Tyranny of Steel

Berengar and Honoria stepped down from the dock and greeted the emissary sent by the Byzantine Crown to welcome their German guests. The man in question was someone that Berengar did not recognize. He appeared to be in his thirties and was fairly tall for an eastern man. The man had light olive skin, brown eyes, and wavy dark hair that fell to his shoulders. He also sported a finely groomed beard, giving him a rather striking appearance.

The fact that Vetranis had sent a stranger to greet Berengar filled his mind with a sense of caution. After all, he and his bride were in Constantinople for a hidden and treacherous purpose that, if revealed, would undoubtedly cause some serious diplomatic issues. However, despite his paranoid thoughts, Honoria seemed to know who this man was and had an over excited expression as she rushed over and into his arms.

"Uncle Besarion! I thought you were in Georgia. What are you doing here in Constantinople?"

The man immediately broke out into a slight chuckle as he held onto his niece and observed her carefully. If Vetranis had not told him that Honoria would arrive on this very dock, he would not have believed this woman was in fact his beloved niece. Thus, with a surprised expression on his face, Besarion voiced his disbelief.

"Honoria, is it really you? You have changed so much since I last saw you!"

In response to this, Honoria merely scoffed before spitting out her tongue, followed by a snarky remark.

"Of course I have. The last time we met, I was still a little girl! Did you think that after a decade I'd still be a child? Obviously I grew up!"

This caused the man to chuckle once more. What the girl said was true, still he could not believe that his once adorable little niece had grown into such a gorgeous young woman. Thus he gazed over with a stern expression to the man standing by Honoria's side, who he presumed to be her husband.

Berengar met the man's gaze with an intimidating glare. The German Emperor was a man with an extremely jealous nature, and to see a man touch his wife, even if it was purely familial, filled him with a sense of rage.

Thus, he hatched a devilish scheme in his mind that would force the Georgian King to bow before him and apologize in the near future. After thinking of this, Berengar put on a friendly facade, and introduced himself to Honoria's uncle.

"I am afraid we have not properly met. Allow me to rectify that. I am Berengar von Kufstein, Honoria's husband."

Berengar had deliberately left out his title while introducing himself. It took little examination to understand that Honoria's uncle did not know who Berengar was. For if he did, he would have already introduced himself, and begun kissing ass as so many other petty Kings had done as of late.

Besarion, on the other hand, gazed up and down as he scrutinized the man claiming to be his niece's husband. It was evident by the expression on his lips that he was not pleased. In his discontent, he accidentally muttered a single phrase that caught Berengar off guard.

"too pretty..."

When Berengar heard this, his brow raised ever so slightly. Did this man seriously just call him pretty? However, before he could react, Besarion put on a smiling facade and disguised his conceited words with a friendly gesture.

"So you're the man who seduced my darling little niece. I understand she even ran away from home to be with you! I'm amazed Vetranis allowed you to keep your manhood intact! I am Besarion Bagrationi, the King of Georgia. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Berengar surmised that this man had heard some rumors about Honoria running off to a faraway Kingdom, but judging by his behavior, it was highly unlikely that he knew about Berengar's position in the world.

However, despite the obvious provocation, Berengar did not buy into it and instead responded by putting on a smile, and grabbing ahold of the man's hand, accepting the token of friendship while offer some friendly advice.

"It would appear someone has been speaking ill of me behind my back. Perhaps it is that fool Decentius? Whatever, such infantile defamation is of no concern to me. However, for future reference, I would advise you not to give such petulant rumors any thought. You never know what reprisal might occur should you accidentally slander a powerful emperor to his face."

Besarion immediately responded to this comment with a fit of laughter. Such a scenario was simply implausible. There was no way he would accidentally insult an emperor to his face. Thus, his impression of Berengar was little more than that of a pretty boy and a clown, a view which he did not hide.

"You're a funny man! I can see why my niece would choose a pretty boy like you to be her husband."

When Berengar heard this remark, he stiffened on the spot. The man had once more called him pretty. Perhaps this man from the east was mistaking his handsome and regal Germanic features as "pretty".

Honoria saw the perturbed expression on Berengar's face and could immediately see things were getting tense between her uncle and her husband. Thus, she did not hesitate to separate the two of them.

"Alright, that's enough, Uncle. Why are you here?"

Such a harsh response shocked the King of Georgia. He could not believe his darling little niece had chosen Berengar's side. Besarion sighed in defeat as he came to a misunderstanding. In his mind, there was only one reason that his precious niece would choose this man's side over his own. Obviously Berengar had captured Honoria's heart with his good looks. There was simply nothing he could do about that, thus he instead happily answered the question.

"The crisis on Byzantium's border has spread to my realm. Since your father is my brother by law, I figured the two of us should come together to solve the issues we face. Although, he failed to mention in advance that there would be another joining us for this convention.

It was not until your ship was on the horizon that your father informed me of your visit, thus I figured I would greet my beloved niece in person. Come Honoria, we have much to catch up on, and little time to do it."

With that said, Besarion led Honoria back to the Palace, where Berengar followed behind. Throughout the entire journey, The Georgian King treated him as if he was a third wheel. From this first encounter, the German Emperor did not have a good impression of his wife's uncle. Eventually the trio made their way into the Palace where Vetranis was quick to greet his daughter, and more importantly her husband.

"Berengar, Honoria, it is so nice to see the two of you. It has been a while since I last laid eyes on you, and I only wish our meeting was due to better circumstances."

Berengar nodded his head with a smile on his face. If there was one thing he could say about Vetranis, it was that the man knew how to treat a foreign monarch with the respect he deserved. Thus, Berengar had a far more cordial approach as he greeted his father-in-law.

"Father, it is good to see you doing so well. Though the circumstances that brought us together may be grim, it is still an occasion for celebration. I have brought with me some fine spirits as a gift to you and your house."

After saying this, Berengar clapped his hands, and some of his servants came forth and delivered the goods. In a well crafted and lacquered wooden box lie a bottle of liquor. This was no mere whiskey, but a single malt bourbon that had been aged for the last five years.

This bottle was from the German Emperor's personal stock, and there was a limited quantity of it in the world. Thus, to give such a priceless item, which had no equal in the world to his father-in-law, was a sign of Berengar's respect for the Byzantine Crown.

Vetranis smiled as he gazed upon the finely made label, which proudly displayed the von Kufstein coat of arms and was written in the German language. The Imperial Family of Germany had many of its own businesses, among these were breweries and distilleries.

Thus, it came no surprise that Berengar had his own brand of bourbon. After examining the exquisitely crafted glass bottle for several moments, Vetranis nodded his head in acceptance and thanked his son-in-law for his gift.

"Thank you Berengar, I am sure it is of superb quality, and I can't wait to drink it at tonight's feast. I will have one of my servants show you and Honoria to your room. As for our strategic meeting, we will hold it tomorrow morning, so take that into consideration as you enjoy your stay."

Berengar smiled and nodded his head before walking off with Honoria, leaving Emperor Vetranis behind alone with his brother-in-law. Besarion had an expression of contempt on his face as he voiced his disapproval to Vetranis the moment the German Emperor was out of earshot.

"Your behavior towards that pretty boy is unbecoming of a man of your position. I don't know which of the German States he hails from, but to see you kiss his ass is sickening. Could you really not find a better suitor for your daughter?"

Vetranis immediately turned over and glared at Besarion before lecturing him about his ignorance.

"Please tell me you did not call that man pretty to his face? Is your petty Kingdom truly so isolated from the rest of Christendom that you do not know who that man is? That is Berengar von Kufstein, the emperor of Germany. That "pretty boy" as you so brazenly refer to him as is a warlord of fierce repute. In six years, he rose from the position of a lowly baron to the most powerful man in the western world!

Since the moment he first came to power, Berengar has fought a series of wars against the great realms of Europe and remains undefeated in battle. If you want a proper understanding of his character, you need only look at his eyepatch. Berengar received that wound from his brother, a commander of the Teutonic Knights, who he slew in single combat."

It shocked Besarion to hear this. The truth of the matter was he was completely unware of Berengar's rise to power. Most of the German Emperor's reputation existed west of the black sea. For those who dwelled East of Constantinople, the existence of a unified Germany had yet to reach their ears, let alone the fact that a man of lower nobility had caused it. Thus, after hearing this information, the King of Georgia immediately bowed his head to the Byzantine Emperor and apologized.

"I am sorry if I caused any trouble. I did not know."

In response to this, Vetranis merely scoffed before giving the man some friendly advice.

"It is not me you should apologize to. I trust you will smooth things over at dinner. Be aware that Berengar has a sharp wit and a fierce personality. No matter how clever you think you are, I would avoid verbally sparring with that man if I were you."

After saying this, Vetranis left the Georgian King alone with his thoughts. It was at this moment he reflected on Berengar's earlier words about accidentally slandering a powerful emperor to his face, and felt as if someone had killed his dog. Besarion could not believe he had actually made such a foolish mistake. He knew now he would have to formally apologize to Berengar later in the evening. Thus the German Emperor's arrival in Constantinople had started off interestingly enough...