his frilly dress while gazing upon his appearance in the mirror. A feminine smile spread itself across his luscious pink laps as he winked and blew a kiss towards his reflection; as he did so, he made a solemn vow.

"Berengar von Kufstein, you will be mine!"

---

While encamped in the Portuguese wilderness, Berengar felt a shiver down his spine before sneezing. He immediately wiped his nose before commenting on the situation.

"I better not be getting sick!"

He was far too busy of a man to be hampered by illness and thus he had resolved to take the necessary precautions to prevent such a fate. He had no way of knowing that the French Prince was at this moment conspiring to seduce him so that he would aid the de Valois dynasty. Instead he shifted his attention back to the map laid bare across his table.

A group of wooden figures represented the enemy forces. According to his recon units, the next city on their list of targets held a combined power of 20,000 soldiers within its vicinity. Most of these men were peasants from foreign countries. However, it was not something he felt the need to be concerned about.

His army was significantly larger and contained more than enough firepower to annihilate the enemy before they could cause any harm. Luckily for Bernegar and his army, King Luiz was forced to split the peasant crusaders into smaller armies to wrestle control over the major cities from the brigands and disloyal mayors.

At the current rate, this war would be over in a matter of months; then, he could finally return home to his family. Berengar shivered to think about how he would reject Henrietta's advances or how he would introduce his newest bride to his family. However, the fact remained that he was the man of the house and the King of Austria. Since he had decided to take a fourth bride, he would have to lay down the law to his family.

Berengar had no idea that the young Prince of France had set his eyes upon him. For if he did, he would likely take the first ship he could get ahold of and sail to the New World, never to return. Of course, he remained entirely unaware of Prince Aubry's machinations or that of his sister Princess Sibilla.

Thus the Austrian King had a broad smile on his face as he thought about returning home after so long. Though Granada was a beautiful place, he vastly preferred the cold mountain air of his Capital embedded deep within the Austrian Alps. He began to wonder whether or not his wives had given birth yet.

There were so many things that were bound to have transpired while he was away; he looked forward to seeing how advanced Austria had become in his absence and how far its railways had stretched. These were the thoughts on the young monarch's mind as he sat within his encampment, resting for the night.

By the dawn of the next day, he and his army would be on the march once more, for this war was far from over. By now, he had gained a fierce reputation for the devastation he had left in his wake. Everywhere the Army of the Triple Alliance went, death and despair remained behind.

They had slaughtered Brigands, deserters, crusaders, and the Portuguese Army on their journey, and there was far more blood to be shed in this conflict. However, Berengar thought nothing of it, whether his mind was conscious was numb after years of war, or he had grown into a sociopath; when confronted with such thoughts, he remained stoic and instead lit a hemp cigarette.

After taking a short break from his task, he snuffed out the oil lamp within his tent and climbed into bed. Tomorrow more blood would be shed in the pursuit of Conquest. He would rest easy on this night and set off first thing in the morning.

---

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