~~ Part 2 ~~
Buffy stopped to kiss her nephew good night on her way back to speak with her brother. Her habit of entering through the nursery rather than the main entrance allowed her to break apart the tableau that she interrupted. Bodies scattered, swiftly moving to assume places further across the room than they were in moments before as hands quickly adjusted garments before wiping palms against the cloth to ensure there were no telltale signs of misdeeds. Her footsteps projected her across the room until she took center stage. She glanced over to the small head barely visible behind the sheer curtains, catching a glimpse of gleaming curls sliding in and out of view on the barest edge of her sight line. Bali had come to no harm that she could see - this time. Her hands clenched into small fists at her side and nails sliced the tender palms as she fought to control her temper. Blazing green eyes that could challenge the pits of Hell turned to pin down the man that stood across from her.
"Would you like to tell me what you're doing in the king's room so late at night?" she asked, emphasizing the boy's proper title.
Guy's small eyes traveled over his wife's younger sibling. Not for the first time had he wondered if he had married the right sister. He cared for Sibylla, but he needed sons to secure the crown, a crown he planned to wear as the next king of Jerusalem. There was only one problem, and it slept several feet away. Guy did not intend to allow a child to ascend the throne, his throne. He was born to rule; nothing would get in his way. If he had to, he'd see to it personally. Perhaps, once he attained the throne, if Sibylla hadn't given him a son, she'd have a terrible accident, leaving the way clear for him to pluck a fresher plum.
She didn't like the look in her brother-in-law's eyes. He seemed to think of her as a bowl of crème to satisfy his feline hunger. For all his intrigue dealing with his Templars, Guy never saw what didn't please him. A woman, especially a noble one, had one use - to bear her husband sons. Anything else was purely an added benefit. She had heard a rumor just this morning that Sibylla was again pregnant with his demon seed. His nocturne visit to her nephew confirmed it. She looked closer, seeing the gleam of desperation that he carefully tried to hide each time he glanced toward the bed.
"Did you need something, brother?" she asked, purposefully reminding him of their familial relationship, even if only through marriage, at every turn. "I'd heard that you had quit the palace." Her voice held a sarcastic edge, letting him know exactly what she thought about his business dealings.
Guy ignored her tone as he swaggered across the room, closing the space between them. Reaching out, he trailed a finger down a petal soft cheek. "Dear Isabella, I'm doing what any husband does before he leaves, ensuring the safety of his family. What else?"
She stood perfectly still. Her green eyes stared into his until he grew uncomfortable with her silence. Stepping away, he turned to start walking toward the door, considering the matter closed.
"Guy," she called after him. He stopped, turning back, thinking that perhaps he had drawn her interest. "Do not trouble yourself over my nephew. You have another child to worry over now." She gave him a saccharine sweet smile. "I've already discussed this with the king, and he's agreed that I should take over Bali's care during Sibylla's pregnancy." She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at his obvious anger. "You can take your leave knowing that your family will remain safe while you attend to your duties." She bowed her head to him.
He had lived among royals long enough to understand a formal dismissal when he saw one. It galled him to have it delivered to him, Guy of Lusignan, by a woman, whether she was of royal descent or not. He turned on his heel to stalk from the room, with little care that he created a racket.
Sighing softly, she moved over to gaze down at the innocent that lay sleeping, undisturbed by the events that had unfolded around him. He had no idea that his life balanced on a thin thread, which a greedy man yearned to sever. Reaching out, she brushed the tousled curls away from his cherubic face.
"Sleep safely, Bali, dream of a better world, a world where knights remain stalwart and true, a world where you can know your enemy by the face he shows and the standard he carries, where you easily defeat them and triumph in the end, a world where you live a long and happy life and rule over the Kingdom of Heaven, bringing it a peace that it has never truly known." She bent forward to place a soft kiss on his brow. "I will give my last breath, little one, to ensure that you ascend to the throne when the time comes."
Slipping from the room, she headed back toward her brother. They had much to discuss before either would find the comfort of their beds. Plans had to be set in motion; stealth and swiftness were their greatest weapons at this time. The enemy thought them blind to his machinations, and that they would allow him to strike, then try to prove his guilt, as they had in the past. He had reached too far, too high tonight. It was time to move the pawn from the rook's path, leading him on a merry chase.
She silently entered the room, pausing to watch her brother as he gazed up at the stars. Even with the disease that wracked his body, Baldwin stood proud and straight, every inch a king. Why God had chosen her brother to suffer so, she would never know. She knew that he often times believed, as did others, that it was his punishment for some hidden sin, either his own or that of their ancestors. Buffy refused to believe that. God wouldn't punish a pure soul such as Baldwin's for a sin not his own. It was simple in her mind; God meant for him to carry this burden. Each person had one, and this was his. God never gave a person more than they could shoulder. Baldwin was a living testament to that fact.
"Are you going to stand there staring all night, sister? Or come in and tell me what has you so troubled?" he asked, his muffled voiced carrying softly across the room, wrapping around her in a reassuring caress.
Her slippered feet crossed the distance between them, leaving no sound in their wake. "How do you always know when I'm there?"
"God has seen fit to take from me." A carefully wrapped hand gestured to encompass his leprous body. "He gives back in other ways, though. Sitting here, inside this living tomb every day, waiting, wondering, will it be my last?" He ignored her soft gasp. "I've learned to take what little joys I can. Did you know that when the winds are just right, I hear the city? Barkers calling out their wares, children laughing as they play, women gossiping and men boasting, it is a most wonderful gift."
She went to stand beside him, gently leaning her head against his tall shoulder so as not to cause him damage. His disease didn't allow his nerve endings to feel pain, but the sensitive decaying skin sloughed off with the slightest amount of pressure. Everyone drew away from touching him, fearing to do him even more harm. She understood though, as she always had, the same way he always seemed to know what she needed, sometimes before she even knew she needed it. He yearned for the human connection. Swathed in gauze as he was, apart from the world, yet still within it, Baldwin needed someone to keep him anchored. She did that for him in a hundred different ways, but the one that counted the most was what she did now. She touched him.
"Bali needs to starts his tutelage with the brothers. It's never too early for a king to start learning." She shared a knowing smile with him. "Since Sibylla is with child again, I'll accompany him on the journey and stay with him for a while to ensure that he handles the transition well."
"Why the sudden haste for Bali to start down this road?"
She slid around his shoulder and to the right so that she stood facing him. Her head fell back to rest on her shoulders as she looked into her brother's eyes. They shone a bright blue through the silver mask. Taking a deep breath, she told him about her encounter with Guy. The siblings talked long into the night, discussing plans, picking them apart, then putting them back together.
Baldwin finally sent her to bed when neither could think straight any longer. "Sleep. We'll make the necessary preparations in the morning. I'll speak privately with Sibylla so that she'll understand that it's for Bali's safety." He gently placed a gauze covered hand against her cheek before he continued. "Are you sure about the rest? He has the potential to become a great asset. I would not, however, trade him for one moment of your safety."
She gifted him with one of her rare smiles. Those that she shared with only a small number of select people she cared deeply for. "Yes, I'm sure. It's important for you, Bali, for Jerusalem and perhaps even for me. I cannot soldier for peace the way a man can though at times I admit that I hunger to use a sword for more than show or the possibility of my own protection." Her shoulders sagged as the burden of her station and sex reared its head, even here where she felt free to be herself.
"You would have made a glorious knight, my Buffy." The childhood nickname soothed her, giving her back her place in this world as nothing else he could have said. "Though you've raged against it since childhood, the simple truth of the matter is you're a woman, and a glorious one at that. Would it have answered many prayers if it were different? Possibly? I would like to think that I'd have loved you as much as I do now, but I'm not sure that I have it in me to be that magnanimous. Perhaps, I shouldn't have taught you to use a sword or allowed you to run free like a little hellion. Would that have made your burden lighter?"
His voice held such a note of sorrow that Buffy's heart clutched with self-loathing. She could kick herself for laying her pitiful little woes on her brother's already over burdened shoulders. She rose to her feet from the pillows that that they had moved to in order to speak more comfortably. Closing the distance that separated them, she fell to her knees and bowed her head as she wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her head to his heart.
"Forgive me. Please, know that I cherish each moment spent with you and hold everything you've taught me close to my heart, from which berries to pick to the proper way to hold a sword. I'm so sorry if I've seemed ungrateful, Baldwin. I didn't mean to burden you with my petty troubles."
Tears pricked her eyes as she poured her heart out to him. They escaped down her cheeks as she tried to continue with her apology, only to stop when he gave a soft chuckle. A flare of angry scarlet crept across her cheeks. Her head jerked up to find his eyes dancing with laughter.
"There's my girl, all spit and fire, ready to buffet down anything that stands in her way."
A full-blown gale of laughter ripped from his lips, echoing eerily from behind the mask. Buffy tried to hold onto her anger, but couldn't. Baldwin laughed so rarely. It was a wonderful sound and she had always found it contagious.
"You may be older than me, but that doesn't mean that you aren't, at times, a brat. I'm happy that I've provided you with your evening, or should I say morning, laugh. If anyone's to blame for my stubborn determination, brother dear, then you may blame yourself. I believe that it was your voice that I heard always encouraging me, telling me that I could do anything that I put my mind to; so, if I as you say buffet," her nose wrinkled at the image that created, "whatever gets in my way, then it's only because it's what I've been taught to do." On that note, she swept from the room, on her way to get some much needed sleep.
Baldwin smiled behind the mask that hid his features from the world. Everything that she had said was true. He watched her leave the room as if she ruled the world. She would have made a formidable prince. No matter what happened, he wouldn't take back the time or the experiences that they had shared during Buffy's youth. She had provided him a wonderful reprieve from his duties and the knowledge that his health wouldn't last. He remembered her running into his rooms with tears streaming down her face, her nurse chasing after her, the guards trying to stop her, but her nimble feet had helped her to elude them as she slid to a stop at his feet. Her tiny face had lifted up to him with those beautiful green eyes that seemed to fill her face. He had dismissed everyone, ignoring their protests, picking the tiny pixie up to sit her on his lap and go about the business of discovering what had upset her world. Baldwin could still remember the words that fell from the tiny rosebud lips. She had overheard the servants gossiping that they found it odd she had never known a day of illness and the coinciding discovery of the king's disease soon after her birth. They went on to say that her good fortune came at the king's expense.
He dried her eyes and explained to her that the servants were wrong. She smiled at him, happy that he could once again make her world right, waiting for him to explain. He told her that her good health had nothing to do with his disease, and then went on to let her know how happy he was that she had remained immune to the ailments that normally troubled children. It was the day that they bonded as siblings and she became his little shadow. Baldwin knew it sounded, strange, especially considering their age differences, but he found spending time with Buffy the highlight of his weeks, seeing the world through her eyes and teaching her anything that she asked to learn, no matter that some might consider it inappropriate behavior for a princess. Her curiosity, stubbornness and fearlessness intrigued him, even as he, at times, wished as she did that she was a boy, and even perhaps born to him and not his father. She was a mixture of contradictions. He sometimes thought that the Saracens weren't wrong with their beliefs in reincarnation because Buffy reminded him at times of an old soul. A strange light entered her eyes at the most inexplicable times, changing them from the sparkling green to hard emerald. It reminded him of the looks that he saw in his most hardened warriors.
Balian woke filled with excitement. Today he left for Ibelin, his father's property, a property that was now his. He no longer stood below; relegated to looking up at the castle, wondering about the life they lead. He pushed the covers away, even as a servant came to open the blinds that covered the windows, letting in the soft morning light. Yes, today he started on a journey toward a new life and he welcomed if heartily. He had come to Jerusalem to find absolution for his wife and perhaps even for himself. What he had found surprised him, for no other place on earth did he know where every man, be he Christian or Muslim, seemed to be accepted.
His journey toward Jerusalem was quite different from his leave taking. Almeric explained that they needed so many provisions because his father spent most of his time in Jerusalem. Balian felt like a child waiting for Christmas day in his excitement to get to Ibelin. Finally, they headed out in a flashing line of horses, soldiers and supplies.
Excitement had a way of fading when faced when endless seas of sand. The desert sun seemed to bear down straight into his brain making him wonder at times if he couldn't hear his very brain sizzle. He didn't remember the heat scorching him with the same intensity during his journey from the sea. His fingers pricked at the padded tabard he wore as protection against the sun. A wry smile tilted the edges of his lips as he remembered the first time he had worn it. It was the day he went to the palace to meet Tiberius, the king and his lips tilted up further as he remembered the Princess Isabella.
"Are you all right, my lord?" Almeric's deep voice brought him from his wandering thoughts. "Do we need to stop and douse you with water to cool you?"
"Perhaps."
The large second-in-command gave him a studied look as if he stared hard enough he would unravel the puzzle that was Balian of Ibelin. He differed greatly from his father except perhaps where it counted the most and for that, he said a silent prayer.
"How many more days until we reach Ibelin? To tell you the truth, I never knew that such a small thing could grow so wearisome and work its way into the strangest places." Balian shifted on his saddle, pulling his clothes away from his body.
The larger man threw back his head in laughter. "That is true, my lord. Your father used to proclaim that the sand was God's way of letting man know that he was still the one in charge here."
Their horses plodded on as they talked, reaching a small hill, which they crested. Almeric pulled his horse to a stop and simply pointed a finger at the valley below. Balian's eyes followed along the site line, landing on an outcropping of buildings, animal shelters and marked off lands. His breath hitched in his throat - Ibelin. There no more than an hours ride away stood his lands, his property - his first true home. A wave of sadness drifted across his heart that his wife and child weren't here to share it with him. He pushed the feeling away as he kicked his horse into a gallop desperate to see it all as soon as possible.
"My lord, Balian," Almeric called after him with a note of concern. Kicking his own horse, he took off after the new Baron of Ibelin. Ibelin lay along the Pilgrim Road, and though the king held to his treaty with Saladin, that didn't mean that bandits and malcontents didn't exist. Godfrey would surely come back from the dead to haunt his remaining days should something happen to his son before he even reached his baronial seat.
Ibelin's residents startled from their tasks when they heard a horse fast approaching. They looked up to see who was coming to their isolated area. Seeing a rider wearing their lord's colors sent shouts ringing throughout the small settlement. Everyone scatter, making room for the unknown knight who rode slowly through the narrow alleys with an inquisitive air about him.
Almeric rode up close behind him, practically running his quarry over in his haste to ensure that the new Baron had come to no harm. He watched the young man as he took in his surroundings, slowly riding toward the people who stared up at him with questioning eyes. Almeric couldn't help but echo their thoughts, wondering what type of Master he would prove to be in the coming days. He had spoken to the Hospitaller before they took their leave of Jerusalem. The holy knight had nothing but praise for the manner in which Godfrey's son had handled himself at the palace, first with Tiberius and then later, even daring to face down Guy of Lusignan. Godfrey would have been proud to know that the boy, for all his quiet ways, could show his teeth if the situation called for it. He watched those dark eyes take in every bit of his new holdings, encompassing them within himself through sight, breath and being. He motioned for Balian to follow him through small settlement where the servants lived toward the main holdings. Coming around a large storage shed, he gestured at a large manor that sat upon a small incline.
"My lord, I give you Ibelin."
On a higher point, almost a hill, sat a smallish castle built in the Saracen manner, with a large archway that led into an open courtyard. Balian's eyes widened slightly in wonder when he saw his home clearly for the first time. His lips tilted upward into a real smile, his first since coming to this land. Kicking his horse's side, he took off at a full gallop. The steward welcomed him with a toothy grin. He spoke in Arabic as he motioned the new lord through large double doors. The floor plan appeared similar to the house in Jerusalem, with large common rooms in the front and bedrooms situated across the back portion. Balian followed the chattering man as he pointed out differences in what he assumed were attributes of the house, guiding him in a round about trail that ended on a large balcony that swept across the back of the house. He stepped outside to gaze upon the property that lay across the low valley before him.
Almeric stepped up to stand beside him. "Your father was important. His holdings were not."
"No matter, it will suit me fine."
When the rest of their party arrived, they went about the business of unloading the supplies that they had brought with them. Seeing that they had everything under control. Balian stepped out to walk his lands, assessing them with each step he strode across them. The villagers gathered to follow along behind him. Children laughed, thinking it a game, running ahead then darting back to grab another peek at the newcomer. His trusty shadow stayed behind him, taking each step that he took mere moments later.
The much larger man's voice rang out over their boisterous audience. "My lord, you have a thousand acres…a hundred families. You have Christians, Jews, and Muslims, along with 50 pairs of oxen."
Deciding that he had seen enough, he stopped to peer out over the hard, dry soil, encompassing it with a single glance. "What we do not have is water." To prove his point, he scuffed the ground with the toe of his boot. "Tomorrow will be soon enough to remedy that."
Almeric bowed his head in understanding. His interest peaked about how Balian planned to go about fixing this problem.
While Balian had gathered his household together within a day, it took considerable more time to remove Bali from Jerusalem. Sibylla hadn't taken the news of her son's impending departure well. Whether it was her condition, true motherly feelings or the understanding of how unhappy the situation would make Guy, Buffy had no idea. She never doubted that her sister loved her son. It had more to do with the over the top performances that had shocked the entire palace. Sibylla had always known that the time she shared with her son was finite. Were Bali just another prince in line to the throne, it would be different. He was not. Bali was co-king, and on the day of his uncle's death, he would ascend the throne as the rightful King of Jerusalem. That mother and son had remained in the same household for this long had more to do with Guy's ambitious nature than Sibylla demanding her rightful place at her son's side. Her getting pregnant with her third child, the second she'd deliver in no less than the three years of marriage, gave her little time to dote on her firstborn. Sibylla wasn't a bad woman. She was simply a product of her upbringing, station and era. Woman of the nobility didn't bother themselves with the mundane chores of raising their children. They had servants that saw to their daily needs, and allotted time within their busy schedules for the caregiver to bring the children to them for visits. It was a rare lady indeed who strayed from this routine. Sibylla filled her days with court intrigue in her efforts to garner information for her husband in areas that weren't readily accessible to him, whether through his own actions or from those of the company he kept. She played a delicate game, keeping her thoughts regarding Guy's doings to herself, while allowing others to speak freely around her. Only those who knew her intimately, which numbered few, knew how deep her affections ran for Guy or that she had chosen him as her second husband, despite rumors stating otherwise.
Buffy hated the ever-growing distance between her and her sister. She only hoped that when it came down to a real choice, that Sibylla would do what was right not herself, but for her son and Jerusalem. Her dark thoughts scattered to the wind as a tousle haired little dynamo ran into her rooms, already speaking before he had cleared the threshold.
"Aunt Buffy, Aunt Buffy, I'm ready to go."
She knelt down, placing her hands on the small shoulders that practically vibrated with excitement. A soft smile graced her lips as she took in her nephew's flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. "Patience, Bali, a king must always have patience." She pitched her voice low, giving it a mellow, soothing tone, while trying hard not to laugh at the small lip that jutted out in a very familiar pout.
"I got lots of pants, Aunt Buffy. I just want to hurry up and go. Uncle said I can wear my colors and ride a horse like a real knight." His little feet shuffled back and forth, doing a fair rendition of dancing in place.
His entrance and near bursting with excitement had caused her to overlook his manner of dress. Her green eyes wandered from his sweet face down his body to find it clothed in a tiny replica of the king's royal blue and white doublet. She had a sneaking suspicion that a small tabard was waiting in his room for him to complete the dressing process. Buffy admitted that she rather envied her nephew, wishing that she too could don similar clothing. Alas, her costume would remain hidden deep within her trunks. It wasn't that she hated dressing as a woman. She just found that dressed in her disguise that it gave her the freedom that she so cherished.
"You look every inch a knight, my lord." She bowed gracefully to the little boy. "Come; let us finish your ensemble so that we can start our journey." She held out a hand to him, which he readily took. They left her chambers with his excited chatter marking their journey.
She had never felt so happy to see a journey's end as this one. It was no easy task transporting a seven year old across endless miles of desert. What had started as a wonderful adventure for Bali soon turned into endless long days that had tired the adults let alone a small child. Temper tantrums, crying bouts, endless questions of when his journey would end mounted up to events that would try the patience of a saint, which Buffy readily admitted she was not anywhere close to becoming. She had on several occasions even gone so far as to consider the Biblical verse 'spare the rod, spoil the child.' When her own temper flared beyond her control, she turned her nephew over to his caregivers and spent several hours riding her horse at break neck speeds, much to the sergeant-at-arm's chagrin.
The contingent of soldiers specifically chosen to accompany her on this journey were well used to her odd ways. They reported directly to Tiberius and her brother, the king. Some tried to curb her somewhat reckless actions when she had taken her first 'pilgrimage' under their care. It had seemed so long ago that her life had started down this path. Strange that she had spent her life preparing for it without even realizing. Her eyes swept toward the caravan where Bali lay sleeping. A sad smile pulled at her lips as she remembered the day that Sibylla had told her that she was pregnant with him. Buffy's eyes closed, allowing her horse to carry her onward as her memories dragged her into the past.
Had it truly only been seven years ago that her life had changed so drastically, when she lost those she held dear in a senseless act that had left her groundless? She still dreamed about that time, waking in a cold sweat. The same day that Sibylla shared her news about Bali's impending arrival was her betrothal day. Though she enjoyed following behind her brother, ever in his shadow, learning anything he cared to teach her, from swordplay to chess, her young girl's heart had filled with excitement when she had seen her wedding dress. It was a thing of beauty, created from the finest silks and encrusted with the rarest gems. Her mother, Maria, and her brother had chosen a fine husband for her in the person of Henry II of Champagne. They had exchanged vows at the tender ages of thirteen and fifteen, respectively. The full marriage was to occur in a fortnight, when tragedy struck the royal household; Sibylla's husband, William of Montferrat, died from malaria, plunging the royal household into deep mourning. Many worried that the news might cause the pregnant mother to lose the baby in her grief, but a few months later saw her delivering a healthy baby boy.
Petitions for her sister's hand had flooded the palace. She was, after all, Baldwin's heir. Sibylla ignored them during her time of mourning, for which Buffy waited patiently to come to an end. She was ready to begin her new life with her handsome new husband. William was kind and really seemed to care for her. She knew that she was lucky to marry someone her own age, who she found attractive and felt that she could grow to love if she weren't already a little in love with him. Though her marriage was for a political reason, and she understood that as much as she could at her tender age, she knew that her brother wanted her to be happy too. And she was for a time, her honeymoon stage lasted almost an entire year.
She and her new husband were happy until Sibylla decided to accept, with Baldwin's approval, one of the numerous marriage proposals that continued to come her way. Guy of Lusignan won the day, not only for his allegiance to the French court, but also for his attractiveness to the princess herself. He played his part well, winning the king to his side at first, putting only his best foot forward. It, however, didn't take long for the dark undertones to show through, revealing this snake's true colors to the king, Tiberius, and any smart enough to see him for what he truly was, a power monger who only wanted the crown and cared nothing for the supposed holy war that he used to inflame the people into allowing him to carry out the atrocities he seemed to take great pleasure from. Buffy noted the changes in her sister immediately, as well as those in her sweet husband. Sibylla acted more like a besotted schoolgirl whenever she thought no one was looking. She followed Guy with her eyes, almost as if she worried that he might disappear if she didn't keep an eye on him, like some creature of magic. William was another story completely. He was openly besotted by the older, seasoned, larger than life nobleman. Buffy was happy for her sister, thinking that she had found as carrying and loving a spouse as she had in her own new husband. Looking back at her own naiveté, it galled her to that one such as Guy of Lusignan had fooled her so easily.
He had even fooled her brother for a time, earning him some of the power he sought; it didn't last long when he abused his position by allowing Reynald free reign to attack Saracen pilgrims without repercussion. She had never seen her brother so angry. He immediately set about annulment proceedings, when her formerly obedient sister shocked everyone by refusing to comply. The entire situation came to a head when Sibylla announced that she was with child. She refused to discuss an annulment stating that she wouldn't do what their father did to them and label her child a bastard. Baldwin had no other choice but to let the matter drop. He stripped Guy of any direct power from the crown, which unfortunately didn't leave him powerless, just less powerful. Guy wasn't happy when Bali replaced his mother as the heir; in fact, he was name co-king when Baldwin's leprosy started into its later stages.
A shiver raced down her spine as she remembered those events. She saw once more the cold, maniacal light that had entered her brother-in-law's eyes when her brother declared to the world that he considered Guy unfit to claim the throne. That look, that feeling of unease that she got each time she was in his company, was a warning that she hadn't the experience to understand. Her husband hadn't either; his crush had grown into full-blown hero worship. He thought the older man could do no wrong and was everything that a knight and a crusader should be, going so far as to secretly pledge himself to him. It didn't help matters that Guy cultivated his friendship, finding boy's admiration charming, and thinking that he might prove useful in the future.
Her sheltered life soon came crumbling down around her ears. It had the potential to make or break her, and she was thankful that she had such wonderful people in her life to bring her back from the brink.
Late one night, Tiberius came to summon William and her to attend a secret meeting with the king. Baldwin wanted to speak with them about the succession. He planned to file the formal documents with the pope that would name them as next in line to the throne after Bali. Baldwin explained his reasoning, stating that he felt that should he not proceed with this matter and if Guy were ever to attain the throne, that the Kingdom of Heaven would be lost. He swore them to secrecy before sending them back to their rooms. Buffy hadn't liked that it had come to this, but she trusted her brother and only hoped that he lived long enough for Bali to come of age. She had no desire whatsoever to wear the crown.
She had returned to her rooms with William, thinking that they would speak about their late night meeting then retire for the night, holding each other as they had so many nights previously, finding comfort in each others arms. It was not to be. William seemed to withdraw from her the moment they left Baldwin's chamber. She realized that now as she replayed that time over in her mind. He saw her back to their rooms, then quickly excused himself, saying that he had forgotten an appointment that he needed to attend to and would return as soon as possible. She retired, thinking that he meant to return within the hour. However, she woke the next morning to find William still missing and that no one had any idea of where he had gone.
She had gone, as she often did when she needed guidance, to see her mother. Buffy's hand pressed against her heart. The remembered shock followed by immediate heartache at what she found seemed to return along with the memory. Her mother, the beautiful, indomitable, Maria Comnena lay dead on her bed. She tried to block out those vacant eyes staring up at the ceiling and the coldness that had crept into the once warm, soft skin. The servants found her lying curled up beside her mother's bed, unable to speak or cry.
Her sorrows hadn't ended there, though. William returned to her exactly three days later. It was the nature of his return that was almost her complete undoing. He didn't ride in with excuses or apologies, taking her in his arms, giving her the comfort she desperately needed. No. He returned in a shroud, his youthful features barely recognizable, caught forever in the harsh lines of a horrific death mask. The purported story was that he was set upon by assassins on his way back to the palace.
The days, weeks, possibly months that followed remained a blur to her. She only remembered endless nights of nightmares where she saw her husband's ravaged face screaming for her to help him as she rushed through the darkness to find him, only to trip over her mother's sightless body. Baldwin called for doctors and healers from all walks of life to find a way to help his beloved sister, even accepting Saladin's personal physician, despite the outrage of the church representatives and Guy's Templar factions. He searched for the truth behind her husband's death, hoping that answers would in someway give her a semblance of peace. It was Tiberius' network of spies that pieced together the sordid tale of William's final hours on Earth and how she learned the depths of Guy's greed and cruelty. William had gone immediately to Guy; Tiberius could only suppose it was to tell him about the change in succession. The official story was that Guy wasn't home and that William had left to return to the palace, where assassins had attacked him. But, according to the stable master, William entered the house and no one saw him leave. His horse was there until sometime before midday the next day when a contingent of Guy's personal guards rode out on personal business. The stable master never saw the horse or the young master again.
Tiberius visited her during her self-enforced decline. She could hear, even now, his roughened voice demanding that she fight back against the fugue that she so willing entered. Ever her champion, he whispered words sure to send her temper flaring to life and cause her to come back from the precipice of despair.
"William wasn't set upon by assassins intent on breaking the peace." He paused allowing his words to sink into her pain filled mind. "I have every reason to believe that Guy killed him or had him killed, then had his Templars do away with his body."
Buffy forced every sordid detail from her long time friend. They spent a long time talking as she learned the truth about her brother-in-law, Reynald, and their use of the Templars to wage their own holy war despite the king's efforts for peace. She wanted to know why her brother hadn't stopped them when he knew what they had done. That was when she learned her first lesson in the delicate game that the church, the nobles, Guy and even Saladin forced Baldwin to play to keep the peace. He couldn't act against Guy without iron-clad proof from witnesses that were above reproach. Unfortunately, their quarry proved to be as intelligent as he was ruthless.
A horrible thought had crossed her mind during this traumatic disclosure. Had Guy had anything to do with her mother's death? Tiberius reassured her that though unexpected, Maria had died of natural causes. The physicians had determined that she carried a weakness in her brain that simply caused her to die suddenly. It was a rare occurrence, but not unheard of by Eastern doctors. She almost wished that could lay her mother's death at Guy's feet. It would help her come to terms with it better.
That was how her strange journey had started. It had led to her dressing up as Tiberius' mysterious squire, sitting in on meetings that she would have never been a party to, gathering information from a myriad of resources and reporting them back to either Tiberius or Baldwin. She became her brother's confidant and once again his pupil, learning at his knee a new set of talents, these a set that she had never thought that she would need yet they had proved useful these past years. They were the same lessons that she planned to teach a young baron should he choose to learn them. Her reclusive nature after her mother and William's deaths followed by her months of decline gave her and her brother the perfect excuse to keep away unwanted suitors and allow her a freedom to make appearances when and where she needed. Her absences didn't draw attention and many of the previous suitors had wavered in their devotion when they thought that she might suffer from madness.
Although they knew that Guy spread the rumors for any that would listen to him, they also knew that the longer she remained single and Bali remained alive, the longer that she would remain safe from Guy's treachery. She had told Baldwin that she refused to remarry anyone that wasn't strong enough to stand up against Guy and everything else that marrying her would entail. So far, she hadn't found a man that she felt could handle the heavy responsibility. It wasn't that she didn't want to find a husband, it was that she didn't want to become caught in a trap the likes of which her sister was in or that she had found herself in her first marriage.
The days ahead would show her if she had chosen the right path for herself and her nephew. She happily kicked her horse into a gallop as she headed toward the open gates of their destination. It was time to prepare for the future, time for Bali to start learning how to become a king, time for Godfrey's son to decide what part of his father's legacy he wants to take up and make his own, time for her to determine just how far she was prepared to journey down this road and if she would know when her journey had ended.
The next morning found the new baron of Ibelin outside with the entire village gathered round him. He explained, with Almeric translating for those who couldn't understand him, what he wanted them to do. Balian had studied where each gathering of palm trees, the only vegetation to survive out here, stood. He set the villagers to work digging near the largest outcroppings. The men, including his men-at-arms, dug each day long into the evenings. Unconcerned with appearance or getting his hand dirty, he joined the digging. Children stood about excited to run errands as they watched the men work. An air of excitement filled the air as each day as they set out on their quest for water.
Their hard work paid off after a week when an excited shout went out, sending the children running to retrieve Balian. They found him standing deep in an identical hole to the one they had just left. Their excited shouts had him stopping mid stroke in his digging. A huge grin spread across his face as he pulled himself up from his assigned pit. The children grabbed his hands to pull him toward the one where everyone had started to gather.
Almeric's captain of the guards, Bonifaz, held up a hand filled with mud. A proud smile spread across his face at being the one to have found a water source. He had blamed the young lord at first for his cousin Odo's death. The two cousins had entered into service of the previous baron of Ibelin willingly. They had greatly admired Godfrey, both the man and the warrior. To lose Odo to an act of cowardice committed by Godfrey's brother on behalf of the new baron had not sat well with Bonifaz. He had learned the circumstances from the Hospitaller and the English knight that had accompanied Godfrey on his journey to find his son. Balian's actions in the death of his brother had provided Godfrey's kin the needed excuse to attack the small company. It wasn't that either he or his cousin had any doubts that they would die in battle. He resented the fact that cowards had dealt Odo's death. Spending this time with Balian had shown him the man, rather than the untried knight that he had thought him.
Balian stared down at the hand held up to him filled with rich, dark mud. A happy smile graced his face, turning it from an interesting face to startling handsome one. "Brick the walls."
A triumphant shout rang out that included everyone from the men-at-arms to the smallest child. The following weeks saw the construction of an intricate pumping system using water wheels and troughs that carried the water up from the well then out across the dry ground. He felt a real sense of pride as he used his engineering skill to create a life giving tool, rather than war machines. The evenings normally found him walking the lands measuring the progress. It seemed that in only a few short months that the previously dry, parched land had started to sprout to life. In many ways, this land represented him; for here as this land started to grow with new life, so to had he started to feel as if perhaps God had not forgotten him after all.
Feedback
© CJS Place 2004-2008