Act I:
Hunter and Hunted
Chapter I:
Hunting Party
Early Spring 2009,
Charlotte County, Province of New York, Holy Empire of Britannia
A young rider, dressed in the traditional red hunting coat, with on his head a black velvet-covered helmet, mounted a handsome stallion of Westphalian breed that was gallopping through the forest, following a pack of hounds which, meters ahead of him, barked and ran after a fox. Dozens of meters behind him, the rest of his fellowship, struggling to keep his pace.
- We've almost got it! - He said by himself, grinding his teeth and whipping his horse, to make sure it would not slow down. - Come on! -
The chase did not last much longer: soon the hounds surrounded the poor fox around a rock and had it mercilessly slain in their jaws.
- Good! We did it! - Exclaimed the young huntsman, patting his horse's neck and then hugging it. - Good job, mate! -
In spite of being almost noon, the sunlight barely penetrated the dark Appalachian forest. The young hunter sounded his horn victoriously, while the Whippers-in retreated the dead fox from the hounds.
- Great job, Master of the Hunt Maximilian von Habsburg. - Said another huntsman with long, blond hair, falling from the helmet, shaking the others' hand.
- Thank you, Huntsman Clovis la Britannia. - Replied Maximilian, before turning at the other hunters: - Gentlemen: today it's been the fox! - He then announced, taking the dead animal from the hands of a whipper and raising it in triumph. - And now, back to the countryhouse for plenty of grilled meat and beer! -
Everyone cheered at the announcement.
The group, with the whippers keeping the hounds together, started moving back to the house.
- If memories does not fail, Master of the Hunt. - Said suddenly Prince Clovis. - Junior Claudio Darlton, joined us today as a huntsman for the first time. -
- Oh, really? - Replied Maximilian, stopping his horse. - Well, well, well... - He then turned at the Master of the Foxhounds: - Lord Campbell, looks like we will have a blooding today. -
The Master of the Foxhounds, like the whippers and all the members of the fellowship, from the hunters to the staff, were indeed students of the Imperial St. Edmund's College, one of the most selective and posh boarding high schools of the Holy Britannian Empire, renown for its hunting and riding traditions. A result of which, all the students divided themselves from their very first year in "Hunting" (for boys) and "Riding" (for girls) Clubs, each of which with its own identity, history and rituals, which for the boys often included the Blooding.
Thus, they stopped in a meadow, where they dismounted from the horses and stood in a circle, surrounding the young Claudio Darlton and Archduke Maximilian von Habsburg; two athletes, used to spend long parts of their days doing physical exercise, the former, with his darker hair and more tanned skin revealed a partial Mediterranean origin from his mother's side, the latter, with his chestnut hair and deep blue eyes, revealed his strongly Germanic background. But there was more to it: his jaw slightly bigger and more pronounced than the normal revealed something more about his bloodline: he was a Hasburg-Lothringen.
Maximilian placed then the fox on the stump of a tree and with his knife, he cut open its belly and chest, sinking his finger into its intestines.
- Apprentice Claudio Darlton, on your knees. - He commanded. Claudio obeyed. - By the powers granted to me by this honourable fellowship, named The Reynard Club, I hereby, under the protection of Goddess Diana and of Saint Hubertus of Liége, declare thee a Huntsman, with all the privileges and duties deriving from your new status. -
With those words, he proceeded smearing the animal's blood on Claudio's face, leaving him with a fully red mask.
- Tally-Ho! - Cried then Maximilian.
- Reynard! - Shouted the others.
- Tally-Ho! -
- Reynard! -
- Tally-Ho! -
- Reynard! -
The group broke in a serie of animalesque cries and shouts, while Maximilian cut off the tail, the feet and the head of the fox, throwing the rest of the carcass to the hounds, for them to eat. Finally, they broke into singing the School Hymn, which was actually an old German hunting song:
Ein Jäger aus Kurpfalz
Der reitet durch den grünen Wald
Der schießt sein Wild daher
Gleich wie es ihm gefällt
Juja, Juja, gar lustig ist die Jägerei
Allhier auf grüner Heid
Allhier auf grüner Heid
[Translation at the bottom]
New York City, a few days later...
After spending the last three days of the week in the forest, on Monday all the students of the St. Edmund were back at the main campus of the school, in Chelsea, New York City, where they resumed classes. There, they would receive a classical education, focused mainly on subjects such as history, literature, philosophy, Ancient Greek, Latin, geography and military strategy, all of these framed in an intense and well-structured agenda, from which derived a strict discipline.
Study hard, party even harder was the motto that could have summarised well the lifestyle of the St Edmund's pupils, who would usually organise at night lavish parties in the premises of the school reserved to each club, which would often degenerate in full abandonment to all sort of degeneracy and hedonistic pleasures. All of this, needless to say, silently tolerated, if not encouraged by the school.
- You seriously fucked that olive-skinned alumni? - Asked Clovis, on a mocking tone, at the end of one of those parties.
- Villetta? Yes, I did, why? -
Clovis, adjusted his blue wool robe and laughed, shaking his head. - You really are quite the madman, mate... I mean, she's hot, so point for you, it's just that she always had a reputation of, how should I say? Of not being very willing to entertain any sort of relationship. -
- How do you know her? - Asked Maximilian, frowning.
- She's in the military and works closely with my sister Cornelia and other people. - Replied him. - And she and Cornelia were in the same club here. -
- Oh well, I guess, alcohol makes miracles. - Replied Maximilian, laughing and feeling proud for having been with a girl older than him. - Speaking of which, have you got more cigars? I would gladly join you over a glass of rum. -
- Yeah, sure. - Replied Clovis, picking up a leather purse with engraved the Imperial Family crest. - Let me see... We've got Upman, Montecristo, Romeo y... -
- Upman, especially if it's a Number 2. -
Clovis picked up a cigar and handed it to Maximilian. - Lucky day, then! Come on, get some drink too. - Added Clovis, pouring an amber-coloured rum in a chrystal glass. - Dos Maderas, aged 10 years: 5 in Barbados, 5 in Spain, in Sherry caskets, do you know it? -
- Know? It's one of my favourites. - Replied Maximilian, pickin up the glass. - A toast to... -
- Girls? - Asked Clovis, with a smirk.
- Bacchus, Tobacco and Venus. - Replied Maximilian, galvanised.
- Yeah, cheers! - Echoed Clovis. Following the first toast, they went well into the evening drinking, smoking and chatting and joking, as they took more alcohol and cigars.
The following day, Maximilian woke up with a terrible headache.
- Oh, shit. - He murmured, getting up, massaging his head. - Clovis! Tom? Where are all of you? - He noticed, much for his distaste that nobody was in the bedroom and the beds were left all undone. - What the... - Only then he noticed the sunlight from the open window and instinctively checked his Patek-Philippe watch, which he had left on the desk. - Shit! -
It was 9 a.m.
When he rushed inside the Latin class, he still had to do his tie and the collar of his shirt unbuttoned: he was half-an-hour late.
- Apologies. - He whispered, as he entered, interrupting the lesson.
The old Prof. Burnaby, with his grey beard, shoot him a disapproving glance, but then gestured for him to take a seat, while all the other students looked at Maximilian and gave some mocking laughs.
- You bloody bastard. - He said Clovis, sitting next to him. - Why you didn't say anything? -
- I tried to wake you up a number of times, dummkopf! -
- Good God. - Whispered Maximilian. - Anyway, whatever. -
- With your GPA, you could have entered here with a cup of tea in your hands and nobody would have said anything. - Reassured Clovis.
Maximilian nodded. - Yeah, that's also true, mate. -
He had just calmed down and started following the lesson, there was another sudden interruption: this time it was the Head Master:
- Sorry for interrupting. I need Archduke Maximilian von Habsburg, Prince Edoardo Colonna and Duke Ferdinand De Pouilly to come with me. -
- Can't believe it. - Muttered Maximilian, standing up. The others two, although upset and not understanding why they were being called, followed suit.
- May I just say in my defence that this has been the first time that something like this happened and that I will make sure it will be the last? - Started Lodovico, as they walked through the grand corridors, decorated with portraits and wall carpets, heading to the office of the Provost. - I realise it was a mistake and... -
- Please, Your Highness, stay calm. - Cut short the Head Master. - Whatever you did this morning, you are being called for something far more serious and there is nothing either me or the Provost can do about it. -
Needless to say, this worried Maximilian even more than before, who now began to fear for the worse: a suspension, or maybe even an expulsion. But over what? Maybe something happened at the last party...
The Provost was waiting for them in his elegant office. This was a large room whose windows faced the school's gardens, furnished with victorian taste. He sat at his desk in oak, behind him, hanging a portrait of Emperor Charles IV, or Charles zi Britannia, the Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire and father of his best friend, the Prince Clovis la Britannia.
- Please, gentlemen, make yourselves comfortable. - He said, with a soft tone, indicating, with his hand, three chairs in front of him. He was a nobleman himself, other than an Army veteran, with a martial pose and a grey beard, but a kind glance. That day, however, he seemed particularly exhausted. - I am trying to call you little by little and every time it's a harder challenge for me. - He began, his voice betraying his pain. - I really hoped we would never get to this. -
The poor students still could not understand what could all the fuss be about.
The answer came very quickly: he turned on a screen, which showed a video of the Magnum Concilium, the Britannian parliament, in Pendragon, almost fully convened. Emperor Charles was sitting on his throne and the atmosphere seemed very tense. Maximilian understood from the very beginning, remembering his father's explanation, that this was going to be the proclamation of a new law, or, in the juridical language, either an Act or a Constitution.
As the camera zoomed in, the words of the Emperor echoed from the screen, with a solemn, yet cruel sound:
- 3rd of April, Year of Our Lord 2009,
We, Charles IV, by the Grace of God Holy Emperor of Britannia, King of Euro Britannia, King of Australia, King of New Zealand, Duke of Pendragon and of all the other Domains under the Sun, upon having consulted with The Lords Spiritual and Temporal Convened in the Great Council, do hereby proclaim the following Constitution on the Status of the Catholic Church: We acknowledge that the Catholic Church and its supporters that still sit in this Honourable Council and style themselves as the "Catholic Party", have proven to be a source of instability and disloyalty within our Empire, tampering its pursuit of glory, while keeping contact with the enemies of the State. Thus, We proclaim that for all the territories under Our direct rule, meaning the Homeland and the Areas, the members of such a treasonous clique are to be deemed as rebels and traitors and to be dealt as such. Likewise, we declare that from this moment onwards, the Catholic Church is to be banished from all of those territories, its properties confiscated and the members of its clergy are to be arrested. It will be up to Our Dominions to adopt autonomous legislation in accordance with their customs to satisfy Our will.
All Hail Britannia! -
Maximilian felt the blood freezing in his veins, while his lips opened and closed without releasing any sound. His father, Archduke Albert was the leader of the Catholic Party and he already knew they would be the first to be affected by the new law. He had no doubts on it: dark times awaited.
Author Note
Dear readers,
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this story that I have started developing in the past few days from a few ideas I had in mind. This being said, a few technical notes:
- - Stands for dialogue or speech.
"" Stands for thought.
Also, let me provide the translation for the song Ein Jager aus Kurpfalz:
A hunter of Kurpfalz
Is riding through the green woods;
He shoots the wild game,
Just the way he likes it best.
Refrain:
Hurrah, hurrah; How good it is to go hunting,
All over the green fields,
All over the green fields.