Tyranny of Steel

Berengar stood on the balcony of his Royal Palace, gazing off into the distance towards his enemies who lie in Northern Germany. In his hand was a hemp cigarette, which helped calm his nerves. Though the lands surrounding Kufstein were calm, in the distance, he could see a large storm gathering. 

It was rare for him to get a peaceful moment where he could simply enjoy the gentle breeze of the Austrian Alps. After all, he spent most of his time either within his office or in a meeting with people from various branches of government. 

As time passed, the cigarette contained between Berengar's lips degraded away into nothing, causing him to flick away its remains onto the ground before stomping out the flame. Despite having just smoked a whole cigarette, he immediately reached into his coat pocket and grabbed ahold of his packet, where he secured another such device and lit it. 

Unbeknownst to the Austrian King, his wife, Yasmin, stood within the doorway observing his actions. The Moorish beauty could tell something was troubling her husband, but didn't want to intervene in the quiet tranquility he had surrounded himself with.

After all, she knew well that sometimes a man needed to be alone, thus she kept watch, to prevent any of the other meddlesome little girls that the man surrounded himself from interrupting his brief yet much needed respite. It was only after Berengar had finished his second cigarette did he turn away from the ledge, whose view gazed upon the natural beauty of the Alpine landscape. 

When he saw his bride standing there, protecting his serenity like a guardian angel, he could not help himself but to smile. As he gazed lovingly at the woman, who was quickly becoming his favorite wife, he spoke softly.

"How long have you been standing there?"

A beautiful smile curved itself upon Yasmin's full lips as she bashfully tossed her bangs to the side before responding. 

"Long enough to know that something is troubling you. Do you want to talk about it?"

Upon hearing such a statement, the young King's smile turned bitter as he gazed off into the direction of his enemies once more before conversing about the conflict within his own mind.

"It is not much. I just know that I will have to march to war soon. Though intelligence has reported the rebels have successfully assassinated the right-hand man of the Bastard of Luxembourg, the man has resorted to unnecessary cruelty in his attempts to root out his enemies. It would appear that I do not have the three months I initially gave myself to prepare for this invasion."

Yasmin frowned when she heard that her man would march into danger so soon after achieving peace. Despite her fervent belief in her deity, she did not preach the words of her faith to her husband.

Unlike Adela, who hijacked every conversation to talk about God's will, Yasmin knew better than to preach about divine plans to Berengar, for such things would only irritate the man she loved. Instead, she offered the comforting words Berengar needed to throw himself into the fray once more. 

<br/>"You once told me you think of the entire German people as your own, despite ruling over a small portion of them. Right now, those same people need you and your armies to deliver them from the evil of their masters.

If intelligence reports are accurate, then intervention in this civil war is the only way to save the lives of so many people who believe in you and your cause. You must remember that you did not start this conflict. The Bastard of Luxembourg did so the moment he tried to claim your life, and injured your sister."

Upon hearing such words of wisdom, Berengar grabbed hold of his pregnant wife's hand and kissed it intimately. After doing so, he dragged her into his embrace and whispered in her ears the words she longed to hear.

"You always know just what to say to comfort me when I am feeling troubled. Where did you acquire this skill?"

Yasmin merely giggled before kissing her husband on the lips. After doing so, she responded to his question with a vague answer.

"You can consider it one of my many gifts..."

Though such an answer did not wholly satisfy Berengar's curiosity, it was enough for the time being. Berengar sighed heavily as he let go of his bride before walking over the edge of his balcony and gripping its railing firmly. 

"It would appear that bloodshed is unavoidable. I had thought that with my support, the rebels could quickly conclude this war, but I never expected the madman to actually massacre his own people in retaliation. There is no choice. I must march to war as swiftly as possible, or else there may be nothing left when I finally march into his lands."

Yasmin approached Berengar's backside and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck before whispering in his ear.

"Try to end the war as quickly as possible. From what your other wives have told me, you have a tendency to be absent when they give birth to your children. I'd hate for our son to be brought into this world without gazing upon his mighty father..."

Berengar chuckled when he heard this. He grasped ahold of Yasmin's loving hands and nuzzled his head into her chest before responding.

"How do you know it is a boy? As far as I am aware, we do not yet have the technology to determine such a thing..."

The Granadan Princess giggled in response to Berengar's question before responding with a confident tone.

"I just know..."

The Austrian King gazed into his wife's amber eyes and nodded his head before responding to her claims.

"Well, I will do my best to return home before our son enters this world, but I give you no promises."

It was now Yasmin's term to rest her head on her husband's chest. As she did so, Berengar stroked her dark hair before. The Moorish princess enjoyed the moment in silence for some time before responding.

"That is enough, I suppose..."

The couple stayed in this position for some time before the eldest Princess of Austria intruded upon them. Henrietta gazed at the affectionate scene with a bit of jealousy in her cute, azure eyes. She puffed out her cheeks out as she pouted. The look on her face would be adorable if Berengar had seen it, but he was too busy enjoying the comfort that Yasmin provided. Eventually, Henrietta had crossed her arms before calling out to her precious elder brother.

"Big brother... There is something I want to talk to you about!"

When Berengar heard his little sister call out to him, he sighed, before dismissing his bride.

"Thank you for your support, Yasmin, but it would appear duty calls. I want to speak to my sister alone for a bit."

Yasmin nodded her head and bowed respectfully to her husband before giving the two siblings some space.

"Of course, husband, whatever you desire..."

After saying this, she walked past Henrietta and gave her a frightening glare before disappearing back into the Palace. When the two siblings were finally alone, Henrietta rushed into Berengar's arms and planted a passionate kiss on his lips, before hugging him tightly, resting her head on his broad and muscular chest.

"You're going back to war so soon? It seems like you just got back from one... Why must you always put yourself in danger?"

Berengar petted the girl's silky golden hair before wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. 

"Henrietta, it is a King's duty to lead his soldiers onto the battlefield. Besides, my role is not as dangerous as it once was. I seldom see actual battle these days. If anything, I have become the physical incarnation of my soldiers' morale as I guide them to victory.  I promise you that I will return unharmed as I always do..."

When Henrietta heard this, she frowned at her brother before grabbing ahold of his eyepatch and stretching it out. Upon releasing it, the thick leather snapped against Berengar's eyelids, causing a brief sense of pain. 

Tears formed in the Austrian Princess's light azure eyes as she scolded her brother for his inaccurate statement.

"You call this coming home unharmed! I'm not an idiot. I hear stories from the siblings of my friends who have served with you. You are always the first man into the fray, usually leading the Cavalry into battle! When you aren't cutting men down with your sword on horseback, you are in the front lines firing upon the enemies with your rifle. You always put yourself in harm's way for no reason!"

It slightly surprised Berengar to see his sister was so well informed about how he usually conducted warfare. What she said was true to some degree, though he was certain that the soldiers beneath his command may be exaggerating on some details of his heroism. Still, it would appear that he could not easily abate the girl's fears. Thus, all he could do was kiss her forehead gently and wipe the tears from his eyes. 

"I promise, nothing bad will happen to me this time. Besides, it has been a while since someone injured me on the battlefield. I swear I have learned from my youthful mistakes, and won't put myself into a position of unnecessary danger."

Henrietta sniffled as she heard her brother's comforting words. The two siblings would stay in each other's arms for some time before the King had to get back to work.