Tyranny of Steel

Berengar stood within the courtyard of his royal Palace; today was the day he was most excited for and yet dreaded dearly. Why did he dread this moment? Because saying goodbye to your family as your march towards a theatre of war thousands of miles away from your home is never easy.

This goodbye was more brutal than the last, maybe it was because his three wives were months into their pregnancy, and the possibility of him returning in time to witness the birth of his new children was small.

Or perhaps it was because this was the first proxy war he had personally entered. After all, before today, he had only ever fought in conflicts directly related to his lands and the growth of his territory.

But what was there to gain in the Reconquista for this young King of Austria? Perhaps only the creation of a stable and powerful ally that could secure his access to the Atlantic. Such a thing was important beyond measure to his plans for exploration and colonization of the New World. Yet his family did not know of such grand ambitions, nor were they even aware that such a faraway place existed.

Thus when he said goodbye to his wives, his children, and his sister, they were not the most cheerful bunch. Hans looked up at his father, who was dressed in his field uniform with a questioning gaze. The young boy latched onto Berengar's legs as he asked the question on his mind.

"Must you go to war?"

Berengar immediately knelt and patted his young son's head as he affirmed his actions.

"When you're older, you will come to realize that there are times where a man must take up arms to defend his family and his nation. I know it may not seem like it now, but this conflict in Granada is essential to our Kingdom's long-term power and stability. In a few years, I am certain that you will comprehend why this campaign in Iberia is necessary.

Trust me when I say that if not for the degree of resistance my soldiers currently face, then I would not leave you and your sister behind so soon after returning from my last campaign. A King must lead his men into battle; that is my responsibility as Monarch to my people."

Tears began to form in Hans's eyes as he heard his father say these words. Berengar responded to this by wiping the tears from his young son's eyes with his thumb before hugging him. As he did so, he whispered some much-needed fatherly advice into the young boy's ear.

"As a man, you must never cry in front of others, it is a sign of weakness, and those with ill intent towards you and our family will take advantage of this. So stiffen up that upper lip and put on a show of strength even if you are at your weakest!"

Upon hearing this, Hans immediately stopped crying and put on a stoic facade; he immediately let go of his father and saluted the man. Berengar returned his emotionless gaze with a proper salute of his own before shifting his attention to Helga. The girl was close to two years old now, yet she did not have her brother's exceptional brain. Instead, she was rather average for a child her age.

Berengar picked the girl up in the air and kissed her on her forehead before placing her in her mother's arms. He told the girl something he had seldom said as he did so.

"Remember whatever may come to pass, that daddy loves you!"

After handing off his daughter to her mother, Berengar kissed his second bride on the lips, whose tears were flowing from her beautiful sky blue eyes. Though she was confident that Berengar would return home unharmed, she always had a difficult time dealing with the worry that would inevitably arise within the depths of her heart whenever her man marched to war. Berengar held onto Linde as he whispered in her ear.

"Take care of the kids when I'm gone..."

Linde nodded her head silently in response as she struggled to contain the tears in her eyes; after saying this to Linde, Berengar latched onto Honoria as if he were a lamprey and kissed her passionately. After their tongues unbound from one another, he whispered words of encouragement in her ears.

"Fret not, you carry my child, and that is far more important than engaging in piracy. I promise you that future glory awaits you and our child. Besides, I'm not that easy to kill; you have not gotten rid of me just yet."

Honoria laughed bitterly as she heard this poor joke; after saying this, Berengar patted her on the head before turning his attention to Adela, who could not wait any longer; she immediately grabbed ahold of him and kissed him as if she would never see him again. After spending much time in each other's embrace, she released her lips and gazed fiercely into his eyes with a stern expression while saying the words contained within her mind.

"Be safe! I swear if I lose you, I will never forgive you!"

Berengar stuffed the girl's head into his chest as he kissed her forehead. After doing so, he released his grip over her and hugged his younger sister. A nervous expression appeared on the girl's face as various ideas collided within her head. As her elder brother hugged her goodbye, a single thought resounded throughout her mind.

If you don't tell him now, you may never get another chance!

Thus right when Berengar was about to pull away, Henrietta grabbed ahold of his handsome face and pressed her lips against his own, which greatly shocked everyone gathered in the courtyard. With a flushed appearance, Henrietta let go of Berengar and admitted her feelings in an embarrassed tone.

"I love you, big brother! When you come back, I will fight for you!"

After saying this, she was too timid to stick around for her elder brother's response and immediately ran back to the Palace, leaving Berengar, his wives, and his children in an utter state of confusion. Berengar's heart thumped rapidly as his brain tried to process what just occurred. After a while, a single thought escaped from his lips.

"Well, now I hope I die on the battlefield..."

Berengar shifted his gaze over to his three women, who were glaring at him with unbridled fury contained within their eyes. They did not know what he had done to charm his younger sister, but there was no way they were going to let such an unspeakable relationship come to pass. Henceforth, the three young women who were constantly at odds with one another formed a pact to safeguard Henrietta from the grasp of her lecherous big brother.

Of course, at that moment, Berengar genuinely felt that he would rather die than deal with the landmine that was his sister's incestous feelings for him. Marrying a cousin was one thing, but taking your sister as a mistress? That was a line that even a pervert like him was unwilling to cross. Berengar figured he would have to introduce a proper suitor to the girl when he returned, or things were only going to get worse. Upon seeing how viciously his women stared at him, Berengar sighed before announcing his departure.

"Well, I am off; I will see you all later..."

Of course, he didn't mention that he would need a stiff drink after this whole debacle. Thus he climbed into his royal Carriage, where he would be traveling to Trieste over the next few days before sailing to Gibraltar. He was slightly perturbed that his railway was not completed yet, but he could only do so much about that.

Thus Berengar opened up a bottle of whiskey stashed away in his Carriage and gazed out at the countryside as he inched ever closer to his direction. The only thought on his mind was how he could face Henrietta after this war was over. As such, he took a large swig from the bottle before sighing heavily.

"Dammit, Henrietta! Why the hell would you do such a thing before I ship off to war! What the hell is wrong with you! How am I supposed to handle this!?!"

After several days and a bottle of whiskey later, Berengar found his way to a Frigate departing for Granada. The young King had a massive headache, and it was not just because of the booze he had consumed.

Thus he would spend the entire journey to Granada avoiding his problems by drinking them away. When he finally arrived at his destination, he would be eager for blood; after all, violence was the only way he could vent his frustrations at the predicament he now found himself in. Historians would scratch their heads for generations trying to figure out the reason behind the young King of Austria's particularly brutal actions during this campaign.