Tyranny of Steel

Berengar was within his study, it had been a year since Adela's birthday, and he had made significant progress in this time. At the moment, he was drafting a new form of Naval Law, one that would prove vital to the upcoming war with the Venetians.

There was no doubt about it, relations with the Republic of Venice had deteriorated to the point where war was inevitable, and frankly, Berengar did not have enough ships built yet to combat the threat of the Venetian Navy. 

Thus he had a peculiar idea from his previous life in mind to combat the Venetian menace. As he drafted this legislation, he began to think about a particular candidate on his mind to fulfill the role. A bitter smile formed on his face as he reflected on his poor relationship with Honoria.

The past year his relationship with the girl had been strained. A year ago, she claimed she would tell him her identity, but the day never came, and the more he waited for the girl to be honest with him, the more his patience wore thin. 

If not for the trip Honoria had taken, Berengar probably would have done something reckless.  However, when she returned after several months of absence, he felt as if the thing that had been missing from his life was finally fulfilled. 

He knew now that he had feelings for the girl, even if their relationship was by no means healthy; he just wished the girl would reveal what he had long since found out about her. Though it was difficult, Berengar used his spies to procure the intel that the Princess had run away and was presumed dead.

Throughout the past year, Berengar's spies worked hard to track Honoria's previous journey through the Black Sea and the Danube to Kufstein. Despite knowing the truth, Berengar had still waited for the young Princess to reveal her past on her own terms. 

The constant lies and the insecure jealousy she had shown when Berengar was with other women were part of why they had drifted so far apart. As Berengar thought about this, he drank from his skull chalice. 

Shortly after taking a sip of the fortified wine, he heard a knock on his door, and as such, he got up and opened it to find Honoria standing in his doorway with a flustered expression. Before Berengar could say a word, she grabbed ahold of him and kissed him on the lips passionately. 

Though startled, Berengar accepted the gift and instead took charge as he showed the inexperienced Princess how the art of kissing was done correctly. After a few moments of intimacy, Honoria broke apart from Berengar; she was fully blushing at this point and muttered beneath her breath in embarrassment.

"I love you..."

Though Berengar wanted to tease the girl, he decided not to and instead led her into his study, where the two sat down across from each other. He could tell that this was a much-needed conversation and decided to be serious about it. 

Berengar poured Honoria a glass filled with the fortified wine and handed it to her before sipping on his own. The two of them drank in silence for some time before Berengar broke it.

"I suppose you have something you want to say?'

To this, Honoria responded; she took a deep breath before uttering the first thought on her mind.

"I haven't been entirely honest with you. My name is not Valeria, it is Honoria, and I am the Princess of the Byzantine Empire."

After saying this, Berengar merely stared at her with a stoic expression, which got on the Princess's nerves; she began to pout. Honoria had expected that Berengar would have a far greater reaction to such news; however, the way he was looking at her as if he did not care in the slightest irritated her, thus she began to voice her frustrations. 

"Well? What do you think?"

Berengar placed his skull chalice on the table before revealing his thoughts to the young Princess.

"I know, In fact, I have known for quite some time. If I am being honest, I have been waiting for you to tell me, but you just never did, even after promising you would do so. I suppose that is one of the reasons why I grew so distant to you; I don't like being lied to by a girl I happen to fancy."

Honoria was slightly shocked, though she had suspected Berengar knew the truth about her identity on more than one occasion. She had always rejected such notions. Instead, she always thought that he was angry about her for lying about other things. 

After calming herself down by drinking more of the wine, she eventually began to speak her piece.

"I have feelings for you, Berengar, even if we did not start on the right foot. However, I won't lie to you; I don't intend to stay trapped in Kufstein Castle for the rest of my life. I want to go out and explore the world and go on adventures. 

You asked me a year ago what my dreams were, and I have come to realize it. When I was gone, my ship was targeted by pirates; due to your guard's assistance, we were able to repel them and even seize their assets. It was truly exhilarating; for the first time in my life, I felt truly alive!

I want a ship and crew of my own; I want to sail the sea and plunder the vessels of those who deserve it! However, I also want a safe place to call home, and a man to hold me and comfort me after I come back from a long journey at sea. I want that man to be you, but if you are intent on keeping me locked up as you plan for Linde and Adela, I can't see myself agreeing to that."

Hearing this, Berengar's lips curled into a smirk, the look on his face greatly dissatisfied Honoria, that is until the reason for it was revealed. Berengar handed the piece of paper he had been working on earlier in the day to Honoria while remaining completely silent.

When Honoria gazed at the document in her hands she was baffled.

"What is this?"

Berengar leaned back in his seat before explaining the details to the young Princess. 

"It is a letter of marque and reprisal. Essentially I am looking for experienced sailors to attack and capture the vessels of the nations that I am at war with. You may not be aware of this, but conflict is brewing with the Venetians, and it won't be long before a fight breaks out.

I am not ready for this war; they have hundreds of Vessels and are cranking out their Caravels at a much faster rate than I can construct my frigates. So I need people like you, sailors who seek adventure and glory to work for me, and take care of my enemy, whether that be their naval or merchant fleets. 

It sounds to me like the perfect job for you, do you agree?"

Upon hearing this, Honoria looked at Berengar with a gaze filled with affection and confusion; as such, she wanted to clarify what Berengar had just said.

"You want me to be a pirate?"

Berengar shook his head and corrected her instantly. To him, there was a distinction between a common pirate and what he was asking her to become.

"Privateer, essentially it is the same thing, but you have the protection of the Ducal Crown of Austria. You will fly my flag on your vessel and have the full legal authority to attack my enemies. However, you are forbidden from attacking neutral parties; if you do so, you will be branded a Pirate and suffer the same fate."

Honoria was shocked when she heard this. Such an idea did not exist until now, yet Berengar had essentially legalized piracy, at least to the extent of attacking his enemies. Which was more than enough to earn a fortune; if a war broke out with the Venetians, one could become exceptionally wealthy by attacking their shipping vessels.  However, what Berengar said next shocked her even more.

"As for a ship, I wanted it to be a secret, but I have begun the construction of a sloop of war for you as a birthday gift, I know it is still a few months away, but I assure you this 18 gun vessel is far superior to that silly Caravel you have captured from those pirates."

Honoria gazed at Berengar with further astonishment; she instantly wanted to clarify the issue at hand.

"You know about my Caravel?"

To this, Berengar simply smirked as he responded in a haughty tone.

"Of course! Remember, my guards watched you the entire time; nothing on your journey happened that I don't know about. I protect my women, and I can't protect them if I don't know what trouble they might be in. As you can see, I am very supportive of your dreams, you can come and go from Kufstein as you please, and I will be here for you when you desire to see me. However, I have two conditions for all of this..."

The last part of Berengar's statement invoked Honoria's natural curiosity; as such, she asked the question on her mind.

"And that is?"

Berengar began to sip from his chalice, finishing the fortified wine in the process; after wiping his mouth with a napkin, he informed Honoria of his condition.

"As you are probably aware, I am a very jealous lover. As long as you promise to stay loyal to me, I will be more than happy to give you everything you desire. Of course, I would prefer if your crew was entirely comprised of women. I would not be able to sleep at night worrying about your safety surrounded by a bunch of scoundrels. 

As long as you agree to these terms, I will be more than happy to fund your adventures and give you all the support you need to achieve your dreams. So how about it, do you swear to be loyal to me as my woman and take up a crew of only women?"

Upon hearing this, Honoria began to giggle; After a while, she sighed heavily before calming herself down.

"You are such a hypocrite..."

To this, Berengar merely smiled before expressing his views

"Aren't we all?"

Honoria smiled and walked around Berengar's desk before sitting on his lap and kissing him passionately once more. After releasing herself from his grasp, she nodded her head and spoke her mind.

"Consider this my promise to you!"

Afterward, she began to strip Berengar's clothes while he removed her own. Before long, the two were enjoying the warmth of each other's bodies. As Berengar took Honoria's virginity, he gazed down at sight with a smile on his face before speaking his thoughts.

"It is good to be the Duke!"