Chapter 6: Penance
Rani mastered the art of enduring seemingly endless council meetings long ago, but now, she almost smiled to herself with a sense of pride upon seeing the wariness of her nobles and councilmen while the Queen came to enjoy the arduous work, feeling the hours fly by.
"Alright, is there any more income unaccounted for?" She asked.
"No!" The aging lord of Beruit cried.
"Well-" Cadoc started.
"Mother of God save us! We've accounted it all. The Kingdom's coffers will be sufficient!" A priest pleaded.
Rani smirked at Cadoc and heard him chuckle from behind his metal mask.
"Very well, we should move on to the matter of new trade deals." Cadoc handed out parchment, or rather he tried to. The various nobles lurched away, with only the two priests on the council taking them, but even then dubiously.
"Has there been any word if the Venetians will send replacements for their merchants and sailors who left for Aurevitas?" Rani asked, her tone growing sterner.
"I'm afraid not, your grace. Since their deal with the usurper Isaac and his massacre of the Genoese, it seems war between Genoa and the Aurevitas is inevitable, and the Venetians are sending most of their available sailors to protect their new business partners." A councilman said, earning a sigh from the Queen.
"Which means the Genoese are off the table too, merde! Damn the Angelos." Rani snarled in rage, thinking about the hedonistic coward who overthrew her mother's dynasty in Aurevitas and massacred the Latin population within their capital.
"I suppose that leaves the Pisans, and perhaps the Sicilians, yes! King William II of Sicily is related to Kion, isn't he!?" Rani's voice lit up with excitement that soon spread to the various nobles around her.
"Oui! King William's mother is King Philip of France's sister, making William the first cousin of Queen Nala." Cadoc answered.
"I also hear rumors that he's made crusader vows before but has yet to fulfill them, much to the Pope's frustration." Bishop Marco, their papal legate, said with a growing smile.
"Wonderful! Send him an invitation to come here!" King William's arrival would prove most advantageous. Not only could he help them navigate and negotiate a good deal with potential Italian merchant powers, but if he came on an armed pilgrimage, he could temporarily boost their supply of fighting men if necessary.
However, her excitement faded as Rani thought about Kion. They'd yet to hear anything about the campaign, and to say she was worried would be an understatement. Rani spent almost an hour every day in the Holy Sepulcher praying for him since she returned to Deiurbem.
"I'll have a messenger sent immediately. Now then, we-" Cadoc started before the door burst open.
"Forgive the intrusion, your majesty!" A man of mixed Frankish and Perdidit descent in knight's armor rushed in, covered in sweat and dirt. The knight looked like he'd just escaped death and struggled to remain standing.
A royal knight and cataphract quickly caught him while a servant brought him water.
"Easy! What's happened?" Rani approached the knight, trying to sound calm, despite an unsettling feeling spreading across the chamber. As the Queen looked into the man's eyes, she saw dread, despair, and lament.
"Your majesty, we were defeated. May God forgive us." He muttered, on the verge of tears.
"You were defeated!" The Lord of Beruit shouted, springing to his feet as he did so.
"Oui, the Sonn pushed us back, and we fled to the nearest fortresses with heavy losses. Three thousand dead or captured, then, they moved into Perdidit." He paused, unable to breathe as the tears in his eye swelled.
"They Sonn ravaged all of the lands between Perdidit's border and the nearest fortresses. The Hospitaller's half-built castle was torn down, villages sacked, churches burned, men slaughtered, women and children taken as slaves!"
"Dieu ait pitié!" The clergymen and a few nobles cried, crossing themselves as they did so.
"Kion and Prince Baliyo! What happened to our King and the Prince of Perdidit!?" Rani demanded.
"They escaped unharmed with the bulk of our forces."
"What about the Sonn!?" Bishop Marco demanded.
At this, the knight exhaled in relief.
"When word of our defeat spread to the arriving forces, Baron Advik took his retinue and raided Sonn holdings in western Persia, during which he killed a minor Emir and sparked an uprising of the Persians in the area against Sonn rule. After this, Radcliffe withdrew his army to deal with the rebellion."
The council exhaled slightly in relief, but the weight of what happened soon returned in force as the knight began to discuss in detail the nature and figures of the Sonn's ravaging.
Rani staggered when she heard everything and gripped a chair to remain standing.
"By Christ's mercy, none of those settlements were fully populated, but many of the evacuees were still caught as they fled."
"... So much death and destruction because the King failed." The Lord of Beruit muttered in scorn. Rani turned back to confront him, but the sorrow from hearing of her peoples' fate almost crippled the Queen.
Several days passed, and more information trickled in, as well as portions of the Feudal army. Rani saw their wariness and sorrow, mirroring the knight who'd broken the news to her. But above, more murmurs and whisperings about Kion's failure spread among the court and ordinary people alike.
Rani herself wasn't sure what she'd say to her husband when he returned, but she at least wanted to hear his side of the story first, as well as Kopa and Baliyo's perspective.
She walked with Cadoc and Binga through the halls as an unending sensation of dread crept through their stomachs.
"Bunga's ok. He has to be if Kion's alive." Binga said to herself, stuttering as she did so.
"Yes, like I told you. We know he and the others live." Rani sighed. Moments later, they heard the city bells ringing and rushed to a nearby window. There they saw the royal retinue slowly trot inside, looking much like the others who'd returned.
People gathered in the streets and stared at them, almost like a funeral procession. For a brief moment, the Queen thought she saw her husband. However, he and his companions quickly disappeared as more whispered and murmurs flooded the streets.
"Ready my horse, I-" Rani said to one of her knights when a messenger sprinted across the hall towards her.
"My Queen! My Queen, your brother is here!" Rani nodded and raced towards the chamber, following her servant until she saw an exhausted Baliyo pouring himself a cup of whine, and from the looks of his demeanor, clearly not his first.
Whatever pain and anguish the Queen felt at the death and destruction in Perdidit seemed magnified in the Prince, who reached down and clutched a greek cross around his neck and kissed it.
"Baliyo." Rani struggled to speak, and without a word, he stood up and embraced her.
"Rani." Baliyo fought back tears.
"Thank God you're alive."
Baliyo sobbed.
"It was by his divine mercy we weren't completely eradicated. My people, God's children he charged me to protect." Baliyo nearly collapsed, only held upright by one of his cataphracts and Rani. The Queen overlooked the slur in her brother's speech or the smell of wine on his breath with everything going.
"Baliyo, it's not your fault-" Rani started. As soon as she said this, a fiery hatred ignited in Baliyo's eyes, and he grit his teeth so hard they almost cracked.
"You're right. It's not! It's your damn husband's fault! The 'Lion of France' led us to ruin and got my people killed or enslaved!" Baliyo roared, full of venom.
"What happened?" Rani asked, as calmly as she could, given the circumstances.
"I'll tell you what happened! It was only by the discipline and resolve of the Templars and Hospitallers that we averted a full-blown disaster!" Kion ignored all advice and warnings. He foolishly put our archers and turcopoles on the flanks to get overwhelmed, then charged right for their horse-archers in the center despite everything he's been told. Baliyo ranted for another few minutes leaving his sister with a pale and heartbroken expression.
"How can I return home now?" Baliyo sobbed, holding his face with both hands. Rani felt a fire ignite in her stomach and trembled in a barely constrained fury.
"Where is Kion!?"
Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Bunga, Fuli, Anga, Azaad, and Beshte all knelt down alongside other royal knights in prayer before the altar and murals. All of them trembled uncontrollably as memories and flashbacks to the carnage flooded through their heads.
"Lord, we commend the souls of our fallen brothers to your care. May you forgive them their trespasses-" Bunga spoke in his head before suddenly he saw the fiery eyes of a Sonn Ghulam before him. The knight gasped and nearly fell over, desperately trying to catch his breath.
Bunga sat back up with the help of a nearby server, but as he did, the young knight saw Kion cradled up beneath the alter as Ono tried to comfort him. Kion was a pale as snow and shook with a similar sentiment.
"Kion, be at ease. You're safe, you're-" Kion opened his mouth, but only silence followed. Yet this silence was broken by loud footsteps, and the two young men slowly looked up at the towering figure of Kopa, who loomed over them.
Kion felt tears swell his eyes and clenched them shut, aiming his head down and away from the Templar Grandmaster.
"Kopa." Ono started, but the knight waved him away. Kopa's sheer presence and authority forced Ono to do so. Kion sat there like a child awaiting his scolding, one he knew he deserved. The other members of the Lion Guard struggled to watch, yet Kopa didn't speak.
Instead, the Templar knelt down and took over for Ono, wrapping his strong arms around him tightly, sharing a fiery warmth. Not a raging fire, but a soothing one.
"Come." Kopa spoke in a gentle tone and helped Kion to his feet. One up, they walked to a small chamber further into the Church. There, he sat down, and Kopa left him.
The young King gazed up at a mural on the wall depicting the Holy Trinity, God the Father with his boundless love and wisdom, God the Son with his endless mercy and sacrifice, and God the Holy Spirit with his infinity piety and understanding. All of them seemed to stare into Kion's soul, the burden of his failures weighing on him now more than ever.
"Forgive me, father, for I have sinned." Kion struggled to speak.
"It's been a week since my last confession."
"To what account do you owe our Lord God?" Old George asked. The Patriarch revealed himself on a chair directly across from Kion.
"Arrogance, recklessness, failure..." Kion lost complete control and nearly fell out of his chair. Old George, despite his age, managed to catch the King and hold him in his embrace.
"Shhh, it's alright." George spoke in a soothing voice full of understanding, not judgment.
"No, it's not! I acted like a fool, and thousands of people died! Sir Petrus... I was charged to protect God's Kingdom, his children. All those people in Perdidit, killed, tortured, or enslaved because of me and my sins!" Tears raged down Kion's face like a waterfall, and he was only consoled by the Patriarch's embrace.
"Kion, I've spoken with Kopa on the nature of the defeat. You were sincerely trying to defend the Kingdom to the best of your abilities. I know this, and more importantly, Christ knows this."
"Does it matter!? I still failed, and people suffered because of it! I didn't listen to Kopa! I-"
"Your order of battle was agreed upon by Kopa and every other leader in your army! If there is a fault, it's not yours alone!" George took Kion by the shoulders and spoke harsher but still with love. Despite this, Kion didn't relent.
"I don't deserve to be King, I-"
"Kion! You coming here and laying your burdens before God shows you truly do deserve the crown! You haven't thought for a moment about the financial or material losses of this defeat. You've only considered God's children, and you've had the humility to stand before him and beg for forgiveness! This will be your penance, learn from your mistakes and devote yourself to this Kingdom!"
Kion breathed quickly and crossed himself before saying the act of contrition. Old George smiled and crossed himself.
"God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins. Through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace. And I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Go again and sin no more."
Despite his confession, Kion still found himself unable to stand. He gazed back at another mural of Jesus on the cross and thought about the countless pilgrims who'd come to Outremer over the centuries.
"Father, there's something else I want to do." When Kion told Old George, the Patriarch's eyes widened.
"My King, that's unnecessary. I've absolved you of your sins."
"I want to do it, like so many pilgrims before me." Old George wiped a tear from his eye and hugged Kion.
"You are a son of Christ, and he will remember it on the last day."
Outside the Church, Rani rode up with Binga and her escort.
"Your highness." One of Kion's knights said, bowing his head.
"Where's the King!?" She snarled, almost frightening the Angevine knight.
"He went to Bethlehem."
"Grrr, come on!" Rani roared, not even bothering to ask why he went there. Bethlehem was only ten kilometers or so from Deiurbem, and it didn't take long for them to arrive in the outskirts of the town. Even after seeing it so many times, Rani momentarily lost herself to the site of Christ's birth but quickly remembered why she came.
Near the entrance to the main street, she saw the Lion Guard and Azaad in front of their horses praying alongside several other knights.
"Kion!" Rani roared, spurring her horse on.
Fuli's eyes opened first, and she turned to the Queen with a look of feral protection.
"Where's Kion!?" Bunga, Beshte, Anga, and Azaad all joined Fuli in a fierce gaze before pointing in unison down the street. Rani looked and felt the rage instantly vanish.
There, in the hot sun, she saw Kion, no longer dressed in his armor or surcoat. Instead, the King abandoned all sense of earthly pride, donning a poor brown cloak like a beggar and riding a donkey. Beside him rode Ono, Kopa, and the Patriarch while the inhabitants of Bethlehem watched in amazement.
Kion stooped and dismounted, followed by the others. Ono and George tried to hide their emotion as they chanted in Latin together while burning incense. Kopa placed a comforting hand on Kion's shoulder and gave him a reassuring look.
"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you-" The King muttered.
"Kion, enough, I forgive you." Kopa spoke softly and guided Kion on. There, he clasped his hands together and walked through the streets of Bethlehem, feeling the course road against his bare feet but ignoring the pain as he prayed.
Rani and Binga felt their mouths drop as they watched Kion humble himself and walk towards the Church of the Nativity. Men, women, and children continued to gaze upon their King in awe, and several began praying with him.
After an eternity, Kion arrived at the Church where a Clergywoman and two Hospitaller knights stood. The nun, like George, gave her King a consoling look as he knelt down on the rough steps with his bare knees. There, she sprayed him with holy water and turned to the Hospitaller Knights, who went inside and then came back cradling something like an infant child.
Finally, Kion looked up and saw a golden cross bejeweled with every kind of precious stone. Yet none of this compared to what lay in the cross's center, a small compartment which contained a fragment of old wood, wood that once belonged to a cross used in a crucifixion over a thousand years earlier.
Kion lost his breath as he stared at the True Cross, and with tears in his eyes, he leaned forward and kissed the most sacred relic.
"Kion." Still trembling, Kion slowly turned and saw his wife standing behind him. All of her fury and resentment vanished, transforming into soothing compassion and forgiveness.
"Rani-" Kion stuttered, but she cut him off, kneeling down and embracing Kion. The King continued to sob as she held him in her arms, stroking his mane of hair.
"It's alright."