Tyranny of Steel

After the military parade had been finished, Berengar was alerted that the War in Bohemia had come to an end, and just as he expected, the various Hussite sects could not agree on who the next King would be.

He began to chuckle to himself as he read the letter written by Eckhard that was currently in his hands. Of course, it would turn out this way. Did Eckhard expect a bunch of religious fanatics to have a plan for after they had overthrown the legitimate monarchy? 

King Radek of Bohemia was dead, so too were his male heirs. Prague was in a disastrous state, and the various Hussite sects had turned on one another in an attempt to put their representatives on the vacant Throne.

If not for Berengar's fearsome reputation being utilized by Eckhard to pressure the various factions into maintaining civil ties, then a new war would have broken out between the victorious Hussites. After spending years backing the various Hussite sects in their war to overthrow the Catholic monarchy, now was the time to lay claim to the Bohemian Crown.

Eckhard had openly invited him into Bohemia, and as such, Berengar would show up with an army at his back. With the Austrian Royal Army behind him, the various factions vying for the Bohemian Crown would have to take him seriously. 

As such, Berengar got up from his seat within his study and ventured to the headquarters of the Austrian Royal Army located within the city of Kufstein. After entering the building, the various soldiers who worked as administrative personnel saluted their King as he made his way to the General's chambers. 

After entering the room, Berengar saw multiple of his General's gathered. They were discussing the trials of the new field cannons. However, when they saw the King enter the room, they immediately halted their discussion and saluted him in the more modern fashion he had recently implemented among his ranks.  After doing so, Berengar returned their gesture before answering the questions he knew they had on their minds.

"The war for Bohemia is over; the Hussites are victorious!"

After saying this, the Generals began to break out into cheers; however, shortly thereafter, Berengar raised his hand, signaling them to be silent. After doing so, he spoke up once more about the current situation. 

"The various Hussite sects are ready to turn on themselves in an attempt to put a member of their faction on the Throne. The situation is volatile, and I fear it is necessary to intervene before the Kingdom of Bohemia descends into further chaos. I want 10,000 men gathered and ready to deploy to Bohemia within 72 hours. I will personally lead them; after all, it has been some time since I have last seen my good friend Eckhard."

The Generals immediately began to nod their heads as they received their order, not a single man among their ranks was willing to anger the King. As such, they quickly began to relay the orders to muster a small division of soldiers capable of stabilizing the situation within the neighboring Kingdom. 

Berengar knew the likelihood of violence occurring after the Austrian Royal Army arrived in Bohemia was slim. This was merely a show of force. Thus he returned to the Palace where he began to prepare for his journey.

As Berengar was getting his supplies in order within the royal bed chambers, Honoria snuck up behind him and pounced on him, pinning him to the bed in the process. She had a pouting expression as she gazed upon her lover with a sense of dread.

"You're leaving so soon? It has only been a month since you returned home, and you have spent most of it with Adela!"

Berengar chuckled as he tried to get up from under the young princess. However, she refused to relent and continued to put pressure upon him. With his combatives training from his previous life, the young King could easily escape the princess's mount.

Still, he decided to endure the gesture and instead grabbed Honoria and brought her mouth into his own. Where he began to kiss her passionately. After a few moments, he let her go with a wicked grin on his face. He began to tease the young woman as he removed himself from under her grasp.

"Does that make you feel better?"

However, Honoria did not relent. Instead, she continued to pout as she looked away from her lover. Berengar had not spent nearly enough time with the girl since his marriage to Adela, and she was starting to feel left out. Now all of a sudden, he was going off to God knows where, as such, she would not forgive him so easily.  Instead, she merely began to question Berengar about his plans.

"Where are you going now?"

Berengar smiled as he heard his lover slowly begin to open up; as such, he began to inform her of the ongoing crisis in the neighboring Kingdom.

"The war for Bohemia is over. However, the Hussites are dumber than I thought; every faction among their ranks is currently vying to put their representative on the Bohemian Throne. The only reason blood has yet to be shed is because Eckhard had mentioned that I would be arriving to settle the dispute. 

It would appear my neighbors have become afraid of me; as such, I am given a perfect opportunity to claim the Bohemian Crown for myself and annex it into my domain. Who will dare to oppose me after all the pain and suffering the Hussites have caused upon the Bohemian Kingdom?"

After hearing Berengar's explanation, Honoria began to break out into laughter, which was not the reaction Berengar was expecting; as such, he gazed at her with confusion before asking the question on his mind. 

"What is so funny?"

In response to this, Honoria wiped a tear from her eye before pouncing on Berengar once more, hugging him tightly as she whispered into his ear.

"A year ago, my man was a lowly Duke; soon he will have two crowns! I knew I chose correctly when I decided to run away from home and into your arms; I dread to think what my life would be without you..."

Berengar smiled as he spent some time in the arms of his lover; the two of them rested there for some time before Berengar finally got up from the bed. He needed to inform the remainder of his family that he would be departing for a short while, and as such, he looked over at Honoria once more before commenting on her career path.

"Enjoy the peace while it lasts; in a few months, we will be forced to intervene on Granada's behalf; when that happens, I want you and your crew to begin raiding the vessels of the Catholic Iberian Kingdoms. Speaking of which, go visit Ludwig while I'm gone, and inform him to equip your girls with some needle rifles; your current weapons are obsolete."

Honoria smiled as she heard this and nodded her head. After doing so, she hugged Berengar from behind one last time before thanking him for his support.

"Thanks for all your help..."

Berengar chuckled as he patted the girl's head before forcing himself out of her grip.

"Alright, I've got to go inform the others. I won't be leaving for another three days, so you and Linde should meet me in the Harem room later; I'm sure we can find some way to entertain ourselves for the next few days."

After saying this, Berengar left Honoria alone in the bedroom when he sought out his other family members. Interestingly enough, he found them all gathered within Helga's room, playing with his young daughter. As Berengar witnessed the wholesome sight, a broad smile appeared on his face.  After watching in silence for a while, he finally announced his entrance. 

"Ahem... I have an announcement to make."

After saying this, everyone within the room gazed over at Berengar with shock; they had no idea how long he had been standing there, all of them except for one. Hans was aware of Berengar's presence the entire time; he chose not to say anything as he continued to read from a book about Alexander the Great. After Berengar had gotten their attention, he announced his plans for the upcoming days.

"In three days, I will be Embarking for Bohemia, the situation there is at a critical point, if I play my cards right, I can gain control over the region and all the wealth within it. I won't be gone for long; I just wanted to warn you."

Adela immediately rose from her seat and approached Berengar with a worried expression. As for Linde as the Director of Austrian Royal Intelligence, she had become aware of this matter at roughly the same time as Berengar; as such, she already expected this result. Thus she stood back with her son and daughter as Berengar consoled Adela.

Berengar held his young wife within his embrace as he stroked her silky hair. She was not in the greatest mood after figuring out her husband was leaving so soon after their wedding. As such, she asked the first question on her mind while giving Berengar a stern gaze.

"When will you be back?"

In response to this, Berengar decided to be honest.

"It will likely be a fortnight, a month at most. I have to stabilize the situation and bring it under my control. As soon as I am able, I promise I will return to your arms."

After saying this, Berengar began to kiss Adela; only after several moments had passed that he released himself from her grip. After doing so, he approached Linde and whispered something in her ear that caused her to blush. 

Though Adela noticed this, she decided not to inquire about it. Berengar was likely going to find himself in danger again, and she had been monopolizing his time since their marriage; as such, she decided to let Berengar have some fun with his other future wives. 

Berengar and Linde left Adela and Henrietta alone with their two kids as they absconded to the harem room where Honoria was waiting for them. As for what the trio would get up together, that was something only they would know.

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