Chapter 10: Kion's Plan
Rani sighed deeply, irritated as she lay in bed, her swollen stomach now looking ripe for birth. Her episodes of morning sickness only got worse and mixed perfectly with swollen feet and bellyaches. But perhaps worst of all, her physician insisted she spends as much time in bed as possible, meaning she couldn't perform her duties as Queen.
Managing the Kingdom gave her a sense of purpose and motivation. It wasn't that she didn't trust Kion with running things, far from it, but the truth was Rani loved being a Queen and seeing the fruits of her hard labor in the faces of her subjects. Now she'd been locked up in the palace like a prized mare ready to deliver a colt.
Rani stroked her stomach.
"Just a few more weeks." She told herself. However, the more she thought about it, the more Rani realized that things would never be the same. She couldn't just go back to being the Queen as she had, not without handing her and Kion's baby off to a nurse.
Rani held her stomach tighter, terrified of the thought that someone else might raise her baby for her. No! That wouldn't happen! She wouldn't even let a wet nurse take them. She'd nurse them herself as her mother had and personally ensure their well-being.
Rani slowly reached over and looked over some parchment that Cadoc snuck her as the minutes went by. Unfortunately, by the time they got to her, there was little Rani could do about it, but at least it kept her in the loop.
Moments later, she heard the door open and looked up at Kion.
"Evening, mon amour." He said cheerfully, only to earn an almost agitated look from his wife. Kion stood soaked in sweat from several hours on the tilting in the courtyard.
"Your majesty." A servant bowed her head and nervously entered the chamber, holding a food tray. She saw the Queen staring at her like an angry lioness ready to pounce and slowly approached.
"Dinner, your grace." She muttered, slowly setting down the plate of green vegetables, dried fish, and avocados alongside a tall glass of milk. Rani growled at the meal she'd served to her again and again, on the insistence it was 'good for the baby'.
"Is something wrong?" She muttered, trembling.
"Oui, something's wrong! I need real food! Pas cette merde!" Rani snarled, almost knocking the tray over. The servant yelped and nearly tripped over herself to getaway.
Kion placed himself between the servant and Rani.
"It's alright, I've got it from here."
"Merci, your grace!" She almost shouted and frantically ran off.
"The baby still giving you love?" Kion said with a smirk. Moments later, he jerked aside as the cup of milk flew at him and hit the wall. Despite this, Kion continued to chuckle. He knew Rani was going through Hell and did his best to sympathize.
"Gaaah! I can't take it anymore! Go get me some real food! And tomorrow I'm going to the council meeting!" Rani snarled. Kion shook his head.
"Afraid not, mon amour."
"Then have Beshte carry me if you're not strong enough!"
Kion removed his armor and gambeson, revealing his thick muscles, which shined in the candlelight from his sweat. Rani didn't seem moved by this as a fresh wave of pain in her feet came over the Queen. Kion walked over and sat beside her, a defiant look on his face.
"The physician told you to stay in bed and to eat this food for-"
"Kion, I swear if you say the good of the baby, I'll-" Rani snarled before feeling a strong finger pressed against her lip.
"I can appreciate you're in a lot of discomfort, but you'll be grateful for all this soon enough." Rani tried to retort, but she soon saw a steel expression form in her husband that she'd never seen before. Kion took the tray of food and slowly fed Rani, eventually emptying it.
Rani gave another resentful look and tried to give him the cold shoulder despite this.
"Hmp, I'm so honored the King of Outremer can take time out of his schedule to serve me."
"That's why I came out here." Kion retorted. His wit nearly made Rani go red in the face.
"Kion, I'm going to!" Rani found her voice muffled when he leaned in and kissed her. Initially, this only made her madder, and Rani tried to get him off her, but Kion proved too strong. However, his warm presence eased some of the pain within moments, and Rani melted away, wrapping her arms around Kion and pulling him in closer.
A minute or so later, the Queen almost moaned in relief when she felt Kion rub her swollen feet.
"Ahhhh, please, the other one again." She muttered. Kion nodded and switched to her right foot.
"...I'm sorry I've been so agitated lately."
"Rani, you're fine. I'd go stir crazy if I were locked up and in constant discomfort." Rani took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"Do you think I'm going to be a good mother?"
"Rani, you run this Kingdom like a devoted mother. I think you're ready for a baby." Kion almost laughed.
"...But can I give all of myself to our child and the Kingdom?" Rani sounded genuinely afraid, but Kion shook his head.
"Rani, we're not in this alone. I swear to the living God and his only begotten son that you're going to be a mother only surpassed by the Virgin Queen herself."
Rani almost blushed and finally felt herself smile for the first time all day.
"Merci." She almost giggled. Taking a deep breath, Rani wiped some sweat off her forehead. She was feeling hot again and felt another relief sensation as Kion went back to rubbing her feet.
"...It's getting too hot in here." Kion looked up and almost blinked when he saw Rani slip out of her robe.
"That's better."
The King smirked and moved over her.
"Much better-" Rani cut him off with a vigorous kiss.
Two days passed, and Kion sat in a meeting with his Guard, Kopa, Talib, and the High-Council.
"Are you sure!?" Kion almost shouted. Talib nodded.
"Our spies are certain. It seems Prince Hasira's efforts have turned out better than expected." The Hospitaller Grandmaster said. Apparently, more rebellions broke out across Persia, and reports came in that the elusive Prince Hasira revealed himself more than once.
"That probably explains why more Persians are rebelling. If their Prince is alive, then they have hope just like when word spread that King Simba was alive decades ago." Prince Rune said.
"This is good! This is God's divine mercy! We should press the advantage!" Baron Advik almost roared.
"Oh yeah! Let's take the fight to Radcliffe!" Bunga cried.
"Hold on! Let's net get ahead of ourselves! The reports also claim that Radcliffe has recruited more Steppe tribes into his coalition and that most of these rebellions are decentralized. He's still firmly in control of Persia, and we can't assume the Persians will rise up in mass just because another foreign army attacks." Surak reminded them, earning a nod from Balian.
"He's right. The Persians could easily misjudge our intentions and at best do nothing, or worst case even oppose us." The Baron of Ibelin said.
"We can't just sit here and do nothing either!" Bunga shouted with a fiery passion in his eyes. Kion firmly nodded.
"Oui, right not our best course of action is a Persian victory over Radcliffe. If we could help Hasira reclaim his throne, Radcliffe would lose his power base, and it would encourage friendly relations with the Persians moving forward."
The councilmen nodded.
"Not to mention the Persians were always less hostile to missionaries." George said.
"So we make sure Hasira lives." Fuli said.
"Therein turn lies the problem. It seems Hasira may be a victim of his own success. As more Persians rise up in support of him, information on his whereabouts is falling into the hands of the Sonn. I think it's only a matter of time before Radcliffe finds him." Kopa sighed.
"Dear God! That would be disastrous!" Baliyo muttered, crossing himself. Kion and the others felt a shiver down their spines, for they knew he was right. As son of the previous Shah, he held legitimacy, but even if Hasira had a son unless he restablished himself as the Shah, it meant little.
If Hasira died, the Persian rebels would splinter into rival factions, each trying to put their respective leader on the throne and would likely never succeed.
"So we make sure he lives." Advik growled.
"Agreed. I recommend that we launch an expedition into Persia, limited in size and scale. We only target the Sonn and undermine their efforts to find Hasira, and then we ensure the Prince's safety." Kion said.
"Oui, I recommend it be conducted by either the Templars or Hospitallers." Kopa said
"What?! Why!?" Baron Advik growled.
"Because we're the most organized and disciplined. Our men won't plunder the Persian countryside."
"Why you!?" Advik snarled, tearing into Kopa with his eyes.
Before anyone else could speak, the doors burst open, and a messenger raced in, short of breath.
"Sire! Sire!"
"Calm down, what's wrong!?" Ono helped the young man remain standing and offered him some water, and he guzzled it down so fast that he nearly choked.
"Sire, news from Aurevitas!" The councilCouncil went silent, and Dino Calvane, the Genoese ambassador, sat up with interest.
"Yes." The Italian said.
The messenger went pale and trembled.
"Sire, we don't know exactly how it went down. But it seems the tensions between the masses in Aurevitas and the Venetians reached the breaking point, and Isaac was facing a revolt."
Stone formed in the nobles' stomachs, and Anga grit her teeth.
"Another massacre of latins." She muttered.
"No." The messenger stuttered. Kion and Dino Calvane almost blinked.
"What?"
"It seems the Venetians were wary of Isaac and the mobs after what happened to the Genoese."
"As they should be." Dino growled.
"Isaac seems to have forgotten that most of the real soldiers in his capital were mercenaries funded by the Venetians. The Italians had spies everywhere and learned about Isaac's intentions. When the mobs came for them, the Venetians were ready."
The councilCouncil began to tremble.
"What happened?" Kion tried to remain calm, but the look in his messenger's eyes filled him with dread.
"Sire, it was a massacre. The Venetians mercenaries cut down the mobs in mass and then sacked the city. Homes, estates, markets, and churches alike, all plundered. Even the Hagia Sophia wasn't spared! Treasures and artifacts from as far back as antiquity were seized!"
"My God!" Baliyo muttered, crossing himself in horror with the others.
"How could they!? This is, this is sacrilege! This is unspeakable!" Old George looked ready to faint. Baliyo and Surak joined him, for Aurevtias was the Eastern Orthodox capital, and to hear it was sacked was nothing short of a catastrophe.
Kion tried to calm himself, but even Bunga looked speechless.
"What happened then?"
"The Venetians found Isacc, who apparently begged for mercy. Instead, they dragged him before a mural of Crassus and poured molten gold down his throat. After that, they declared their Doge as the new Aurevtias Emperor."
Kopa tightened his fist and took a deep breath.
"Any news from Rome?"
"Oui, apparently his Holiness Pope Urban IV was so horrified when he learned that he passed out. He then condemned the Venetians and ordered them to leave Aurevitas immediately or face permanent ex-communication."
"And?" Beshte muttered.
"And in response, the Venetians crowned an antipope in the Hagia Sophia."
"My God!" Old George and Ono crossed themselves.
"Central authority has broken down in the Aurevitas Empire entirely. The Venetians and their false Emperor only control the capital and its surrounding countryside. Isaac barely held power as it was, but now the governors of cities in Greece and the Balkans are all declaring themselves the true Emperor."
Kion had to grab his chair and grit his teeth. Just like that, the Venetians did more damage to the Aurevtias Empire than the Sonn ever had.
"Merde! What about Alexios!?" Rani's cousin left a few weeks prior, claiming he was heading to Anatolia to build support for a rebellion against Isaac.
"The Strategoi in Anatolia have apparently all unified and declared him the true Emperor. The pope has similarly backed this claim and has declared a Crusade against the Venetians in Aurevitas, claiming they're heretics and enemies of Christendom."
"Well, sacking one of the biggest cities in Christendom certainly isn't something Christ would condone!" Baliyo snarled, his face turning red.
"Oui, apparently King William of Sicily and King Kopa of Navarre have both taken Crusader vows, and his holiness has ordered all Crusaders to join Alexios." Kion almost blinked. His brother was joining the Crusade, which meant Navarrese, French, and English Crusaders would back up Alexios.
"So the Venetians are facing down the Themes in Anatolia which make up the bulk of the Aurevtias' best fighting men, the Kingdom of Sicily, and the Crowned Prince of the Angevine Empire/King of Navarre." Bunga almost chuckled.
"Not just them, the Pisans have made a deal with Alexios and have thrown their support in for him as well."
"Well, they don't need our help! May Christ have mercy on those Venetian fools!" Dino laughed. Baliyo nearly made everyone jump when he slammed his fist into the table so hard it nearly cracked.
"Oh, they may beg for mercy, but they'll get none! Perdidit will send those damn Italians to Hell for this insult to God and crime against his people!" Baliyo nearly breathed fire as he spoke.
None dared approach him or Surak, who similarly looked ready to erupt at any moment.
"Hold on! If his holiness already knows about this and is organizing a crusade, then someone else must also know!" Kion roared. The chamber went silent again.
"Remember the last time a major Aurevitas civil war happened?" Kion was, of course, referring to the civil war which occurred just before the Sonn invasion of Anatolia that overran the province and led to the First Crusade.
"Mother of God, pray for us sinners!" Count Vegter shouted while crossing himself. All of them knew that Radcliffe wouldn't sit idle. They'd be unstoppable if the Sonn conquered Anatolia again while also controlling Persia.
Kion stood tall before his Council.
"That settles it. The expedition into Persia must happen now! Radcliffe can't launch an invasion if he's bogged down with a full-blown revolt! Kopa, ready your Templars!"
The Grandmaster nodded fiercely.
"Oui!"
"And we're coming too!" Kion growled while looking at his Guard. Fuli, Beshte, and Ono blinked with Kopa and several others. Anga and Bunga, however, smiled.
"Allons-y!"
Later that day, Kion walked towards his chamber when Kopa turned the corner, nearly ambushing him.
"Kopa! You frightened me!" The Templar's iron gaze continued Kion's fright, and he almost backed up as Kopa approached.
"Kion, we need to talk."
"We do?"
"Kion, I don't want you going on this expedition."
"What?"
"Kion, this is going to be very dangerous. We'll be in enemy territory, outnumbered, and cut off from reinforcements. Your place is here!"
Kion narrowed his eyes.
"This expedition was my idea, and I'm going to see it through."
"Kion, you're not a simple Knight. You're the King! Not to mention you're about to become a father! If I die, another man will take my place as Grandmaster, you can't be replaced so easily!" Kion felt the heat in Kopa's voice, but he didn't back down.
"I am the King, and I need to make an alliance with Hasira to ensure Outremer and Aurevtias's survival! If the King of Outremer himself comes, Hasira will do that!"
Kopa grit his teeth and slammed his fist into the wall, so hard Kion saw blood come out of his knuckles.
"Damn it! You're just as stubborn as your father! Kion, please, I'm begging you, don't do this!"
Kion narrowed his eyes and walked past Kopa.
"I'll meet up with you in the morning." Kopa felt his legs wobble and braced himself against the wall.
"Heavenly Father, please watch over him, please!"
"You what!?" Rani bellowed, nearly turning pale as she shot up.
"Rani, calm down-"
"Calm down! You're abandoning me, our Kingdom, and our baby to run off on some adventure in Persia!" Rani almost hyperventilated, and Kion rushed over to try and ease her.
"Rani, I'm doing this for you, for our Kingdom, and our child-"
"Kopa can do it! Damn it, Kion let him handle it!"
"Rani, this is the only way Hasira will trust us! The King of Outremer coming himself will prove my sincerity! If we can get him on our side and overthrow Radcliffe, our child might not even need to fight the Sonn!" Kion pleaded.
Rani broke down into tears and turned away while lying on her side.
"Fine, do what you want, go and have your adventure in Persia."
"Rani-"
"Go!"
Kion lowered his head and left the chamber, leaving Rani to weep.