((Takes place between the events of To The Victor, The Spoils and Filled With Promise.))
October 3rd, 1613
When a country is at war, it is the duty of all men close to the crown to advise and impart wisdom to the king. When the Frankish army marched north, with their king at their head, to meet with the heretical Coimbrans on the field of Beresford, it was the queen who was appointed regent, and the chancellor who was trusted above all. But war is a time of opportunity, and some men fail to grasp the true consequences of those opportunities.
Of all the men in the realm, the one man upon whom King Christian had believed he could depend in his absence had proven false. Cardinal Bereth, the appointed chancellor of Francia, had chosen the king's absence to act against those members of the court who were in opposition to him, manipulating the pious Queen Romola to have those men and women imprisoned; some of them burned as heretics within days of their arrest. His plan might even have succeeded, were it not for his own belief that he could no longer be touched.
When word reached the common people of the city that the king's own sister, Duchess Cecile, and her daughter, the Lady Alys, had both been arrested on charges of heresy and imprisoned, there was uproar. Rioting erupted in the streets, protesting against the chancellor and his corruption, demanding the release of the king's own blood, and even the Queen, who had been so amenable to this point, began to listen to the call of the people, no longer allowing Bereth to manipulate her into signing any more warrants, be they for deaths or for arrests. Yet she did nothing to release her sister by marriage, her niece, and still the people clamored for Bereth's removal.
As battle was joined in the north, word reached King Christian of his domestic troubles, snatching the joy from his victory over the Coimbran army that had invaded his lands. He had difficulties of his own to deal with now, difficulties that had been allowed to fester for too long. Within hours, he had dispatched the Duke of Lonnare to the capital with orders for the release of his kin and the arrest of Cardinal Bereth. Injured, he would have to return more slowly, but by then, order would be restored. He hoped.
When Charles heard of the arrest of Lady Alys and her mother, he was livid, to say the least - eager to kill Bereth for what he'd done and save them all the trouble of a trial. Thankfully, the King chose him to act in his stead, issuing orders for Charles and a retinue of soldiers under his command to return to the capital forthwith, demand Bereth's arrest, and free the King's sister and his niece, who had recently been married to Charles in secret. Charles and his men wasted no time in obeying his King's orders, rushing back to the capital city of Martel as quickly as the horses would carry them. Flanked by six of the King's most trusted men, Charles marched straight to Bereth's chambers upon his arrival, giving the man little warning and no time to escape. He issued orders in Christian's name to have the Ladies Cecile and Alys released immediately and for them to be escorted to his private chambers where they were to be kept under close watch until he was able to join them.
Their arrival was swiftly noted by the crowds of people in the street, whispers and rumors declaring that the king had sent his good friend, Charles Beauforte, to deal with the Cardinal personally. So too was noted the deputation that left the castle to push their way through the streets to the great fortress prison, and slowly, the chaos on the streets began to calm. With the arrival of the Duke of Lonnare, order was being restored.
Within the palace itself, new voices were raised in fury as the Cardinal was marched from his chambers toward the royal reception room. "You have no authority over me, I am a Prince of the Church of the Goddess and Chancellor of this realm," he declared, fighting the soldiers who held him every step of the way. "Release me, damn you!"
Charles did not presume to take the throne, but he had made it clear that he was there at the behest of Christian and possessed all the proper papers to prove his claim. By the time he heard the Chancellor's voice echoing through the hall on his way there, his patience had already reached its limits. He was pacing the floor, slapping his gloves against the palm of his hand while he awaited word of Alys' safety and the arrival of the Chancellor to the reception room. He had not even spared a moment to clean the dried blood of battle from his clothes or the caked on mud from his boots. He looked weary and as dangerous as a viper ready to strike.
"Take your hands off me - !" There was a moment of breathless indignation as the Chancellor was pushed roughly forward to stand before the Duke, in front of the entire court. Bereth glared daggers at Charles, still believing him to be nothing more than a new man. "How dare you have me arrested," he demanded in fury. "By the command of the king, I am his lawful chancellor, and you, your grace, have grossly overstepped your bounds!"
The muscles in Charles' jaw bunched, but somehow he managed to maintain his composure as he turned to face the one man he considered more than any other to be his personal nemesis. "I think not, Chancellor." He gestured with a hand toward one of his men. "Would you read Christian's orders aloud for the court and show them the signature and seal of the King?"
"By the divine right of the Goddess, I, Christian, King of Francia, do hereby strip Cardinal Joseph Bereth of all rank, wealth, and titles formerly given by my hand and the hand of my father before me, and order him arrested on a charge of high treason, to be held in the fortress gaol until such time as judgment may be passed upon him."
As the soldier read aloud, Bereth's face whitened, until it seemed almost as though he was merely a skull looking at the world from beneath a thin, stretched layer of pallid skin, but still he rallied himself. "By what evidence am I to be imprisoned" I am a Prince of the Church. No secular law may hold me."
"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Chancellor, as you can see that the King himself has heard of your betrayal and has sent me here to arrest you and to free those who have been wrongly accused of treason by you. How dare you presume to arrest the King's own kin, while he is away at battle" By what authority do you dare to do such a thing" You are not the King, Cardinal, and you are the one who has overstepped your bounds!" Charles said, moving to step in front of the man, blue eyes flashing with barely-controlled rage. "You are fortunate the King has only asked for your arrest and not your execution, Chancellor," he told the many quietly, so that only those closest could hear him.
"Those orders were signed by the queen's hand, in her capacity as regent to the realm in the king's absence," Bereth snarled, refusing to be cowed by the furious man before him. "On my authority as a Prince of the Church did I order the arrests of those heretics within the court, and -"
But whatever else he might have said was drowned out by a sudden protest from the courtiers around him. They had watched as he had winnowed through their numbers and removed his enemies, placing his allies in positions of power. They would not stand by and let him condemn princesses of the royal blood to death by burning for crimes they did not commit.
As enraged as Charles was, he would not allow the man to irritate him further. "The King will deal with the Queen upon his return," he told him quietly, his voice edged with anger and hatred, though Charles had plans of his own for Christian's wife before his King returned so that she would not escape justice. "And you have just sealed her fate, along with your own," he added quietly. He turned his back on the man so that he could face those gathered in the court, friend and foe alike. "By the authority given me by order of King Christian, I order this man's arrest until such time as the King has returned to court and can see to his trial. As for the Queen, I order her detained and confined to her private quarters, and I also order the release of all prisoners accused of heresy or treason during the King's absence." He turned back to Bereth, eyes flashing once again, almost daring the man to give him a reason to finish it right then and there. Charles' fingers twitched as they rested upon the pommel of his sword, almost daring Bereth to force his hand.
October 3rd, 1613
When a country is at war, it is the duty of all men close to the crown to advise and impart wisdom to the king. When the Frankish army marched north, with their king at their head, to meet with the heretical Coimbrans on the field of Beresford, it was the queen who was appointed regent, and the chancellor who was trusted above all. But war is a time of opportunity, and some men fail to grasp the true consequences of those opportunities.
Of all the men in the realm, the one man upon whom King Christian had believed he could depend in his absence had proven false. Cardinal Bereth, the appointed chancellor of Francia, had chosen the king's absence to act against those members of the court who were in opposition to him, manipulating the pious Queen Romola to have those men and women imprisoned; some of them burned as heretics within days of their arrest. His plan might even have succeeded, were it not for his own belief that he could no longer be touched.
When word reached the common people of the city that the king's own sister, Duchess Cecile, and her daughter, the Lady Alys, had both been arrested on charges of heresy and imprisoned, there was uproar. Rioting erupted in the streets, protesting against the chancellor and his corruption, demanding the release of the king's own blood, and even the Queen, who had been so amenable to this point, began to listen to the call of the people, no longer allowing Bereth to manipulate her into signing any more warrants, be they for deaths or for arrests. Yet she did nothing to release her sister by marriage, her niece, and still the people clamored for Bereth's removal.
As battle was joined in the north, word reached King Christian of his domestic troubles, snatching the joy from his victory over the Coimbran army that had invaded his lands. He had difficulties of his own to deal with now, difficulties that had been allowed to fester for too long. Within hours, he had dispatched the Duke of Lonnare to the capital with orders for the release of his kin and the arrest of Cardinal Bereth. Injured, he would have to return more slowly, but by then, order would be restored. He hoped.
When Charles heard of the arrest of Lady Alys and her mother, he was livid, to say the least - eager to kill Bereth for what he'd done and save them all the trouble of a trial. Thankfully, the King chose him to act in his stead, issuing orders for Charles and a retinue of soldiers under his command to return to the capital forthwith, demand Bereth's arrest, and free the King's sister and his niece, who had recently been married to Charles in secret. Charles and his men wasted no time in obeying his King's orders, rushing back to the capital city of Martel as quickly as the horses would carry them. Flanked by six of the King's most trusted men, Charles marched straight to Bereth's chambers upon his arrival, giving the man little warning and no time to escape. He issued orders in Christian's name to have the Ladies Cecile and Alys released immediately and for them to be escorted to his private chambers where they were to be kept under close watch until he was able to join them.
Their arrival was swiftly noted by the crowds of people in the street, whispers and rumors declaring that the king had sent his good friend, Charles Beauforte, to deal with the Cardinal personally. So too was noted the deputation that left the castle to push their way through the streets to the great fortress prison, and slowly, the chaos on the streets began to calm. With the arrival of the Duke of Lonnare, order was being restored.
Within the palace itself, new voices were raised in fury as the Cardinal was marched from his chambers toward the royal reception room. "You have no authority over me, I am a Prince of the Church of the Goddess and Chancellor of this realm," he declared, fighting the soldiers who held him every step of the way. "Release me, damn you!"
Charles did not presume to take the throne, but he had made it clear that he was there at the behest of Christian and possessed all the proper papers to prove his claim. By the time he heard the Chancellor's voice echoing through the hall on his way there, his patience had already reached its limits. He was pacing the floor, slapping his gloves against the palm of his hand while he awaited word of Alys' safety and the arrival of the Chancellor to the reception room. He had not even spared a moment to clean the dried blood of battle from his clothes or the caked on mud from his boots. He looked weary and as dangerous as a viper ready to strike.
"Take your hands off me - !" There was a moment of breathless indignation as the Chancellor was pushed roughly forward to stand before the Duke, in front of the entire court. Bereth glared daggers at Charles, still believing him to be nothing more than a new man. "How dare you have me arrested," he demanded in fury. "By the command of the king, I am his lawful chancellor, and you, your grace, have grossly overstepped your bounds!"
The muscles in Charles' jaw bunched, but somehow he managed to maintain his composure as he turned to face the one man he considered more than any other to be his personal nemesis. "I think not, Chancellor." He gestured with a hand toward one of his men. "Would you read Christian's orders aloud for the court and show them the signature and seal of the King?"
"By the divine right of the Goddess, I, Christian, King of Francia, do hereby strip Cardinal Joseph Bereth of all rank, wealth, and titles formerly given by my hand and the hand of my father before me, and order him arrested on a charge of high treason, to be held in the fortress gaol until such time as judgment may be passed upon him."
As the soldier read aloud, Bereth's face whitened, until it seemed almost as though he was merely a skull looking at the world from beneath a thin, stretched layer of pallid skin, but still he rallied himself. "By what evidence am I to be imprisoned" I am a Prince of the Church. No secular law may hold me."
"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Chancellor, as you can see that the King himself has heard of your betrayal and has sent me here to arrest you and to free those who have been wrongly accused of treason by you. How dare you presume to arrest the King's own kin, while he is away at battle" By what authority do you dare to do such a thing" You are not the King, Cardinal, and you are the one who has overstepped your bounds!" Charles said, moving to step in front of the man, blue eyes flashing with barely-controlled rage. "You are fortunate the King has only asked for your arrest and not your execution, Chancellor," he told the many quietly, so that only those closest could hear him.
"Those orders were signed by the queen's hand, in her capacity as regent to the realm in the king's absence," Bereth snarled, refusing to be cowed by the furious man before him. "On my authority as a Prince of the Church did I order the arrests of those heretics within the court, and -"
But whatever else he might have said was drowned out by a sudden protest from the courtiers around him. They had watched as he had winnowed through their numbers and removed his enemies, placing his allies in positions of power. They would not stand by and let him condemn princesses of the royal blood to death by burning for crimes they did not commit.
As enraged as Charles was, he would not allow the man to irritate him further. "The King will deal with the Queen upon his return," he told him quietly, his voice edged with anger and hatred, though Charles had plans of his own for Christian's wife before his King returned so that she would not escape justice. "And you have just sealed her fate, along with your own," he added quietly. He turned his back on the man so that he could face those gathered in the court, friend and foe alike. "By the authority given me by order of King Christian, I order this man's arrest until such time as the King has returned to court and can see to his trial. As for the Queen, I order her detained and confined to her private quarters, and I also order the release of all prisoners accused of heresy or treason during the King's absence." He turned back to Bereth, eyes flashing once again, almost daring the man to give him a reason to finish it right then and there. Charles' fingers twitched as they rested upon the pommel of his sword, almost daring Bereth to force his hand.