Tyranny of Steel

Tlexictli sat topless in the middle of her father's palace within the city of Tenochtitlan. A golden-haired babe was clutched to her breast, as it sucked away at the milk stored behind her puffy brown nipples. The Aztec Princess petted the child's silky hair while speaking to him in a gentle and loving tone. 

"My son Cualcoatl, you are a golden-haired god, one day you will rule over this Empire and bring our people into a new era of prosperity. However, first you must drink your mother's milk and grow strong, just like your father." 

Though Tlexictli was aware that Berengar was not a true divine being, she had now come to worship him as such. After spending years travelling between her homeland and Kufstein, the woman had to admit that what Berengar had done for his people was nothing short of a miracle. 

The relationship between the Aztec Princess and the German Kaiser was unknown to the man's family, or so she thought. They maintained this secret to avoid unecessary drama with some of the man's more jealous wives. It was because of this Tlexictli had not yet been able to show off her healthy baby boy to his father.

As far as anyone in the Aztec Empire was concerned, the infant boy Cualcoatl was literally the son of the feather serpent, who had chosen the warrior princess Tlexictli as his bride. Or at least this was the story Tlexictli had spun upon returning home pregnant. The boy continued to drink of his mother's milk until he could do so no more. After which, Tlexictli placed him in his crib. 

After letting her young son rest, the Aztec Princess returned to the great hall of her father's palace, where the man sat in wait for her. Itzcoatl had a large smile on his face as he announced the good news to his daughter. 

"I have great news, my beloved daughter. Your brothers have agreed to forgo their claim to my throne in favor of your divine son. When I finally pass from this world, Cualcoatl will become the new emperor of our people!"

Tlexictli could only smile upon hearing these words, and hug her father in celebration. Only she and the old man were aware that the German Empire was not really the land of the gods. After revealing the fact that she was pregnant with Berengar's child to her father, she had coerced him into supporting the lie that her son really belonged to the god Quetzalcoatl.

It had taken some time to get her the support of her brothers, but together, Tlexictli and Itzcoatl were able to convince the Princes of the Aztec Empire to allow their nephew to take the throne. This was good news for many reasons. Not only did Berengar support his sons, regardless of their legitimacy, but it meant the Kaiser would be more favorable during his future dealings with the Aztec Empire.

  However, Tlexictli did not care about any of this, and was more concerned with how the war effort was going. Thus, she did not hesitate to ask her father about this subject.

"Are the Mayans still giving you trouble? You know I could go out there and help, right?"

Despite Tlexictli's offer, her father declined with the shake of a head and a slight chuckle.

"Your are the feathered serpent's wife now. If you were to get hurt on the battlefield, or worse, it would cause significant problems for our society. I'm sorry, Tlexictli, but you are no longer going to be fighting battles.

You will raise your boy to be a proper ruler. Maybe you can convince his actual father to help with that. You are always telling me how impressive Germany is. Perhaps it is time for you to move there full time with Cualcoatl.

I don't know what exactly led to you choosing that man to father your child, but the boy will need his father if he is to grow up to be a proper man. If I'm not mistaken, the German fleet will be sailing back to Berenstadt some time in the next few weeks. You should follow them back to the Reich and convince Berengar to help raise your son.

As for the war with the Maya, it is going slower than I'd like, but victory is assured. You do not need to worry about such things any longer. Perhaps in another year or two, we will have fully conquered our southern neighbors. Your eldest brother currently leads the war effort, and as you know, he is more than capable of achieving victory on his own. I only want what's best for you, and that is not the battlefield."

Tlexictli bit her lower lip in distress. For her entire life, she had trained and fought in war. Now she was being demoted to the role of a housewife, and she did not like it. If that weren't troublesome enough there was nother matter which concerned her.

As far as Tlexictli was aware nobody in Berengar's family knew of their affair, and if she were to show up at the palace with a boy that looked liked a blend between the Kaiser and herself, demanding that the man raise her son, it would only cause problems.

However, her father was right, and thus she sighed heavily before nodding her head in agreement with her father's words.

"Alright, I will bring Cualcoatl to Berenstadt and take the next ship back to the Reich. Thanks father, for all the support you have given me and my son. I promise that he will be raised in Kufstein to be a proper ruler, and when we finally return, he will lead our people into a new age of prosperity!" 

The Aztec Emperor nodded his head and smiled, before hugging his daughter and kissing her on the forehead. After doing so, he helped her depart for the Reich. Within a few weeks, Tlexictli was back in Kufstein with her young son in her arms.

Immediately upon arriving in the German capital, Tlexictli and her son were escorted to the headquarters of Imperial Intelligence by a few heavily armed soldiers. Evidently, Linde had already become aware of her reason for visiting and had made the first move. 

The redheaded beauty wore a gentle smile on her face as she gazed upon Tlexictli and her son. Despite this, Tlexictli's eyes were focused on another part of the woman's body. Linde's stomach was rounded, so much so that the Aztec Princess suspected she could give birth at any moment.

It was immediately apparent that Berengar had been busy procreating during his brief period of peace. However, this wasn't important, instead Tlexictli wanted answers, but before she could question why she was dragged into Imperial Intelligence, Linde spoke with a stern tone in her voice. 

"I know about your relationship with my husband, and I also know that the boy in your lap is his son. Allow me to will make this brief. The Crown will provide you with a villa and a proper staff to help take care of the child.

I will also make sure that my husband visits your home regularly to help provide a stable life to the child, and obviously to take care of your needs. You can have as many bastards as you want with him for all I care. 

My condition is that you do not approach the palace without a proper appointment, and never with your son or any of your future children. The balance in Berengar's relationship with his wives is fragile.

Currently, all of us are either pregnant, or have recently given birth to children of our own. The last thing the other girls need is another woman claiming that Berengar is the father of her child. Do you understand?" 

Upon hearing this, Tlexictli bowed her head with respect. She was incredibly thankful for the benevolence that Linde had shown, and because of this, she verbally expressed her gratitude.

"Thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart."

Linde merely smiled at Tlexictli and her son before gently pinched the boy's cheeks while commenting on his appearance. 

"He's so cute. I bet when he grows up he will look just like his father, you know, if the man got a tan. Make sure to raise this boy right. He is going to be the future Aztec Emperor after all."

It surprised Tlexictli to see Linde being so friendly with her son. She had thought for sure the woman would be offended by the very existence of Cualcoatl. Then again, the Aztec Princess did not understand just how much Linde loved Berengar.

From Linde's perspective, any child that Berengar had was an extension of himself and was to be cherished. This was one of the many reasons that all of Berengar's children, especially those with his other wives, considered Linde to be their mother. Though Linde was intently focused on the raising of her own children, she had helped the other girls with their kids as well. Naturally, she intended to do the same with Cualcoatl.

From this day forward, Tlexictli would raise her son in the borders of the reich. Every chance Berengar got, he would spend it at her place, making love to his mistress, and being a part of his bastard child's life. After all, it was very difficult for a boy without a father to become a proper man, and Berengar knew this all too well.