Tyranny of Steel

Berengar sat within the confines of the Granadan Royal Palace in a meeting with both Hasan and his older sister Yasmin; by their side was the commander of the Byzantine expeditionary force, which was none of the then Strategos Palladius. For the first time in history, the representatives of what would later become known as the Triple Alliance had gathered in a single room.

Their purpose was simple, to discuss the matters pertaining to the ongoing war in Iberia, as well as the request by the King of Aragon to cease hostilities against his realm. However, despite his willingness to end the war, Felipe had made some serious demands in order to ensure his surrender. With this in mind, Yasmin began to read the letter written by the Aragonese King, which outlined the conditions that must be agreed to for his Kingdom to surrender without incident. 

"First and foremost, the Kingdoms of Austria and Bohemia must withdraw their forces from the borders of Aragon and Castile. They must also agree not to intervene in any conflict between the Emirate of Granada and the Kingdoms of Aragon and Castile within the next ten years.

As for the Second stipulation, the Kingdom of Austria and its allies must not interfere with the Castilian succession crisis that resulted from King Berengar's actions in Toledo. Any foreign intervention in this dispute is explicitly forbidden, whether that be espionage or direct military action. 

Thirdly, Austria and its allies must agree to lift their blockade over the Kingdoms of Aragon and Castile and allow open access to trade across the Iberian Peninsula. If any of these conditions are violated, then the treaty will be null and void, and the fighting shall resume."

Berengar sat back and frowned as he listened to the conditions presented within the letter, though on the surface they may seem like conditions similar to that of white peace, in reality, they heavily favored the Crown of Aragon. As such, he was quick to voice his discontent on the matter to those around him.

"It is obvious that Felipe intends to buy time so that he may unify the Castilian and Aragonese Crowns. After he does this, he will draft a larger army and supply a higher percentage of them with both Arkebuse firearms and cannons. Once this is achieved, they will pose a bigger threat to Granada."

Yasmin nodded her head in agreement as she gazed fondly upon Berengar before adding her comments.

"Especially the stipulation about Austria not getting directly involved in any dispute between Granada and its neighbors for ten years. They're practically asking for us to call off the alliance..."

Palladius gazed over at the busty Moorish princess with a hint of surprise; he did not expect her to be so well accustomed to diplomacy and warfare. His opinion of her instantly increased. Unlike other Byzantine Generals, he was not blinded by prejudice.

As a matter of fact, he was not opposed to the idea of allying with the Moors in Iberia; rather, he greatly approved of the plan that Berengar had begun to enact, which would allow a powerful Moorish state to rise in the Western Mediterranean.

If such an Empire could prove to be moderate, secular, and friendly to the Kingdom of Austria and the Byzantine Empire, an alliance between the three nations would prove greatly beneficial to all parties. As he was reevaluating his view of the Granadans, Berengar began to speak up about the pros and cons of the terms presented to them. 

"If we decline these terms, then we will be forced to march on Zaragoza, which will split our forces in two, allowing the Portuguese to take advantage of our thin lines as they have already done so in the past. Though it won't be disastrous, there will still be casualties, and the war will go on for much longer.

However, if we agree to the conditions presented to us, we can secure a few years of peace with Castile and Aragon, allowing us to focus our efforts on Portugal. If such a scenario were to occur, we could unite the bulk of our forces and invade the Kingdom with the intent of complete and total conquest.

By doing this, we will be splitting the Iberian Peninsula into Two Kingdoms, one Muslim and one Catholic. Though Austria won't be allowed to directly intervene in future conflicts, we can still supply Granada with military advisors and equipment as they rebuild their land and expand their forces. 

By the time Aragon feels confident that they can take on Granada by themselves, it will already be too late as the Royal Granadan Army will be rebuilt and more potent than ever before; and the Granadan Economy will become a local powerhouse, capable of fully supporting its own military efforts in Iberia!"

Upon hearing the Austrian King's perspective, Hasan considered his options carefully. Though Aragon would inevitably prosper and form a powerful state on his borders. Granada would also be able to seize the Kingdom of Portugal and create a powerful state of their own to counter their enemy's efforts. Thus after careful consideration, he nodded his head in agreement and spoke about the decision he had made.

"Very well, I will agree to these terms, only if King Berengar does as well. If we can come to an agreement on this matter, then I see no reason to decline Felipe's offer.

Berengar smiled when he heard this and immediately voiced his support.

"I will be more than happy to sign this treaty and support your realm from behind the scenes."

Upon seeing that her brother and suitor had come to an agreement, Yasmin smiled gracefully in silence. This was the best course of action since, at the moment, Granada was woefully unprepared to swallow all of Iberia. Instead, they would be able to take a large piece of the pie and prepare for further conflict with their neighbors. 

Having settled on terms, Berengar and Hasan wrote a combined letter to the King of Aragon agreeing to the terms and setting a time and date within the nearby Duchy of Aquitaine to sign the treaty. Aquitaine was Neutral ground and was currently in a war of rebellion against the Kingdom of France. Thus it was the perfect location to sign the treaty. 

After agreeing to King Felipe's terms, Berengar then shifted his attention to Palladius, where he began to make a request to his ally. Though Berengar was considered the Supreme Commander of all allied forces within the Iberian Peninsula, he still greatly admired the Strategos of the Balkans and thus respectfully asked him to follow his plan.

"Palladius, if you would not mind, I would appreciate it if you and your soldiers could depart for the Portuguese-Granadan Border and hold the line alongside our troops currently stationed there until this treaty can be concluded."

Palladius smiled and nodded as he heard this request before responding in the affirmative.

"If it is as simple as holding the line, I promise my soldiers are more than capable of such a feat. I look forward to the day we can ride into battle together, King Berengar!"

After saying this, Palladius excused himself and prepared for the long trek ahead, leaving Berengar alone with Hasan and Yasmin. With the departure of the Byzantine representative, Yasmin felt less constrained and immediately walked over to Berengar, where she began to flirt with him.

"You have only just returned, and yet you are leaving so soon. We should celebrate your victories while you are still within Granada."

Berengar smirked as he heard this and returned the Granadan Princess' advances.

"I might just take you up on your offer..."

Hasan realizing that he was getting in the way, immediately announced his departure, which went unnoticed by the young couple.

"Well, I have things to do, so I will leave you two be. If you need anything, you know where to find me!"

After saying this, he left the room, leaving Berengar and Yasmin alone for the first time since she danced for him. Berengar immediately closed the distance between him and the Granadan Princess as he began to whisper into her ears. 

"How about we find someplace more private and get ourselves a couple of drinks?"

Yasmin silently nodded her head and grasped ahold of Berengar's hand as she followed him to a secluded area where the two drank the night away as they discussed various topics. Though nothing serious happened between them, Berengar felt as if he had grown closer to the woman.

He knew it would not be long before he was able to conquer her heart, and when he did, he felt as if he would be bringing yet another bride home. Despite this yearning growing inside him, there was a hint of trepidation as he considered how his wives would react if he were to inexplicably return with a beautiful woman's arms wrapped around him. 

Whatever the future may hold, Berengar chose not to run from it and enjoy the time he had here in Granada. After all, it would not be long before he departed for the Duchy of Aquitaine to sign his treaty, which would immediately be followed by an invasion of the Kingdom of Portugal. The work of a Monarch was never truly fulfilled.

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