Disclaimer: I own nothing of the 'Kingdom of Heaven' movie. I do own Jacques de Vitry, though! ;-)
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Chapter 2: The spy
(Guy de Lusignan's private rooms, at King Baldwin IV's palace)
"He was laughing at you, my lord"Guy de Lusignan stiffened at the whispered words. He has been sword practicing for hours in his private rooms, slashing at invisible enemies and making numerous victims among the potted plants, the silver candlesticks and the precious ceramics. In his rage against the furniture, he hasn't noticed someone had sneaked up on him.
Furious at the idea of being watched in a frenzy state, de Lusignan raised his weapon: whether it was a spy, a servant, he didn't care. He would put the intruder to the sword right now!
"I am not an enemy my lord," said the voice and a man stepped out from the curtains' shadows, wearing a coat of mail and a Templar's cloth on his chest. He was about Guy de Lusignan's age, with tow-colored hair and a hatchet face. He was darting nervous glances at every corner of the room to make sure no one else was listening.
"Who are you? How did you come here?" asked the would-be king in a harsh tone, his sword still held up high in the air. "Speak!"
"I am Jacques de Vitry, my lord, from the Templar Order."
"Oh, really?" growled de Lusignan. "Your kind has been very discreet recently, and your Grand Master is avoiding me as if I was a leper. Why would Gérard de Ridefort suddenly send me a messenger?"
"Master Gérard didn't send me. I am here on my own authority."
De Lusignan pointed his sword at de Vitry's throat, thus forcing the man to raise his chin and to meet his gaze: "You came here alone? Since when Templars disobey their Grand Master's orders?"
"Since the said Grand Master won't take actions to help you, my lord. I would." answered de Vitry.
De Lusignan hesitated: this man looked nervous and uneasy, yet he had the nerve to come up to him and extort a moment of his time. Should he gut him on the spot, call out for his guards, or listen to whatever that gauntly man has to say?
"Please, my lord. I am unarmed and unable to hurt you. My presence here is dictated by the dearest wish of my Order: to see you crowned King of Jerusalem."
Sybilla's husband lowered his weapon, but kept it ready at hand: "Speak."
"I was at the Golden Gate this afternoon when you arrived, my lord. I saw the way Balian of Ibelin was looking at you. He's making a mockery of your authority."
"He dares to make a mockery of me!" shouted de Lusignan while swinging his sword in the air, knocking down a vase which exploded into pieces on the tilted floor. "Thanks to that peasant bastard, I've lost de Châtillon, my Templar allies and the people's fear of me! Everyone laugh as I go by!"
"And almost your title of prince consort, my lord" added the intruder.
"You're treating on very dangerous grounds, de Vitry," snarled the would-be king. "I will not tolerate to be the subject of ridicule, not even by my so-called friends who do not show up when I need them."
"Perish the thought, my lord!" tactfully answered de Vitry. "It is not in my place to blame you or the Princess Sybilla for anything. Still, your position has become dire; some impertinent people even dare to say out loud that you should be removed from power. And there is only one responsible for this situation: the baron of Ibelin. For you to be crowned, he must … disappear."
Guy de Lusignan had a bitter laugh: "And who is going to do me this favor? You?"
"Yes, my lord, I am willing to do it."
De Lusignan looked up and down at the frail man, a doubtful expression on his face: Jacques de Vitry gave the impression he hasn't been well fed in his life and that a blow of air could knock him down. His coat of mail was need of repair and the faded Templar cloth on his chest has been mended various times. In fact, he was the perfect image of a French knight disinherited just for being the youngest son of a large family, leading him to go find his fortune in the Holy Land… and failed.
"Pathetic", thought de Lusignan, who poured himself a drink of fine wine in a gold cup. Still, he was so short on allies that he couldn't be finicky for the moment, so he said: "The Ibelin bastard has friends. There are his men-in-arms, Tiberias and his knights, and a lot of sympathy among the army. Also, he has the support of the people of Jerusalem."
"But the Templars hate him, my lord!" emphasized de Vitry. "Especially since his latest actions have provoked the demise of the baron de Châtillon, who was one of our best men – and yours."
"I don't know yet what happened. Right after Saladin asked for an audience with the king, I was sent away on an important military mission. I've heard about de Châtillon's execution only on my way back, and details were very spare…"
"I can inform you, my lord. Renaud de Châtillon escaped prison and needed money to disappear from the Holy Land, or at least for a while. But he made a fatal mistake: he attacked a Saracen camp where an important lady was staying before returning to Damascus: she was Saladin's sister, the princess Yasmina."
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Cliffie! ;-)
