The Beautiful Girl and the History Class (CK)

[Izulde]

Oi, I'm a git.

Was rushing around packing to go back to sku and I forgot my CK disc That means no updates for this dynasty till late Feb. most like.

[thealmighty]

Actually, since you were in spanish speaking lands, not english, you are not a git, but more of a pendeho (or something like that).

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by thealmighty

Actually, since you were in spanish speaking lands, not english, you are not a git, but more of a pendeho (or something like that).

Yeah I know The good thing is, I didn't leave it in Spain, I left it at my parents' house, so I'm having Mom send it in the mail.

[Izulde]

"Nick! Wake up man!"

I grunt as a hand shakes me out of a deep, dreamless sleep.

"What?"

"Dude, get up! Now!"

Ugh. Why can't he just leave me alone? I've got Morengay's class ungodly early tomorrow.

"Fine", I mumble after a moment, "This isn't something I have to be dressed for is it?"

"No, it's cool. Now hurry up."

Two minutes later, I'm in Drake's room in my underwear, still blinking under that god-awful bright light he has on in his room.

"Now what's this about?"

He forcibly pushes me to his black leather computer chair. Nice spot, but I'm too groggy to appreciate it right now, "My girlfriend just sent me an email. She hangs out on this message board on the internet where they talk about celebrities and rich and famous people and crap like that. Look, just read it, okay?"

I sigh and sit, knowing damn well that Drake wouldn't drag me down here without a good reason.

The screen glows blue like all computer screens seem to do when you're not really awake and it's a few moments before my eyes adjust enough to actually see what's on it.

To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]

Honey buns,

I was on the board earlier today when somebody posted a thread about Melody Suchet. You know, the girl that Nick Hunter's kinda dating? Anyway, in it was a link to a news article that I thought Nick might want to know about, so you should probably let him know.

See you tomorrow, honey buns! Love you!!!!!

Love,
Sugar Plum"

I glance behind me at Drake, brows raised with a smirk, "Honey buns?"

He snorts, waving his hand, "Not important. You see the email? Laura forgot to put the link in, but go to my Inbox and click on the next email from her. It's in there."

A sick bubbling starts up in my stomach, that sort of gurgling you always get when your body senses something bad is going to happen. I'm hoping I'm wrong...

Two seconds later, I'm staring at another screen for some magazine that I don't notice because I'm too busy wanting to throw up that bubbling at seeing the article title.

"Suchet Heiress to Wed Chet Astor"

Sources tell us that two of the most prominent families in the United States will be united this June when the dazzling, darling Melody Suchet, daughter of Baron Jean Suchet and socialite April Suchet (nee` Dombrowski) weds Chet Astor, a distant descendant of the famed John Jacob Astor.

The wedding is certain to be -the- event of the season and in addition to that, the marriage has the potential to unite two vast private companies' fortunes. Suchet Shipping, which controls 42% of the world's commercial transportation by boat and Astor Enterprises, owner of 9% of aerial international shipping and controlling interest in companies ranging from a German watchmaker to a South African bank, are both said to be eventually passed on to Miss Suchet and Mr. Astor respectively.

Although no further details of the event were revealed as of press time, we here at The Glamorous e-zine will update our readers as soon as we find out more!"

"...It's not very well-written." I say after a bit, just to break the uncertain silence. God, I want to punch the hell out of whoever wrote that crap. I don't need this thrown in my face. Not now.

Drake actually has the nerve to laugh as he puts an arm around my shoulder.

"Of course not! It's some crappy e-zine probably put together by the same people who visit that lame board. It's probably just an all-volunteer staff who does this as a hobby."

I look at him, letting the worry show in my face.

"You don't think I should be concerned about this, then?"

He shrugs, looking out the window.

"I don't know. I mean, it's not like it's a reliable source... but she did tell you she was engaged..."

His voice hangs there and suddenly all I want to is just go back to bed. Just sleep it off and pretend I didn't see the article, didn't see that disgustingly cheerful reminder on the screen.

But I can't. I'm awake now.

"Hey, Nick? What do you say we go down in the basement and shoot some pool, drink a couple beers?"

Any other semester, I'd probably say I've got class in the morning.

But it's my last semester and it's not like it matters anymore. I've got no interest in grad school and the jobs I'd be looking at don't give a shit about GPA anyway.

So fuck it.

"Pool and beer sounds good."

"All right. Let's rack 'em and chug 'em!"

[Cap Ologist]

About damn time, was it shipped via pony express?

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Cap Ologist

About damn time, was it shipped via pony express?

I don't have it yet, no.... but I'll be home for at least a day in mid-March when I can hunt for it... this was just a story post that I'd been toying with for a while... came out wretched, but that's what I get for writing it when I feel like crap.

[Izulde]

It has been found!

[Cap Ologist]

Would have preferred "It has been updated!", but I'll take what I can get.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Cap Ologist

Would have preferred "It has been updated!", but I'll take what I can get.

I'll get an update in later tonight or sometime tomorrow.

[Izulde]

Wednesday. A dull ache in my head and heart, the e-article's words burning their stamp into both. I'll have to ask her about it at some time, I know, but there's a time and place for every question and I need to find the right moment and spot to find out.

Her scent drifts in my nose as she passes by my chair in the aisle, sitting up front. It's beautiful, soft and gentle like her in certain situations, certain... No, can't think about that no. It's a pleasant perfume, though. Like lilacs in full bloom in mid-May.

Morengay's clearing his throat. Lecture's starting.

"When we left last time, I told you that Antoinette de Blois gave birth to a son, a new heir to the throne, Errard. I also told you that the infant was not in Bologna, but what I didn't tell you was that he was in the county of Macon, where his mother had married again, to a courtier of no real significance.

The absence of his grandson and heir pained Orson the Restorer greatly, so much so that he had difficulty in taking pleasure in his other three grandchildren, the offspring of Alix de Semur and her Steward lover, Charles the Rich.

This situation, coupled with the Three Kingdoms' nominal defeat at the hands of the Mosul Emirate, despite the staggering war reparations paid out to Orson by the Emirate regency council, meant that the Restorer no longer dreamt of glory or conquest.

That isn't to say things were all gloom and doom for the Three Kingdoms in this period. In November 1182, the Duke of Campania pledged fealty to King Orson I, bringing the de Semurs another step closer to uniting the entire Italian peninsula and the New Year's celebrations were highlighted by Orson's being crowned the Duke of Trapezous, a title he immediately gave to the extremely loyal Aubry Cenci, Count of Amida.

Still, despite these successes and a continued, extensive building program under Orson's oversight, including the order to construct the University of Venezia, which would become, upon completion, the first university in all of Europe, those close to the king recorded in their diaries that his desire and passion had died out after Mosul and this depression only intensified when Queen Maria, his life's only love, died in 1184. Orson plunged into a deep sorrow from which he never fully recovered, vowing never to marry again unless his grandson Errard came back to the Bologna court.

Orson's obstinancy terrified the Bolognan court and in desparation, the Jimenez Spymistress of the Three Kingdoms secretly hired an agent to assassinate Antoinette de Blois's husband. The plot not only failed, but the man she hired revealed all to the Count of Macon and the de Semur and Jimenez families were both thought poorly of in Europe as a result.

The king's depression and loyalty to the Jimenez were such that he not only forgave the Spymistress, but stunned her by requesting that she try again. If the man died this time, reasoned Orson, then it was God's will that he die. If he lived, there would be no further attempts on his life.

At least that was the plan until the Count of Macon struck by having Charles the Rich, Steward of the Three Kingdoms and beloved husband of Princess Alix de Semur, murdered.

Enraged and galvanized by this murder of his most cherished courtier, King Orson I not only ordered an immediate assasination attempt on Antoinette's husband, but he claimed the County of Macon as his own and declared war.

The second attempt failed, as the effort was anticipated and the target, who incidentally was also the County Steward, was extremely well-guarded.

Much more seriously, however, was the fact that Orson's impassioned and rash declaration of war drew the Three Kingdoms into war with the most powerful kingdom in the entire world and the birthplace of the de Semur dynasty.

That's right, folks. The Three Kingdoms now had to fight... the Kingdom of France, Europe's single greatest superpower.

Now, it must be said that the move wasn't as crazy as it sounds, because France was bogged down in Iberia and North Africa, fighting several Muslim kingdoms, so the French were not free to train the bulk of their armies on the Three Kingdoms.

Also, remember that Orson was long considered a military genius and this reputation was revived in the campaign, as he routed every single French army he came across on his way to Macon and by October 1185, the County of Macon belonged to the king's personal demense.

But the war was from over and Orson quickly marched north towards Ille de France, King Badouin's royal county. Although he met with great victory, over 20,000 French troops were in Italy and by February 1186, the scoreboard read 1-1, with Ille de France in Orson's hands and Padua in Baduoin's, with Venezia feared to be not far behind.

As of April the score was 2-2, with Orleans and Bologna the latest to fall, but frantic recovery efforts were going on in both the Italian and the French theatres of war. But then, in late April, a combined force of Orson's vassals took Genoa.

Deprived of his two largest troop resources in Genoa and Ille de France and still fighting on multiple fronts in Spain, North Africa and the Middle East, King Badouin of France was quite willing to listen to Orson's peace proposal: immediate cessation of hostilities in exchange for Genoa's return to the Three Kingdoms.

Badouin promptly agreed and as a result, not only did the Restorer win a war that many felt dangerous for him to embark on, but he'd succeeded in bringing every single province in the Italian peninsula under his banner, with the sole and expected exception of the Papal lands.

But of course, there were still two glaring problems. First, the treasury was not only bankrupt, it was heavily in debt as a result of the campaign.

Second, Errard, the heir to the throne, still was not in his grandfather's court.

That's a good stopping point. We'll pick up from there on Friday."

Melody's out the door before me naturally, but I jog to catch up with her, tapping her on the shoulder.

She turns around, looking not at all surprised to see me there, just as I'm not surprised when she doesn't say anything.

"Hey, I was wondering... could we go somewhere and talk? Privately?"

"Yes... tonight. Come by at 7."

"All right."

Now I just have to work out what exactly I'm going to say. If it was anyone else, I wouldn't care and wouldn't think ahead. Because it's Melody, I want to take the time to think it out beforehand.

Tonight, then, I'll get to the bottom of this whole Chet Astor business. Maybe find out more about her family, too.

[Neon_Chaos]

Chet Astor Must Die.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

Chet Astor Must Die.

I just watched John Tucker Must Die again a few weeks ago.

[Izulde]

Once again I'm walking up the cobblestone walk, the grass around me somber in its dark greenery as the flowers are gone now, their bright color lost with the approach of late fall and the winter that will follow.

Melody answers my knock, not with a brilliant smile and bare-shouldered white dress as before, but with a careworn look and a modest turquoise sweater and white jeans.

We say our hellos and she leads me into the opulent living room, which seems somehow gloomy, too. Even the massive fireplace seems low-burning.

I'm feeling nervous, gratefully taking the wine glass she offers as we sit on the centermost couch, sipping and looking at the flickering flames.

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Us."

She takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly at hearing my answer.

"What about us, Nick?"

Why is she being so evasive? Damn it, this isn't like her.

I keep my eyes on the fire still as I reply, "About where we are, where we're going... If we're back together or you're still engaged to that... Why didn't you tell me he was an Astor?!"

Damn it! Here I was planning to be all calm and rational, had it all figured out and then I pictured that smug bastard and I just got pissed all over again.

Her voice drops several degrees, acid edging the frost.

"I didn't think it was important for you to know he was an Astor." She softens her tone then, placing her hand over mine, "As for us, we will stay as we are... Two people who love each other and stay by each other's side as much as the situation allows us to. I'll marry Chet for his money, but you and I will still be lovers."

...What?

I jerk my hand away, turning to stare at her in a mixture of shock and rage.

"What the hell?! You expect me to just cheerfully go along with that? To be your lifelong affair?! No!"

Her lips turn into a little frown, her hand resting on my shoulder, "Nick, darling... Please. It's the best for both of us. Don't you see? I don't love Chet. I haven't even slept with him!"

"You're marrying the guy and you haven't even slept with him?!"

She nods, smiling serenely now, "Yes. I told him I'm a virgin and I want to wait for marriage."

"That isn't going to work, Melody. I mean, even when I slept with you the first time, you were no virgin."

"Oh that's easy. I'll just tell him I broke my hymen as a little girl when I was riding my bike."

Unbelievable. That's what this girl is, unbelievable. Beautiful, rich, sophisticated, with an answer to everything... and a little crazy. Still, I'm not going to accept her arrangement and there's got to be a way around it... Wait.... yes, there's an opening...

"It won't work, Melody. You said in your note to me that I wanted children and I do. How am I supposed to do that if I'm your lover? My kids would be Chet's kids and if I married someone else, we couldn't be together anymore."

She smiles with sudden, strange brightness in her lips and eyes, leaning forward to clasp both my hands in hers.

"That's the simplest part, Nick! Every time I have a child, I'll have a paternity test done. If the child's Chet's, he'll stay with Chet and I. If the child's yours, they'll go to you and you can raise them as a single father, properly supported Suchet money of course. Or if you insist on maintaining the traditional mother-father facade, we can hire a girl to act as your wife. Don't you see? It's perfect!"

What.the.fuck?!?! Forget about a little crazy, she's full-blown insane. I can't deal with this. I need to get out before she makes me crazy, too.

I pull sharply away from her and jump to my feet, hastily walking to the door, "No. Just... no. It isn't happening. It's over. You're sick, Melody. I mean really sick, sick in the head. Get some help. I'm sorry, but I can't do this. Goodbye."

She rises, following me even as I'm practically running, tears in her eyes and voice.

"Nick, wait! Wait! Nick, please! Please... at least come to my father's party!"

I stop in the doorway, turning to gape at her. What the hell? I'm breaking up with her and she's talking about that damned December party?!

She takes another breath, trembling in her words and body, "Please, Nick. He really wants to meet you. Don't do it for me... do it for him."

"....I'll think about it."

I walk out into the night and halfway down the walk, I'm shaking with sobs and shock. Is this just some horrible dream, horrible nightmare? I hope so and that I'll wake up soon, but the churning in my stomach tells me it isn't.

Part of me wants to scream at her, at myself, at the whole crazy, damned mess.

Another part of me wants to run right back in the house, gather her up in my arms and convince her that she's insane, that she doesn't need to do this, that we can be together and only us together and to hell with Chet and money and everything else.

But my feet keep on walking, carrying me away from this house of horrors, this pretty palace where poison exhales out of every breath.

I need time, time alone and quiet to think about this.

[Izulde]

It's only a crescent moon tonight, but the light is still enough to illuminate the Theta on the rooftop. I always smile, seeing our first letter, even now, when I'm still disturbed over Melody's wild schemes and plans.

But it's not Sigma and Phi that follow, but a single letter. Mu.

Yep, Becky's sorority. It's pretty new, only been here 10 years or so, which is why their house is off campus and not on Greek Row like my fraternity, which is one of the oldest and longest running chapters at our school.

It's also pretty low on the tier in terms of popularity, because it's a tiny chapter, so small it fits all its members in its house. Rumor has it that they barely make quota each year, but make it they do. If it wasn't so small, though, it'd be a lot more popular, in line with Drake's girlfriend's sorority, because the girls in it are pretty awesome.

I walk up to the door and knock. Marybeth, who has bright red hair and an obsession with Miles Davis, answers with a grin.

"Hey Nick!"

"Hey. Is Becky around?"

She raises her brows, eyes all curiosity that I'm not about to satisfy, "Yep. She's up on the second floor, last room on the right, by the big picture window."

"Thanks."

I ignore Marybeth's question about why I'm looking for Becky and make my way up the stairs and down the hall, knocking on Becky's door without taking the time to look around.

She opens the door, dressed in a matching university hoodie and pants, screams, and grabs me up in a hug far bigger than I'd expect from a girl her size.

"Nick! Oh my god! What are you doing here?! Come in!"

Her room's pretty tiny, just big enough to fit a desk, a bed, a small TV and not much else. Must have pretty low room pick.

"Come! Sit!"

I laugh at her cheerfulness and sit on the bed, really the only place there is to do so. A small Mac laptop rests on her desk and there's no posters on the walls, just a continuous row of shelves lined with books whose titles I don't bother to read.

In fact, the only real decoration in the room is on the windowsill, a giant brown, yellow and red plush turkey with a $20 bill in its mouth.

"How come the bird's eating money?" I ask with a grin, pointing a thumb at the turkey.

Becky rolls her eyes as she flops down beside me, "My mom got me the turkey because she said she was sick of my room being so boring and my dad told me , 'Here's 20 bucks. Go buy yourself some turkey soda.' He thinks he's sooo funny."

"...Is there really such a thing as turkey soda?"

"Yep! Jones makes it! But I'm not about to buy any... I hear it tastes awful!"

The face she makes is hilarious and soon we're both laughing, comfortably leaned against one another. After a few moments, she sits up, reclining against the wall and looking at me with a sharpness in her eyes.

"Now, I know you didn't just stop for a social call. What's up?"

Damn women and their intuition. Still, this -is- what I came for, the need to vent and so do I, outlining the whole nasty exchange from start to finish.

Becky's face starts off solemn and quiet, her eyes are flaring violet with rage, her lips contorted with wrath.

"She what?! What the fuck?! Oh my god, that bitch! I'm sooo sorry, Nick! God, how awful!"

She jumps off the bed and paces in the little strip of floor available to her, her hands clasped behind her back, head bowed. Funny, Caveman does the same thing, too. It makes me chuckle and I find myself relaxing in this tiny room in spite of my mixed fury and sorrow at Melody.

"We've got to figure out a way to make her see she's being an idiot!"

"...No, we don't. Forget it, Becky. It's not worth it. I'm not you... I can't just keep giving myself to someone when they've made it clear that they don't love me."

She gasps and for a moment, I think she's about to slap me one, but then she sighs and nods, crawling up to join me back on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I know. It just... It makes me mad, you know? I mean, you're such an awesome guy... But it's funny how much we're alike in this situation. I mean, we're two ordinary people in love with two geniuses."

Huh?

"What? You're not ordinary! You're really smart and pretty, pretty amazing too yourself."

She smiles a little and quickly shakes her head, "Thanks, Nick, but I'm serious. I've had Bobby and Melody in classes before and they're both super smart, geniuses like I said. I can't compete with that..."

I blink and drape my arm around her shoulders, pulling her in for a hug. Now she's starting to talk crazy like Caveman.

"Hey... that's a load of crap. You -are- smart, smarter than me. Just because Caveman's an idiot and can't see you for how great you are doesn't mean anything."

But as she smiles and thanks me, snuggling in, I can't help but think she's right in a way. Not on the intelligence thing, but in that she's totally wrong for Caveman.

She gives and gives and gives so much of herself to the ones she loves that she loses herself in them and when that happens, you stop being a person and become just an extension of who you're pining for. I've been on the receiving end of that kind of attention before and it isn't a pretty sight. Kind of horrifying, actually and the breakups are always rough on everyone involved.

Maybe that's what Becky meant when she said that her element, Air, feeds Fire, Caveman's element. It feeds and feeds so that the fire becomes stronger, but in doing so, the air sacrifices itself. I'm not a believer in this whole element stuff, but I can see where it makes sense in that regard.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking... you know what you need to do?"

Her eyes are back to their normal pale blue now as she looks up at me and the back of my neck tingles with a knowing. A knowing that if I wanted, she'll sleep with me, no questions asked and no remorse afterwards. It's an instinctual thing and maybe experience with women, too, that I can read the softness of her voice and the gentleness of her eyes for what they are.

Now as to -why- she'd be so willing, I don't know. Maybe to know she's still desirable after Caveman dumped on her.

"Yeah?"

"You need to take a date to that party in December. Let Melody know you aren't going to just sit around and be down just because of her. And it should be somebody that she has respect for."

I grin and give her a sly look out of the corner of my eye.

"So in other words, you want me to take you?"

"Yep!"

"All right, I will."

She smiles that brilliant little smile that's the equal of Melody's when she lets it be, snuggling tighter against me.

"Good. Now it's too cold to go out again tonight, so you're staying here for the evening, okay?"

"Okay." Something in me needs to not be alone tonight and maybe it's the same way for her, too.

And so we fall asleep in each other's arms, fully clothed and comfortable in a way neither of us has been in a while.

[Izulde]

The weekend is upon us, but first, Morengay, whose voice is oddly calming after Wednesday night's events.

"We ended last time with Orson's brilliant military campaign that netted him the return of Genoa to the Three Kingdoms, even as it bankrupted the royal treasury.

I also mentioned the Errard, his grandson and heir, was still not in Bologna.

You see, while Orson was campaigning in France, he sent a letter to Antoinette de Blois, begging her to come back to Bologna with Errard. Antoinette wrote back her refusal, saying, and I quote in translation, "A woman's place in this world is by her husband. I go where he goes. You have furthermore attempted to murder my husband, not once, but twice. For this, God will punish you and you will burn everafter in Hell. Errard will only return to Bologna when you are cold in the ground."

Her answer devastated the Restorer and he wrote another letter, this time to his daughter, Princess Alix and asking her advice on the matter, as he was too grieved himself to think clearly. This was her reply, again in translation.

'Dearest Father, you must re-marry. There is no other action you can take. Yes, we both loved the ones we wed and fortunate we were in that regard. Yet, I can afford to take no other man and stay true to my Charles, for I have three children already. You do not have this luxury, my Father and King. I know your heart still weeps for your Maria and my brother, but you must remarry, for the security of the kingdom. Errard is the last direct member of your line and if something should happen to the infant, another branch will inherit and worse yet, one who has no ties to our beautiful city of Bologna! For the kingdom, you -must- remarry! Faithfully, Alix'

And so it was for the safety and stability of the Three Kingdoms that King Orson I the Restorer married Princess Kunigunda Guthi-Orszagh of Poland, who though of the Polish nobility, was actually Hungarian. Hungary had become a major source of aristocratic power, with the thrones of Hungary, Poland and Bohemia all belonging to Hungarian royal families.

Present at their May 1186 wedding was the newly coronated Byzantine Emperor, Manuel Akropolites, an extremely intelligent young man who maintained the strong bonds of friendship and affection between the two great powers by extending the alliance with the Three Kingdoms created by his forefathers.

Oh yes, one other small note. King Orson was 53. His new bride was 16."

As the class gasps and eews in turn, Morengay puts up a picture on the overhead.



"The new Sweet 16 teen queen was considered one of the most beautiful women in Europe at the time, but even more attractive was her dowry. In excess of 1,200 florins, it took the Three Kingdoms' debt from horrific to managable, so managable that it was paid off in two months' time.

But she was also one of the most cruel and King Orson I found her so distasteful that their marriage never produced any children and so it was that the Restorer passed away in his sleep at the age of 56 on September 1st, 1188, just a few scant months to the day after the University of Venezia was completed on May 1st, 1188.

All of the Three Kingdoms went into deep and prolonged mourning over the loss of this great monarch, this mighty lord who had raised the de Semurs back up from the mire and into an incredible acclaim and prestige unlike any they had ever known. Although he was never an overtly pious man, the Church recognized his crusading efforts and the domestic constructions of Templar houses and elaborate churches throughout the kingdoms under his rule and so King Orson I the Restorer was beatified upon his death and the Pope gave serious consideration to canonizing him as well, but decided not to.

Still, it was a magnificient accomplishment for one of the most incredible rulers in the history of the world and one to be proud of.

However, his failure to produce issue with Queen Kunigunda meant that she was now the Regent and Chancellor for 6 year old Errard de Semur, who would have a full decade before he would be allowed to be king.

Queen Regent Kunigunda's first act was to strike an alliance with King Badouin of France, a fact that would have absolutely appalled and devastated her former husband, Byzantine and Akropolites loyalist that he was. Indeed, Emperor Manuel was so outraged at hearing the news of this balance of power shift, it's said that he strongly considered invading to overthrow the regency. It was only respect for Orson and awareness of the dead king's love for his grandson that stayed the Purple Hand.

Nonetheless, Manuel decided to raise the regiments on the Byzantine/Croatia border and threaten war unless the French/Italian alliance was revoked. The Byzantines, while not as strong in Europe as they were at the beginning of our story, were still a force to be reckoned with and owned virtually all of the Holy Land besides.

The regency council, terrified by the idea of a wrathful Empire on their doorstp and paranoid that King Badouin would break the alliance and invade himself, pressured the Queen Regent to cancel relations with the French and ally with Akropolites. It was with great reluctance that she agreed and so the de Semure/Akropolites alliance continued for another generation.

In retaliation and to further increase her own power, Kunigunda had the young crown prince sent to a monastary in Croatia for his education and training in the Church. Her public reasoning for this was that because his grandfather Orson the Restorer was beatified, his grandson should follow in his predecessor's holy tradition. Surprisingly, the public bought it.

With the last real obstacle to her control of the court removed, Kunigunda set about organizing, of all things, a military campaign, seeking to take advantage of some of the many claims the de Semurs had on various territories throughout Europe.

Her first target was the County of Rashka, owned by an indepedent German. The campaign was swift and small, needing only the royal regiments of Usora and Hum to capture the county by June 1189. Next on the list was the County of Ragusa and though it was held by a de Semur, the Queen Regent successfully argued that all de Semur lands should belong to the Three Kingdoms and war was declared immediately following Rashka's surrender.

This conflict was even more brief, culminating in Ragusa's surrender before the summer was out. What's important to remember about Ragusa is that Emperor Manuel Akropolites had his eye on the territory as well and declared war to nominally aid the Three Kingdoms.

That the hated Queen Regent succeeded before him rankled Manuel all the more, but the worst was yet to come.

For three days after the victory in Ragusa, Queen Regent Kunigunda declared the County of Belgrade the rightful domain of the Three Kingdoms and ordered war.

War was now joined between the Three Kingdoms, capable of 130,000 strong army and the Byzantine Empire, who could field in excess of 200,000 troops.

Kunigunda, together with her military advisors, deduced that the best strategy was massive levy of all the royal regiments and a blitzkrieg assault of Belgrade. The plan worked flawlessly and in November 1189, the Count surrendered the county, along with an extraordinary sum of 1,300 florins.

And that's when Kunigunda's real plan was revealed.

With enough of the historical territory now under her control, Kunigunda had herself crowned Countess of Belgrade and Queen of Serbia, completely independent of the Three Kingdoms. She immediately left for her new capital along with her two vassals who joined her--I'll tell you about them next week and turmoil reigned in Bologna.

Here's her coronation portrait.



Of course, thanks to her treachery, not only was the court left in chaos, but the remaining members of the regency council now had to fight a war with even fewer troops and with an even less clear-cut leadership before against the world's most powerful army.

Things looked grim, indeed.

Enjoy your weekend! See you all Monday!"

...Wow. What an unbelievable bitch! Kind of reminds me of someone else I know.

Someone else I'm ignoring as I walk out to get lunch.

OOC Note: Funny thing happened. I agreed to the alliance with France and my game crashed. So I panicked, but it reloaded fine and first thing that pops up is the alliance offer from Manuel Akropolites. Guess Orson's ghost wasn't going to let that France/Three Kingdoms alliance happen no way, no how.

[Cap Ologist]

Glad to see this back!

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Cap Ologist

Glad to see this back!

Thanks I'm glad to be back, believe me!

[Izulde]

And so we swing around to another Monday. My weekend was more like my pre-Melody days with the parties, the beer pong and stuff like that. I didn't feel the pang I figured I would because Becky came to the house looking for me every night and we did the rounds together. She filled the spaces with chatter about the things and people she saw, which was a striking contrast to Melody and to me, who, though we talk, don't talk as much as Becky does, who keeps up a blue streak.

No wonder she got on Caveman's nerves, with how anal he is about having it quiet.

He didn't react to Becky's coming for me either, at least not that anybody could tell. Of course, the rest of the house is dying to know what's up, but I'm not telling anyone, even Drake and he's my best friend.

It's something I need to figure out for myself.

In any case, as I said, it's Monday and that means madly grinning Morengay. I still want to know what he does on the weekends.

"Hope you all enjoyed your weekend! On Friday, we concluded with Kunigunda Guthi-Orszagh's treachery of the Bolognan court by having herself crowned Queen of Serbia and declaring indepedence from the Three Kingdoms.

She took with her two vassals, the Duke of Bosnia, who was also Count of Rama and Piombino and the newly appointed Count of Ragusa. The Duke of Bosnia's defection caused considerable consternation, both because he was of the de Semur dynasty and because with his fealty to Queen Kunigunda, he removed Piombino from the Three Kingdoms' control, thus ruining their perfect dominion of non-Papal lands in Italy.

Here's a map of both the new Kingdom of Serbia, outlined in brown and the European possessions of the Three Kingdoms, including Macon way off on the left hand corner.



Despite the Bolognan court's anger at the Duke of Bosnia's treachery, there were still more pressing concerns. The war that Kunigunda started to get Belgrade and become Queen of Serbia was still ongoing, pitting Errard's regency council against the Byzantine Empire and the Akropolites dynasty, who'd been faithful allies throughout much of Orson the Restorer's reign. There was also a vacuum of power within the regency council itself following Kunigunda's deception.

Into the breach stepped Alix de Semur, Royal Steward and still Princess of the Blood, last remaining child of King Orson I and aunt to the boy Errard. Using her blood ties to the throne, she assumed authority as Head Regent and immediately dispatched an envoy to Emperor Manuel, beseeching him to end the war sparked by the diabolical Kunigunda and return to the friendship and affection long enjoyed between their two dynasties.

But the Emperor refused outright and so it was with heavy heart that Alix began the counter-offensive in earnest.

Nisbin was surrounded by Byzantine troops in the Middle East and so it's no surprise when I tell you that it fell in late winter 1190, as did Rashka, but by March, Rashka was liberated and the Three Kingdoms troops, with steely resolve, prepared to march into the Byzantine Empire proper.

Summer proved fruitful for the Three Kingdoms army, as it won a crushing battle against Emperor Manuel himself in June in the province of Ochrid and by August, Thessalonike fell to the Three Kingdoms and the Prince of Butrinto, the former Count of Belgrade's liege, settled for peace with a massive cash payment.

This influx of income was vital for the war effort, as Emperor Manuel persisted in refusing all peace offers even after his humiliating defeat in Ochrid and the capture of Thessalonike. So the troops pressed on, sailing their way to Constantinople itself.

But then an equally devastatating defeat occurred en route in Abydos as the fearsome Prince of Abydos, a devout and brilliant warrior-priest, halted the advance and reversed the tides of fortune back to the Byzantines.

The war thusly waged on and by the following summer, a new kind of stalemate had been reached, with Thessalonike not only liberated, but Rashka and Hum captured by the Byzantines. In counterpoint, however, Constantinople fell to Royal Marshal Hranislav of Salerno, whom you may remember from an earlier lecture.

Still Emperor Manuel refused peace and outraged, Hranislav ordered the marvelous city of Constantinople sacked and burnt to the ground. A lot of beautiful buildings and priceless artificats were lost in the ensuing mayhem, but the Marshal felt he needed to make a point, that the Three Kingdoms were just as capable a military power as the Empire and that Manuel was a fool not to make peace.

The stalemate continued until March 1192, by which time Thessalonike was back in Three Kingdoms control, but Constantinople had been liberated in turn. Finally, out of desparation, Princess Alix de Semur sent an envoy to Emperor Manuel agreeing to acknowledge all of his claims over titles in dispute, which included three Middle Eastern provinces and a Middle Eastern dukedom, or principality as the Byzantines called it, along with an offer to renew the old de Semur/Akropolites alliance.

Manuel accepted what amounted to the total surrender and absolute humiliation for the Three Kingdoms, but he refused to renew an alliance, saying that the de Semurs were no longer worthy of his love and affection now that Orson was dead. The Emperor was also beside himself with rage when he discovered what happened to his jewel of a capital city, for Constantinople was as cherished by the Akropolites and indeed all of the Empire as Bologna was by the de Semurs.

The double whammy made the regency council the laughingstock of Europe and nobody respected the Three Kingdoms after the complete defeat at the feet of the Byzantines. Still worse, the treasury was once again in shambles.

But time heals many things, if not all things, and a month later, Emperor Manuel, at the urging of other members of the Akropolites family who remembered Orson's loyalty and praised Princess Alix's handling of a difficult war, agreed to renew the alliance, recognizing that it was not the de Semurs' fault that Kunigunda had exploited the opportunity presented her for her own personal gain and a crown.

However, Manuel also passed an edict which said that Hranislav of Salerno was to be considered an enemy of the state and executed on the spot if he ever re-entered the Empire. The Marshal had no problems with this and is said to have remarked upon hearing of his ban, "I would never want to visit that land again anyway, for the Greeks are lovers of men and bad poetry."

What was intended to be a long, peaceful regency period of recovery lasted for two years until the summer of 1194, when, seeing the ancient ancestral province of Chalons under Muslim control, Princess Alix declared war on the shiek.

This not only brought the Three Kingdoms into war with the Caliphate of Zenata, one of the last remaining Muslim powers and the lone Mohammedan kingdom in North Africa, it had the Three Kingdoms indirectly allied with the recently elected Pope, who wanted to prove himself by removing the final Muslim force in North Africa.

By spring 1195, Chalons was held by Marshal Hranislav of Salerno and although Alix as Head Regent and de facto leader of the ruling de Semur dynaty planned to ask him to give the county back to the Three Kingdoms, she waited while the marshal pressed on from Chalons to Aargau and Bern, former Papal territories that had been conquered by the Zenatan Muslims.

Alix's persistence paid off, as by this time in November 1195, Hranislav conquered both Aargau and Bern and, content to rule Bern alone, agreed to give the de Semurs their ancestral county back. Finally, after decades of waiting to get their homeland back, the Three Kingdoms' only dynasty had it back in their possession and Princess Alix de Semur decreed that, like the Duke of Dauphine, the title of Count of Chalons would remain forever after part of the de Semur inherited lineage, never to be given away.

What followed was a long, drawn-out war that didn't end until the fall of 1199, when the Caliph of Zenata, with most of his territory gone and his lone remaining vassal engineering a civil war against him, begged for peace. The regency council accepted, in keeping with the long-standing policy of little interest in the de Semur domains outside the Three Kingdoms area.

One significant benefit of the war in that regard was the liberation of Istria, which had been under the yoke of Zenatan rule for some time, but was quickly restored to the Three Kingdoms in the early phases of the war. This harbor was important, for it restored absolute control of the Adriatic to the Three Kingdoms, save for the Serbian port of Ragusa, which really wasn't in position to argue about it.

But as the 13th century dawned, that's the 1200s for those of you who don't know the conversion, there was a problem.

Errard de Semur, who was of age, still wasn't King.

As to why that is... come back, next time! Wednesday!"

Damn Morengay and his cliffhangers. I'm actually hoping he shows us a map of North Africa next time.

Funny how the de Semurs get involved in areas they have no intention of messing with.

Kind of like me in some ways, I guess.

[Izulde]

Time is winding down and fast. Hard to believe that it'll only be a month and I'll be graduated.

I should be thinking about what to do with my life after graduation, I guess, but I'm not sure yet. All I do know is that I've got no interest in graduate school. That's for the Cavemans, the Melodys and the Beckys of this world, not the Nicks. Caveman, especially. He's even bragged about how professors have strongly encouraged him to go to graduate school and he's got recommendation letter offers by the truckload.

It's sad in a way... I mean, sure he'll be great and a success at it and everything, but at what cost? I keep picturing him being this lonely, bitter old college professor who fights about things that don't matter like.. oh I don't know, what the significance is of a minor character's red bonnet in the 89th page of some novel nobody other than a lit professor has ever heard of or something.

I may not be smart like all the others, but at least I'll see my way to being happy.

But I haven't graduated yet and there's still lectures to attend, like this one. Morengay's at the lectern and starting to speak.

"When we left off last time, I told you that Errard was still not King as the 1200s began.

What had happened was that when Kunigunda sent Errard to Croatia to a monastary for his education, she paid his escort a large sum of money to tell the monks that the boy was an orphan with no background of consequence. She also hired a band of highway robbers who were plaguing the province the monastary was in to assassinate the escort after he left the monastary, so that word wouldn't get out of who the boy was or where he was.

To further complicate matters and to ensure that nobody would know precisely which monastary Errard was in, Kunigunda told people that he was in an entirely different province than the one he was actually in, so that when the time came for the court to retrieve Errard at age 16 to be coronated, he naturally wasn't there.

Aghast, Regent Alix de Semur sent an envoy to Serbia, demanding of Queen Kunigunda the full disclosure of what had occurred 10 years prior and the precise location of the crown prince's schooling. If she did not come clean, the regency council would invade Serbia and take the throne by force. Kunigunda, having nothing to lose now that she had her crown, answered, detailing everything.

But when the courtiers arrived at the proper monastary, Errard was no longer there. The monks said he'd set off on a spiritual journey three weeks before and no one had seen or heard from him since.

Over four and a half long years passed by, quiet and peaceful years that were in the capable hands of Alix de Semur.

Until one day, early October 1202, Errard simply showed up at the castle and announced he was ready to be crowned King.

From the records we have, it appears he was quite a sight, dressed in well-used chain mail, with dried blood still caked on the longsword that he strapped to his side. His beard was magnificient, bushy and brown with glints of red in the afternoon sun.

He would not speak of his adventures, nor say where he'd been during the roughly four and three-quarter years he'd been gone. All he said was that it was time for him to assume his grandfather's throne and set things right.

Here's his coronation portrait:



King Errard I's first act was to claim the Serbian throne, swearing to avenge the wrongs done to him and his family by Queen Kunigunda. The war that followed was a fairly swift one, aided by the Byzantine Empire as Manuel Akropolites hated Queen Kunigunda with almost as much fervor as Errard himself. And so by February 1103, Serbia was part of the Three Kingdoms, which now became the Four Kingdoms.

It was at this time that some began to call for the Kingdoms to be called an empire, but Errard would have no part of it, saying he had only just recently be crowned and besides which, he had not yet achieved the kind of great victory that would make him worthy of being called Emperor.

What he did do, however, was marry Violante de Leon, daughter of the Duke of Leon, a Castillian girl reknowned for her beauty and wisdom. It was a great coup for the 68 year old bed-ridden Duke and his family and he strongly urged King Errard to come and drive the remaining Muslims out of Iberia. Left unsaid, but important to note, is that the Four Kingdoms would then provide something of a counterweight to the French dominance in the region.

Errard, eager to make his mark, readily accepted and attacked the Beydom of Algeciras, annexing the southernmost point of the Iberian peninsula by March 1204. Flush with the ease of victory, the young monarch pressed on, invading not the Emirate of Almeria, the last remaining Muslim stronghold on the peninsula, but the Sheikdom of Snessen in northern Africa, who held lands that if conquered, would connect most of the Four Kingdoms' territory in the region.

Snessen proper fell to Errard in October 1204, two years to the day after his coronation. He had himself named Duke of El Rif on the battlefield and continued onward, intent on making himself master of North Africa before he quit the war.

Unfortunately, the Sultanate of Zenata stood in the way. Although a ghost of itself following the regency war, there was still technically a truce between the Four Kingdoms and the Zenatan Sultan. King Errard I was a shrewd man, however, and declared war on a vassal of the Sultan, thus leading the Sultan to declare war on the Four Kingdoms in defense of his vassal. This proved Zenata's undoing and April 1205 saw another battlefield duking, this time naming Errard Duke of Alger.

And still the ambitious king marched on, annexing shiekdom after shiekdom. The two independent Christian counts in the region also pledged fealty and by October 1205, King Errard I had done it.

He was crowned King of North Africa on a desert battlefield in a militaristic ceremony. No courtiers, only his battle-hardened soldiers gave their lustful cries of approval as Errard accepted dominion over North Africa.

Three years to the day of King and in those three years, he won two more crowns.

It was a rise so meteoric and so fierce that people believed that Errard was ordained by God to be the bringer of punishment to the Moors and all those who had gone against the de Semurs. King Robert I may have been the Holy Warrior, but King Errard I was nicknamed the Divine Avenger.

We'll stop here with a look at the now Five Kingdoms' map of North Africa and sorry about the pink. It's my daughter's favorite color.



See you all Friday!"

...I'm in absolute awe. This guy wins two entire kingdoms in three years?! And I thought Orson was impressive.

I'm not the only one who's amazed, judging from the slightly dazed looks of some of my classmates. I mean, here Errard goes and conquers two kingdoms in less time than it takes us to earn a piece of paper.

That's just incredible.

[Izulde]

"I told Caveman to fuck off today."

"...You did what?"

I'm not sure if I'm more shocked that Becky called him Caveman or that she's smiling up at me as she tells me about it.

"Yep! I walked right up to him in that coffee shop he always hangs in out and told him he was a bastard who didn't deserve me and that I was a daisy fresh girl and now he's ruined me. He was soooo pissed at me for that!"

"For telling him off?"

She shakes her head quickly, glossy hair shimmering under the candlelight in my room.

"No, for the daisy fresh girl line."

Huh?

"...I don't get it."

"Does the name Dominique Swain mean anything to you?"

"No?"

Becky blinks, staring at me for a moment in confusion before laughing and leaning back on the bed, "Sorry, I forget you aren't an English major. Anyway, Lolita is Caveman's favorite novel and in the color movie version, Dominique Swain, who's Lolita, says that to Jeremy Irons, who's Humbert."

"Okay."

She laughs again, half-sighing in playful exasparation, "Nevermind. It just really pissed him off, is all. I thought he was going to throw his coffee at me, he was so mad."

I can't help chuckling at the mental image, little Becky theatrically ripping into Caveman and him sitting there, looking angrier and angrier while everybody in the place looks at him like he's some sort of criminal.

"Nice one. Did he say anything?"

"No. He just got up and stormed out... somehow I don't think he'll be going back there anytime soon."

"Wow... that was incredibly bitchy of you and, genius, I have to admit."

"I know", she smiles quietly, her eyes glinting with mischief as she leans into me.

We sit there in silence for a few moments, just listening to the cold wind rattling the trees outside as an early hint of winter cuts through the cloudless night.

"I have to admit, I'm kind of curious as to why he slept with you. I mean, you're gorgeous and all, but I remember his pledging semester, all he did was talk about how he was like a prize fish, all the more sought after because he was that old and still a virgin."

She smiles a little sadly, glancing out the window, "I know. I was a virgin, too. All I'm going to say is that the whole experience was awful and no two virgins should ever sleep together because neither one of them knows what they're doing."

I bite my lip, but it doesn't completely stifle the laugh at the picture of the two of them fumbling with each other, awkward and uncomfortable.

"Ow!" My shoulder throbs from where Becky just punched me.

"Don't laugh! It's not funny!"

"Sorry."

After a moment in which I rub my shoulder and she returns her gaze to the window, she speaks again.

"Nick? I think we should like, sleep together. Right now."

...Is she serious?

From the thoughtful look in her eyes as she turns around to face me, it appears so. It makes sense, really. Like I've said before, it's something she needs, to know that she's still desirable.

And so we make love, a long, slow lovemaking. It's more for her than for me and so I take my time, giving her the full range of experiences. I discover she nearly melts when my tongue touches the curve of her ear in a certain way and that she shivers from my nails being dragged over her bare back just so.

It's a lot different, this being with Becky than with Melody. My experience with Becky is like a warm bath in the evening--pleasant, but not incredible. Melody, on the other hand, is like everything beautiful and intoxicating all rolled up into one ball of her and I and with her I soar heights of ecstacy like no other girl before her or, in this case, since.

After we're done, Becky and I lay together, still naked, on my bed, listening to the increased howl of the outside wind, still raging in the empty void.

"Thank you, Nick."

It's comical really, a girl thanking me for sex. But sad, too, in a way, that she feels she has to thank me for sleeping with her.

"Do you feel okay?" Standard rules of the game forbid the question, but this isn't your normal situation by any means. We're two people who have just scorned the ones we love and by coming together like this, we've run the risk of the worst kind of awkwardness, the kind that can destroy friendships.

"Yeah. I mean, it gets a lot easier the second time and not only physically. Mentally and emotionally, you're a lot more prepared for it." She grins then, leaning up to nip my nose, "Besides, you're a lot better at it than Caveman."

I'd certainly hope so.

Still, I can't help but feel that something's been altered here, some change that has my stomach churning in discomfort.

Thankfully, sleep is soon upon us.

[Izulde]

When we woke up this morning, Becky told me not to worry about what happened, that this didn't change anything between us. She also said it'd be better if we didn't see each other before Melody's dad's party in December.

"We don't want to be rebounds for each other, Nick. So go out and sleep with as many girls as you like. Try to forget her as best as you can and I'll see you again when the snow's on the ground."

But how can I forget Melody when she's lovely in casual green hooded sweatshirt and black jeans that are probably by some gay Italian designer? My god, she makes even hoodies look sexy! And how can I sleep with other girls when they're just pale imitations of what I've had before? The Becky thing was a favor to a friend. Any other girl... I just can't.

At the same time, I can't go back to Melody. Not when she's so crazy... crazy/beautiful yes, but still crazy.

All this thinking is making my head hurt and so Morengay's voice is actually a comfort this Friday morning.

"Hello, class! Before you all dash off to your fun-filled weekends, it's another hour learning about the adventures of Errard the Divine Avenger!

We left off last time just as King Errard I completed his conquest of North Africa and brought a fifth kingdom into the rapidly expanding de Semur empire.

But although it could legitimately be called an empire now, Errard still refused the title of Emperor, saying he hadn't yet done anything to deserve it, that Serbia was not even worthy of being called a kingdom and North Africa was a backwards region, full of sand and Muslims.

A brief respite ensued while the Five Kingdoms allowed their troops and treasury to recover, but by late June 1206, that peace was ended with Errard's second war in the most unlikely of all places.

England."

The class stares in confusion while Morengay puts a map up on the overhead.



"You see, the Five Kingdoms had territory in England decades before Errard even turned his eye there. The County of Shrewsbury, outlined in white, had come into the possession of a de Hauteville branch that was vassal to the de Semur kings. Furthermore, because of complicated inheritance laws through marriage that I won't go into here, Errard had a claim on the county of Derby, outlined in blue.

And so it was against the mighty Norman lion that the Five Kingdoms now sailed.

Although the Duke of Lancaster agreed to surrender Derby fairly early, by March 1107, the king of England stubbornly insisted on dragging the war out for another year before finally agreeing to peace in March 1108.

The Derby Conflict, as it came to be known, wiped out the Five Kingdoms' treasury, so much so that Steward Alix de Semur estimated it would be close to a year before they could embark on another military endeavor.

As if this state of affairs weren't bad enough, Emperor Manuel Akropolites passed away shortly after peace was made between England and the Five Kingdoms and his son, Emperor Petros, refused to honor the long-standing de Semur-Akropolites alliance, instead attaching himself to the King of Hungary.

Outraged, King Errard I declared that the Five Kingdoms needed no ally and that they would go it alone until the day he himself died.

It was a declaration he kept even as he declared war in February 1209 on the Emirate of Almeria, which, as I mentioned last time, was the final Muslim stronghold in Iberia. Historians have suggested that Errard I launched this crusade to prove to the world he was still deserving of the Divine part of his nickname.

Unfortunately, the Emirate proved stronger than it looked and in June, a great scandal rocked the court in Bologna.

Queen Violante was revealed to have committed adultery with one of her Castillian servants and thus, Sancho de Semur, Errard's second son, was in fact not his son at all. Although this did much to explain Sancho's swarthy features compared to his older brother Guy's, it stunned the Five Kingdoms and made for a great many jokes in the far reaches of the de facto empire.

King Errard I's fury was so great that he immediately ordered the queen to give up her worldly life and die in the only way that suicide was acceptable to the Catholic Church at the time. In other words, he demanded that she become an anchoress.

For of those you who aren't familiar with the term, an anchoress is a person who in medieval Catholic theology were given their last rites and walled up for the rest of their lives in a extremely cramped, tiny room with no furniture, no openings and no light of any kind. They were considered to be officially dead by the Church, although many of them, such as Julian of Norwich, became famed mystics for the visions and revelations they had in their last days and months.

I have to say that Violante, although she accepted the demand made of her and lost everything, she was not one of the famous mystics whose writings we have with us today. From all accounts, she died in body two weeks after she was considered dead in spirit, heartbroken and filled with shame, grief and guilt over her adultery.

King Errard I did not marry any time soon after that, for he was embroiled in a surprisingly nasty war against the Emirate of Almeria, as I said.

It was so nasty, in fact, that the very end of that terrible June 1209, Algeciras fell to the Emirate. But then the Divine Avenger won a great victory in January 1210, as with just 7,000 men, he crushed the combined 18,000 strong troops of the Emir of Almeria's armies.

The Muslims were not about to let their 500-plus years of rule in the area go down without a fight, however, and by April, another force of over 8,000 troops swept the Five Kingdoms monarch out of the peninsula and so the war continued to rage on.

By February 1211, things were looking pretty bad for the Five Kingdoms. El Rif, in North Africa, had fallen to the Emirate and the war was proving so expensive that King Errard I had to endure the great shame of being the first de Semur king to call for the Estates General in order to finance the campaign.

But on the other hand, the great Venetian regiment was finally on the move and had landed on the shores of Malaga province. With this powerful regiment, Errard was able to conquer Malaga by May 1211.

And then disaster struck.

Emperor Petros Akropolites, seeing the Five Kingdoms in this weakened state and desirous of reclaiming Belgrade for the Empire, declared war.

Although infuriated, Errard I did the only thing he could do when facing the one superpower even stronger than he was.

He sent an envoy offering Belgrade, no questions asked. It was, after all, not a county he held any particular love for, site as it was of Queen Kunigunda's capital when the traitor Regent ruled over Serbia.

Petros refused, for his real goal in starting war was nothing less than the total and complete humiliation of the de Semurs.

The summer months saw the beginning of fighting in Croatia, as Errard's military advisors determined the best route was to fight a defensive war while the king was on the offensive in Iberia. Also, there was another flip-flop of ownership, as Algeciras was liberated by Errard, but Snassen in turn was conquered by the Almeria Emirate.

Then, in the fall, Emperor Petros had a change of heart, for after his troops conquered Hum and Nisbin, the always neglected royal post in the Middle East, he felt the Five Kingdoms learned their lesson and accepted peace in exchange for Belgrade.

It was the March 1212 conquest of Granada that signalled the end of the Almeria Emirate. Although the final coup de grace would take a year and more to accomplish, the tide had turned to such a degree that King Errard I, the Divine Avenger, was able to peacefully marry Esclarmonda de Milhaud, daughter of the Duke of Bordeaux, in the spring of 1213.

What's significant about this marriage was that the Duke had successfuly rebelled against the embattled King of France, a Phillipe who looked very much like the last of the Capetian line. The Duke had won his independence outright a few years before and so contently watched as the jackals who were the other French dukes devoured the bloodied wolf carcass of the inept Capet.

Why could the Duke of Bordeaux do that and not try to get the throne for himself?

Because he and his vassals controlled half of France proper and most of Iberia.

I'll show you pictures and maps on Monday, as well as tell you about the final conclusion of the Almeria/Five Kingdoms war. We're out of time for today.

Have a good weekend everybody."

My eyes go to Melody without my meaning to and the pang that goes through me drives me out of the room faster than I'd planned to.

I can't breathe, can't think. It's like I'm in the middle of my own Almeria.

I have to get to the archery range.

[Izulde]

42 arrows later, my arms are sore. The good kind of sore, where my body's pleasantly exhausted and I'm feeling calmer, close to tranquil.

It's a clean, well-lit range here, with a neat, orderly row of targets, the first one of which is pockmarked in clusters in and around the bulls-eye from my recent rounds. I don't always aim for the bulls-eye itself. Sometimes I target other areas, just to prove to myself I can sink the arrows wherever I want them.

I collect my just-shot arrows and carry them to the counter F.W.'s sitting behind, where he's been silently chain-smoking and watching shoot my rounds.

"Nice shooting."

"Thanks."

F.W. chuckles, ashing into the tray on the counter, "So tell me, Nick. You've come in here every day this week except Thursday. Normally you're here once, maybe twice a week. Not that I don't appreciate the business, but what's wrong?"

I study him quietly for a few moments. With his heavy body, flabby arms, Walgreens bifocals and thin gray hair, if you can little wisps at the temples hair, F.W. doesn't look like much, but he was a champion archer in his day and just missed qualifying for the U.S. Olympics team when he was a lot younger. He opened the shop after he retired from competition and has been here ever since.

"Who says anything's wrong?"

He looks at me over the tops of his glasses, chuckling before going into a spastic cough, "Come on, Nick. You can't fool this old codger. I've seen many young people in my day and I have a pretty good idea when something's wrong. Tell you what... you tell me what's wrong and I'll let you have your next three rounds on the house."

The offer's too good to pass up and so I spill out the whole twisted mess, naming Melody as This Girl, Chet as This Guy, Caveman as This Other Guy and Becky as This Other Girl. I don't leave out any details, either, because F.W.'s the kind of old guy you can say those kinds of things to and he'll just roll with it.

As I tell him the story, he just sits quietly, smoking and now and again giving a little nod. When I'm finished, he stubbs out his ninth or tenth cigarette since I've been there and exhales slowly.

"Sounds to me like this other guy's right. You haven't really shown this girl that you love her. Not really."

What? He's agreeing with Caveman?

"See, you can... ah, let me put it to you in the words of an old favorite song of mine. It explains it better than I can."

And so, to my stunned amazement, F.W. starts singing in a voice that, though it's scratched from too many cigarettes, is pleasant in an odd sort of way.

You can tell her
That you love her
A hundred different ways

But it won't mean as much
As just the right touch
At just the right time of day

You've got to show her
A little each day
Really show her
You mean what you say

It's not enough just to tell her you love her
If you want her to know
You've got to let it show.

When her laughter
Turns to tears
For reasons she can't explain
Remember this
Just one kiss
Is all your love needs to say

Go on and show her
A little each day
Really show her
You mean what you say

It's not enough just to tell her you love her
If you want her to know
You've got to let it show

So if you can't live without her
You better learn to let her know how you feel
Just remember that you hold the power
To tell her all that words can't reveal.

You've got to shower her
A little each day
Really show her
You mean what you say

It's not enough just to tell her you love her
If you want her to know
You've got to let it show.

A curious kind of silence settles over the area of the counter once the last, long, drawn-out note finishes echoing through the air. F.W. picks up another cigarette and lights it, just as calmly as if he hadn't just serenaded me.

"So you see, Nick, in order to get this girl, you've got to show her you love her."

I snort.

"Come on, F.W. What about her obsession with money and class and all that crap? I mean, don't forget, she's engaged to that guy."

F.W. laughs, a raspy, quiet laugh, and winks at me through a drag of his cigarette.

"That's the thing, Nick. She wouldn't still be sleeping with you and still be planning to keep you in her life if she didn't love you. If you can show her beyond a doubt that you love her, I think you'll be surprised."

"I guess..." Only I don't. I can't see what he's talking about and I'm starting to think maybe old F.W.'s a little senile, listening to corny songs and smoking himself stupid.

"You don't believe me, I'm sure. That's okay. After all, it's in keeping with your character."

"What?" I'm starting to get a little pissed now. My character? What the hell is he talking about now?

He chuckles and sets his smoke down in a notch of the tray.

"It's simple, Nick. The simple fact of the matter is you've never really tried hard for anything in your life. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for, but you never reach for anything. You've never run for any of your fraternity's offices, you've never tried a serious relationship with any of the umpteen pretty girls you've slept with, some of whom I'm sure are very nice young women and, much closer to home, you've never joined one of the house leagues even though you're one of the best damned shots in this joint."

"This is about me not joining one of the leagues isn't it? I told you, F.W., I shoot for fun and relaxation, not for competition."

He levels me with a direct stare, gazing me so intensely in the eyes that I find myself looking away.

"Competition is fun and relaxing too, my boy. But you're afraid of trying and failing, so you settle for what comes within easy reach of you, like this other girl. Sure, this other guy may have treated her like a bastard, but at least he's confident enough in himself and what he wants to know he's not going to settle for that. If you really want this girl, you're going to have to actually step outside of your comfort area and really try. Look, I'm not saying it'll be easy, because it won't and that's the whole point. It's going to be hard, but if this girl's really worth it to you, you'll find a way."

Ugh. I hate to admit it, but he's right. I prefer to be content with what I have rather than trying to get more. Damn Melody for making me want her and damn F.W. for agreeng with Caveman and pointing this out to me.

"So how am I supposed to show this girl then?"

He grins and picks up his now nearly-spent Marlboro for one last pull.

"That, Nick, is something you'll have to discover yourself. In the meantime, if you're going to be around after graduation, you can sign up now for a summer league team!"

[Izulde]

The weekend passes by in a blur after Friday night. No Becky or Melody of course and I still haven't come up with a plan like what F.W. suggested I should do. I don't even have the faintest idea yet, in fact.

Thinking about it makes my head hurt, so I'm actually looking forward to ridiculously happy Morengay this Monday morning, even if it's chilly outside and a touch of winter hangs in the air.

"Good morning class! Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Picking up where we left off last Friday, I promised you maps and pictures today and we'll start off with a map of the situation in Iberia and North Africa as the Almeria/Five Kingdoms war was drawing to a close.



The Five Kingdoms' territories are outlined in orange, the Duchy of Bordeaux's in pink and the Kingdom of France's in brown.



Here is the lovely young Queen Esclarmonda's coronation portrait.



And here is her father, the Duke of Bordeaux, along with all 27 of the counts who swore fealty to him.

Although most expected the war to reach a swift conclusion, the inhospitable North African desert combined with the fierce loyalty and determination of the Muslim populace and remaining troops of the Almeria Emir meant that it would not be until late November 1217 before the last of the Emirate was finally wiped out.

By way of celebration for his great and monumental victory that ensured there would never again be a Muslim power in Iberia, King Errard I ordered the construction of the greatest and largest expansion to Louis Castle yet. Upon completion almost a decade later, it stood as the greatest citadel in all the world and made Bologna a city even greater than that of Constanti-"

Suddenly Morengay gasps and holds on to his chest.

"Sorry folks, I-"

And then he falls to the floor, his knees buckling.

We sit there in shock before someone screams out. A girl.

"CALL 911!"

[Izulde]

"So what's going to happen now with your history class?"

I stare at the twin spirals of smoke coming out of our cigarettes, the lazy curls oddly fitting against the backdrop of the densely forested hills that surround the campus and by extension our house.

"They said in an e-mail he's going into retirement effective immediately. We're given a choice of either taking our midterm grade as our final grade or we can petition for an incomplete and work something out with the History Department Chair to do something during J-term to make it up."

Drake nods, sitting on the railing of our upper deck and staring out into the cloudy, chilly evening.

"So you're taking the midterm grade, right?"

"Yeah. First A I've earned in college and I get it my last semester on a fluke."

It's not really all that funny, but we laugh anyway, just because when something like that happens, something depressing like one of your college professors has to quit the job he loves because of a heart attack, you have to laugh at something or it's just too much.

"It's funny... I mean, here we are, a month left to graduation. It's weird, you know?"

I nod and ash into a battered steel can that's been serving as a tray for years, maybe even decades. Generations upon generations of Theta Sigma Phis have sat here, on cold late fall nights or warm mid-spring afternoons, smoking and talking, discussing the now, maybe dreaming of the future. It's got me in a surreal, strangely philosophical mood.

"Yeah. I mean, I still don't know what I'll do. Find a job, probably."

Drake chuckles and flicks his cigarette over the edge, watching as it's snatched up by the wind to land in the yard across the street.

"Same here. I mean, I love college, but I'm ready to get out there and work, you know. Marry the girlfriend, settle down and all that."

It's strange. At the beginning of the semester, I would've said the same thing, except the girlfriend part.

And yet, in the months that have passed since then, I find myself not wanting to settle down, but instead have this urge to wander, to explore, to see more of the world than my home state, the only place I've ever really known.

Maybe it's Melody, maybe it's F.W.'s speech or maybe it would've happened anyway, this gradual realization that I'm not really ready to go into a, well, I guess you could call it a completed life. Where there's no real progress, no real dreaming. Only contentment and all the passive buying and watching that goes into a middle-class life.

"Nick? You okay? You look a little out of it."

I blink and raise my head.

"What? Yeah, sorry about that. You want to go play some video games?"

"Yeah, that sounds cool."

Whatever's going on, all I know is that I've changed in a very real way. Just what exactly that change is and where it's going to take me is still a great unknown.

But I have a feeling that December will bring a lot of answers.

[Izulde]

"Hello?"

"Hi, Nick. It's Becky. I'll be in about an hour. Be prepared to surprised."

"All right!"

"See you then! Bye."

"Bye."

And so it begins...

[Neon_Chaos]

I'm prepared to be surprised as well!!!

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

I'm prepared to be surprised as well!!!

[Izulde]

November has passed over into December and with it, colder temperatures have arrived, but it looks to be a mild early winter, as its in the 40s and no precipitation torments Caveman and I as we stand out on the front porch, smoking.

"You going out with her?"

He means Becky, of course.

"No. This is just a friends date."

He's about to say something more when our eyes are stolen by the sight of a stunning girl making her way up the walk, the sound of her feet on the pavement odd to our ears.

Her hair is in a style like nothing I've never seen before, a tightly controlled, elaborate updo that looks like it took hours to put together. She wears a brightly colored kimono of blue with what look like some kind of orange birds on it, cranes maybe.

But it's her face that's most striking, full white makeup, save for the lips and the eyes painted and outlined in red and black in such a way that it makes my nerves tingle like they haven't since Melody.

We both gasp as she turns and ascends up the steps leading to the porch we're smoking on, a wide smile on those entrancing lips.

"Hi Bobby, Nick!"

"...BECKY?!"

Caveman's so stunned, he drops his cigarette and stands there, mouth hung open like a goldfish.

She beams and leans up to kiss me on the cheek before turning to Caveman. To be honest, I don't register it, because I'm as taken aback as he is.

"Yep, it's me, Bobby! Like it?"

She turns slowly, letting him absorb every inch of her finery. I'm staring, too, wanting to say something, but I sense this isn't my place.

"You look.... incredible...", he croaks out at last. "Are you a geisha?"

I have no idea what that is, but it must be bad because the next thing I know, Becky's hand is slapping hard and fast across his face, sending Caveman staggering backwards.

"No", she answers sharply, "I'm a kisaeng! God, you're so stupid! Nick, let's go."

Caveman just stands there as Becky and I make our way down the steps, going slow because she whispers that she can't go very fast.

When we reach the bottom of the steps and are about to start walking to my car, I look back at Caveman.

His head's hung low and his hand's pressed to his forehead. There's something pathetic and sad about his pose, like he's realizing that he made a mistake with her in some way and now regrets it.

Whether it's taking her virginity or dumping her or something else altogether, I don't know.

What I do know is that I feel very sorry for him.

But I can't waste time trying to cheer him up.

The greatest adventure of my life waits an hour away.

[Izulde]

I turn the heater on shortly after we get to the highway and we drive through the chilly night. It's empty on the freeway tonight and soon an air of warmth and peace settles in.

Quiet, too, as we're both content simply to sit and enjoy the ride.

About four miles away, we come up on a roadblock, patrolled by a young, solemn looking police officer.

"Name please?"

"Nick Hunter."

There's a rustle of paper as he rifles through the clipboard in his hand before making a check mark.

"Here for the Suchet party?"

"Yes sir."

"Enjoy."

"We will."

He smiles then and we smile, the kind of serene, understated exchange of smiles that happens when everybody's in a good mood.

The mood changes to one of a tensed excitement once we're through the roadblock and the night takes on a cast of enchanted possibility.

We're roughly two miles out when our eyes are held and bedazzled by a towering, glimmering white... castle?

"It must be as big as the Ritz", Becky murmurs in wonder.

"Huh?"

She starts, blinking with a sheepish smile as she looks at me.

"Sorry. It's a Lit thing."

"Thinking about him, huh?"

"Yeah... Look, Nick, before we get there and before you see her and everything..."

I hear what she's going to say in the slow breath she takes and it makes me grip the wheel, the mystic quality of everything replaced by rapid and jumbled thoughts that race along with the words that swiftly spell from her lips.

"I know this probably isn't the best time to let you know, but if I don't tell you now, then I'm afraid it'll be too late and I know it sounds really strange and probably a little weird but... I, I'm falling for you."

Her voice drops its volume, becoming the small, quiet voice I last heard the night of Formal, when she asked Caveman why he did what he did to her.

It's a tone that weighs heavily on me and slows the hurtling rush of my garbled thoughts down to a careful pondering.

"Well, thank you Becky, but the thing is, I don't really know how I feel about you. I mean I know I like you, I like you a lot... It's just, you know..."

She does know and I feel it in the way her tiny hand closes over mine and squeezes it.

And it's true. I don't know how I really feel about Becky. She's sweet, beautiful, intelligent and fun, but love? If there's one thing I've learned in these last four months, it's that love has the power to change a person in ways that, once you've been affected, you can never go back.

Take just now for instance. It's the first time I've ever been honest when a girl's said she loves me and I either didn't love her or wasn't sure. Before Melody, I would've said some crap about loving her too and strung her along a while more before I got bored.

I'm still in that reflective mood as we ride up and down roller-coastering hills, the highway's former smoothness gone. The castle looms larger and larger as we draw closer and closer, never losing its shining majesty.

When we crest to the top of the last hill, we're greeted with the sight of a long line of limosines sleekly gliding parallel to a gate whose ends we can't see, the cars passing into the far darkness after they let out their passengers. From this spot, they're little more than stick figures.

They become more and more fully realized as I slowly take my car downhill, Becky's breath caught beside me at the majesty of the castle that reveals itself as a mansion with four-cornered towers up close.

But I can't look too closely, because I have to concentrate on driving. Hitting one of these limos would put me in such debt that I'd still be paying it off when I'm ready to collect Social Security.

A man in a black suit and wearing sunglasses in the dead of winter appears in the misty pools of my headlights to stop us as we draw near to the entrance of the gate, now shown to be made of intricately woven cast black iron.

"Your name?"

"Nick Hunter."

"Very good, Mr. Hunter. Will you and the young woman please exit the car? One of the valets will park it for you."

I feel a little sheepish at the idea of my old 1994 blue Toyota next to all those limosines and what are probably Porsches and Jaguars and Lamborghinis and all that, but I hand over my keys to a red-suited valet who doesn't look much older than I am.

Once the exchange's complete, the man in black turns to Becky, "Miss, Mr. Johnson will show you around. As for you, Mr. Hunter, come with me please."

Another black suit and sunglasses comes over to whisk Becky away. She waves to me, her blue eyes dark and sparkling with excitement.

I wave back with a smile and turn to follow my own guide, wondering just what in the hell is going on.

Strange way to start a party, if you ask me.

[Cap Ologist]

Just in case you forgot where you left it.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Cap Ologist

Just in case you forgot where you left it.

Oh trust me, I haven't forgotten.

I'll try to update tonight, but no promises.

[Izulde]

I'm led down a cobblestone walk whose stones glow orange-white in the duelling lights of torches and moon. In the distance, there's the sound of music and chatter, but I don't have time to sort it out all before my escort's opening a side door with the type of arch you usually see in churches.

"Second door on your left" are his parting instructions before he heads back to what I'm guessing is the main entrance.

Although I'm curious to look around, something tells me it's best just to follow directions and so I do, beelining straight for the indicated door without so much as glancing at the hallway.

I open the door to a room whose first impression is a study of some kind.

Cherry wood dominates the paneling, taking up the floor what I can see of the walls, which isn't much, because the west end of the room is occupied by a humongous tapestry on which a train of richly dressed elephants march majestically through a marketplace and the east end holds a massive poster that, when I look at it, appears to be some type of family tree. I can't make out the names though, because the font is too hard to read. Not clear like Melody's calligraphy.

There's a book shelf here too, next to the family tree with lots of hardback books that look like they're either dusted often or read often.

My eyes travel to the desk next. Like all the other wood in this room, it's cherry and it runs parallel to the immense picture window that offers a great view of the lawn beyond. I can see people outside, though from this distance, they still look like nothing more than brightly colored fireflies lazily floating from place to place.

It's a rainbow spectrum that fits rather well with this room, with the multi-colored stained glass lamps that provide the only lighting and give the room a certain coziness.

"Enjoying the view?"

I start. What the hell?

I turn around to see a cheerfully grinning man, about six and a half feet tall and thin, the dark purple suit and gold tie he wears making him look even slimmer. I'd say he's about middle-age from the crinkles about his eyes and grey mixing with the sandy base of his hair to create a rather distinguished look.

"Forgive me, Mr. Hunter. I'm Jean Suchet, Melody's father."

As I return the greeting and shake the hand he extends to me, I notice not only his firm grip but the way he didn't use his title when introducing himself. It makes me like him all the more than I did from what little Melody's told me about him.

"Let's take a seat, shall we?"

He indicates the burgundy leather chairs on either side of the desk and I take the one closest to the door.

Once we're settled in our seats, he smiles and pulls out a box from somewhere on the other side, flipping it open.

"Fancy a cigarette?"

"Sure."

He hands me one, along with a surprisingly battered Zippo lighter and we each light up in turn.

I take a drag.

It's the smoothest, most flavorful cigarette I've ever had. I'm not surprised considering who this is, but it's still a delight to discover anyway.

"Not bad, eh? The lighter was my father's, by the way. A great man and a shrewd businessman."

I nod and exhale another stream of smoke.

"Thanks. These are incredible. Where did you get them?"

"Turkey."

Heh. I love the way he says Turkey, so off-handedly, like saying he gets them at the corner store.

From there, we fall into a discussion of our favorite fishing spots and swapping stories. It turns out he's fished a lot of the same local places I have which surprises me until he explains.

"When Melody decided she wanted to go to college here, April and I decided to do shopping around for a place nearby. There wasn't anything on the market that we really wanted, so I bought the land this house sits on and had it built over the summer."

....He had this freaking palace built in a single summer?!?!

"I had to hire a lot of crews, but it was worth it. When I wasn't here supervising the construction, I'd go fishing at places I found about from the local residents, which is how I came to hit the same spots you have."

"That's just amazing."

He smiles and shrugs, fiddling with the lighter, our spent cigarettes in an unobtrusive sterling silver ashtray on the desk.

"It wasn't my doing. It was the men I hired. And anyway, I have a question for you, Nick."

"Yeah?" A question? For me?

"How do you fly?"

....

What the hell?! He didn't just... he couldn't....

But my lips are forming the words in a dazed whisper against his serene smile.

"On the wings of the Scarlet Dragon to Paradise."

He's still smiling while I sort through my shock.

"You're.... you're a member of Theta Sigma Phi?! How?!"

He laughs, a pleasant, mellow laugh and that first grin makes itself known again.

"It's quite simple, Nick. Although I was born in Italy, I went to school in the United States. Although I could've gone to any Ivy League school without question, but I was interested in getting to know normal people, so I went to the best public college in the Midwest, where I joined Theta Sigma Phi, Beta Kappa chapter. Then for my graduate work, I went to the University of Venice in Italy."

"What was your major?" A silly question, but I just have to know.

Another grin, "Theatre Arts, with a concentration in Performance. My best role was Sky Masterson in my college's production of Guys and Dolls."

Somehow it makes sense, strange as it seems, that this confident, carefree baron who likes to fish and know people like me would be a drama geek.

"But that's not all, Nick."

"Oh?"

With a quiet smile, he pulls out a drawer and takes out a small black velvet box, setting it before me.

"Go on and open it."

My breath catches when I open the box. It's not a shock and it's a shock all at the same time. The ring shimmering back up at me, with its five-pointed diamond star and the ruby dragons clutching to the gold on either side....

"Yes. I'm also a member of the Pentacle of Light."

...The Pentacle of Light. Theta Sigma Phi's ruling council of five. Unlike other fraternities who might let it be known who their national leaders are, the identities of Theta Sigma Phi's Pentacle of Light are kept secret. All the vast majority of initiated members know is that the members of the Pentacle are appointed and that when appointed, they're part of the Pentacle for life.

I'm still processing it all as he replaces the box in the desk and offers me another cigarette.

I take it with thanks and a peaceful quiet settles over the room again for a while as we smoke.

"Shame about Professor Morengay", he says after a time.

"Yeah, it sucks. He was a great lecturer, not like most professors."

Jean chuckles and nods, exhaling a perfectly smoke ring, "I'm going to miss having him around."

"Huh?"

A mischievous gleam comes into Baron Suchet's eye as he leans forward, grinning in such a madcap way that he reminds me a lot of Drake.

"Who do you think was giving him all the information and research for his lectures? It was me! You see, after Melody told me about the class and how she really wanted France so he would do the de Semurs, I went to the good professor and told him if he would spend the course lecturing on the de Semurs, he could come out here on the weekends and hobnob with the local elite and research from primary and secondary texts in the library that he wouldn't be able to get anywhere else on short notice."

"That's... damn cool."

And it is. That the most fun class of my entire college experience is all thanks to the father of my quasi-girlfriend and nobody knew about it is just awesome in a weird way.

"That also explains why he was so happy in class on Mondays, then."

The baron nods and blows another series of smoke rings, the movements graceful as they are idle. I can definitely see how he was a good actor on the stage.

"Precisely. He's a bit of a wine and cheese nut, too, so I would bring him a new vintage or a new cheese to try out every weekend. He loved it, as you can imagine."

Looking thoughtful, Melody's father adds with a tilt of his eyes to the ceiling, which I'm just now seeing has an intricate scene with a bunch of guys in turbans on it, "Of course, I imagine he'll still come here, come to think of it. He said he plans on researching the de Semurs more fully for a book now that he can't teach anymore... but I'm babbling on and keeping you from the party. And besides, you have an important decision to make."

Huh?

"What decision?"

He stubs out his cigarette and folds his hands in his lap, leveling me with a solemn expression.

"About my daughter, of course. She loves you."

"But she's engaged to that Chet guy."

"Engagement isn't the same as marriage, Nick and even marriages are broken easily enough in this day and age."

I stand and make my way to the door. I don't want the night and the pleasant experience with Melody's father to be spoiled by this debate.

"With all respect, Mr. Suchet, I'm not sure I'd feel right about being the reason an engagement's broken."

He smiles faintly, nodding from the desk.

"I know. That's why no matter what you decide, whether it's this Becky girl I've heard about or whether it's my daughter, I want you to work for me after graduation. Consider it a networking opportunity through the fraternity. We won't talk about it now and you don't have to accept, obviously. We'll discuss it next weekend after graduation."

The job offer elates me and a flurry of images races through my mind, vague images without real substance or form. The job's market tough and I was having trouble finding employment for after graduation, so I'll probably take this.

But like Mr. Suchet says, there'll be time next weekend to discuss it.

For now, there's a choice waiting outside the house for me.

A life-defining choice.

[Wolfpack]

Way back towards the beginning of the thread I had said that I thought I saw a potential twist coming with regards to Melody. I think I was wrong about what the final outcome was, but I was in the ballpark anyway. Of course, the story's not over yet so there's still a chance my hunch could pan out....

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

Way back towards the beginning of the thread I had said that I thought I saw a potential twist coming with regards to Melody. I think I was wrong about what the final outcome was, but I was in the ballpark anyway. Of course, the story's not over yet so there's still a chance my hunch could pan out....

Be interesting to see how it shakes out. You'll have to let us know when it's over what your hunch was

[Cap Ologist]

tease

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Be interesting to see how it shakes out. You'll have to let us know when it's over what your hunch was

Oh, it's nothing terribly significant and doesn't have any heavy bearing on plot, so don't read too much into anything I say.

[Izulde]

Cap Ologist: Yep!

Wolfpack: Fair enough, though I'm still curious.

It may be quite a while before I update this one, folks. As I noted in the Dolphins dynasty, I'm at end of semester crunch so I may be burnt out on writing for a bit.

[Izulde]

I enter the rainbow stream of light, grass, shadow and people outside on the lawn, a lawn that's big enough to house an entire small college campus.

My steps are leisurely, because I want to soak in all the sights and sounds of this party. After all, who knows when I'll be attending an event like this again, if ever.

"Well of -course- this is a smashing party, darling! It's the good Baron throwing it after all, with a teensy amount of help from yours truly!"

Something about the voice draws me to look in that direction and standing there is Melody, all glitter and ancient Greek beauty in an airy, white gown scattered with diamonds.

Wait, it's not Melody, but an older Melody. One with much shorter hair, once my eyes fully adjust. But in that sensuous sway, the way the fingers curl around her flute glass, her hypnotic voice... it's all Melody.

"Well, you did a splendid job, April! You should be quite proud!"

At her side, a chubby woman with three chins and badly spiked, rusty hair in a purple dress so shapeless and so large for a moment I think she robbed a sporting goods store of a tent.

"But of course, Bess" replies the blonde vision, who I've by now figured out is Melody's mother.

Her eyes, the same blue as her daughter's lazily drift about, passing over everyone without looking at them. It's as if we're all just props for her perfectly staged party. I can't say where that impression comes from or when and how I started thinking like this, but women like Melody and her mother have the ability to draw the poet out in all of us, even those who aren't like that usually, like me.

I walk closer, quietly, so as not to draw attention. This should be interesting.

"It's a shame Gerald couldn't be here tonight", she sighs at last, "But he's networking with the Countess de Macon's eldest daughter tonight and he's a very private kind of boy."

Heh. Whoever Gerald is, I'll just bet he's networking with her all right.

"But at least Melody's here, so you have one of the children present!" remarks the purple cow after retrieving a champagne glass from one of the silently rotating waiters.

"Oh, Melody..." sniffs the Baroness, "That girl has far too many of the Baron's bad habits. I told her it was simply absurd to go to a third-rate college, but would she listen? No! Just said that's what the Baron did, so that's what she was going to do. But at least she hasn't been fooling around with the boys at that school. They're beneath her, you know. At least Gerald knows the importance of getting to know the right kind of people."

I choke back a laugh as Bess emphatically agrees. If only they knew.

"Funny, isn't it?"

What the? That was right in my ear!

I turn and there's a bearded man who looks suspiciously familiar, dressed all in black, with a preposterous cape and top hat to boot.

He grins and tips his hat.

"Hey Nick! Fancy meeting you here!"

....Oh.fuck.

"Caveman?! What the fuck are you doing?"

"Shh!" he hisses, darting quickly about with his eyes to make sure no one's paying attention to us, "Keep your voice down!"

"How did you even get in? There's guards and everything!"

He laughs, green eyes sparkling with glee behind his glasses.

"Well, as it so happens, I found out while doing some research online that I bear a very strong phsyical resemblance to the bachelor Count von Richtenberg, so I hunted up his vital details and here I am!"

..Is he serious?! Wait, this is Caveman we're talking about. Yeah, he is.

"Um, that's really sweet that you pulled that off Caveman, but what if he's like, you know, actually here? You're going to be in a bit of trouble."

Caveman shrugs as he adjusts his top hat, "Not really. It'll be the real Count that gets in trouble if he shows up because I got here before he did if he shows up. Otherwise they wouldn't have let me in."

As much as I hate to admit it, he's got a point.

"So, what are you doing here anyway? How did you even know to find this place?"

"Becky told me and Becky's why I'm here, actually. I want to apologize to her and see if we can fix things."

I just stare at him in disbelief. -Caveman- of all people wanting to apologize to somebody and fix things? With -Becky-?

"Is this just because she dressed up as a kreisha or whatever?"

"Kisaeng", he corrects, chuckling a little, "I don't know. Maybe. And anyway, it's not important why I want to. It's that I do."

I can't believe this. He thinks he can just impersonate a freaking Count, waltz right in here, make some apology to Becky and it'll be all better? After all the shit he put her through and how horribly he treated her? Fuck that!

"Yeah well, see the thing is Caveman... I might be falling for her. Becky, I mean."

He blinks, eyes wide with disbelief before narrowing as he leans in closer to look at me closely.

"Well, all right. I'll just go introduce myself to Melody then."

"You can't do that!"

"Why not? It's not like you can date both girls at once. Not even you can pull that off. Hell, I don't even think Terry could've pulled off dating Melody and another girl at the same time."

That gives us both a laugh and calms us down. Afterwards, Caveman nudges me, looking serious now.

"Come on, though. Really, which one are you going to choose? I'll pursue whichever one you don't."

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING HERE THIS EVENING! WE'D LIKE TO FORMALLY BEGIN THE DANCE PORTION OF THIS PARTY WITH MR. JON MCLAUGHLIN SINGING HIS NEW HIT SINGLE OFF THE VERY RECENTLY RELEASED ENCHANTED SOUNDTRACK!"

We look up as the boom of the PA announcer spreads itself over the lawn. Further ahead, we see a stage, with some balding, chunky guy in a tuxedo who's apparently the MC, a full-scale orchestra behind him.

Walking up the steps to the stage is apparently the Jon McLaughlin guy who's going to sing.

In the press of bodies starting to gather around the stage, I see Becky. She's on the left.

I sweep my eyes across and there's Melody, on the far right.

The singer's making some introductory remarks and Caveman's looking at me, solemn-faced still.

"Now's the time, Nick. This is the perfect moment to decide."

I nod and take a breath.

The past four months have all come down to this.

The first slow notes begin to swell forth from the stage and I begin walking towards the crowd.

As I walk, I think and I come to the realization that after everything that's happened this semester, there can be only one choice, one girl for me.

And it's to that girl that my footsteps now lead me.

[Wolfpack]

Hm...given the fact that this board is what it is, perhaps you should post a poll. "Choose Your Own Adventure", anyone?

[Cap Ologist]

damn you

[rjolley]

I say he went straight ahead to the bar.

[Izulde]

Wolfpack: I already have the next post more or less figured it out, but it might be an amusing exercise.

Cap Ologist: Damn me again for posting a feedback to feedback post.

rjolley: But with ale as my mate, I'll thank God for my fate, while I give her a necklace of pearls - The Poxy Boggards "Lager Than Life"

[Izulde]

dola,

Poll posted in Dynasty Forum Polls.

[Izulde]

"May I have this dance?"

She smiles, that quiet smile that I first fell for what seems so long ago.

"Of course. I was beginning to think you'd never ask me."

She draws close, arms sliding over my shoulders as my hands gently take her waist. Her hair, soft and luxurious, brushes against me, sending an electric thrill through my body.

"Melody, there's something I want to say..."

"Shh, don't talk. Not right now. Let's just dance."

And so we dance, the lights and people blurring, fading to nothingness as the music pours around us, through us, that enchanted voice completing the magic of this moment.

You're in my arms
And all the world is calm
The music playing for only two

That's exactly how it feels right now, the world so calm and perfect, Melody in my arms and this song playing just for us. We're the only two people that matter to me right now. Caveman, Becky, the Baron, her mother, Drake, Professor Morengay.. They all dissolve, as those kissable lips, those radiant blue eyes, become my everything.

So close
Together
And when I'm with you
So close
To feeling alive
A life goes by
Romantic dreams must die
So I bid mine goodbye
And then I knew
So close was waiting
Waiting here with you
And now forever I know
All that I wanted
To hold you close

My romantic dreams never lived until her. When I dreamt of girls, when I talked to them, when I slept with them, I never thought of the future, never thought of forever and happily ever after.

But they were born with her and with her love first awoke. I don't know what else I want to do with my life, but I know this much is true... I want to be with Melody until old age destroys our youth and ruins our bodies and beyond. Even with our last breaths, I will love this beautiful girl in my arms.

So close
To reaching that famous happy end
Almost believing
This one's not pretend
And now you're beside me
And look how far we've come
So close
We are so close

We dance and twirl as the instrumental bridge kicks in, a slow circling that lets us feel each other, delight in each other. I hear the murmurs of the people watching, sense the growing of a circle around us, but I don't care. Whatever else happens tonight and in the future, I'll always have tonight.

Oh how could I face
The faceless days
If I should lose you now

My days would be disaster and all the color and beauty would be gone for the rest of my life if I--

"Excuse me. May I cut in?"

I blink and we turn our heads simultaneously to see a man about our age, with slicked back hair, so brightly black it's almost ridiculous.

Melody opens her mouth to speak, but another voice breaks in.

"HALT!"

The crowd watching Melody and I dance snap their heads to the source and I inwardly groan, because I know exactly who just shouted.

Caveman's glaring at the would-be interloper as he noisily unscrews the dragon's head of a cane I just now notice in his hands.

"You are Chet Astor, are you not?"

He nods, looking a mixture of amused and confused as he turns away from us to study my masquerading fraternity brother.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

The evening turns more surreal still as Caveman yanks off the bottom of the cane and tosses it away, the moon gleaming on the silver sword attached to the dragonhead.

"Then I challenge you to a duel!"

[Cap Ologist]

definitely didn't see a duel coming.

[rjolley]

You should've taken the bar....though a duel is hard to pass up.

[Wolfpack]

From the sublime to the ridiculous, it seems. I'm reasonably sure Caveman's got it under control, though.

[Izulde]

Cap Ologist: Yeah, I imagine a lot of people were taken aback by that.

rjolley: Indeed.

Wolfpack: That is the coolest smilie ever! Where'd you get it from?

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Wolfpack: That is the coolest smilie ever! Where'd you get it from?

Do a "properties" check on the image. Leads back to a site that has a lot of them apparently for free use and linking.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

Do a "properties" check on the image. Leads back to a site that has a lot of them apparently for free use and linking.

Good to know, thanks!