Tyranny of Steel

Having met completed his objective in the mysterious forest. Berengar regrouped with his soldiers, who completely lacked any memory of their supernatural encounter. As far as they were aware, they were guarding the woods while their Kaiser went to explore it. From their perspective, only a few minutes had passed since Berengar and his family entered.

After gathering his party, Berengar was quick to give the orders to head to the coast, where they could set sail for Copenhagen. The rest of the journey to the capital of the Kalmar Union was smooth sailing, with Berengar and his host reaching the city with no issues.

When Berengar encountered the Kalmar King, he was still dressed in his military style attire, whereas the man in question was garbed in fashion similar to what was popular among the German nobility. It became obvious to Berengar that Germany had heavily influenced its allies in culture, especially regarding fashion.

King Alvar had grown larger since the last time he saw the man, evidently he was enjoying his wealthy lifestyle, which gained from trade with the German Empire. The man was quick to greet his German counterpart with a wide smile on his face.

"Kaiser Berengar von Kufstein, it has been too long since we last met. The last time I saw you, you had just crowned yourself as an emperor, something which greatly upset my Catholic subjects."

Berengar smiled when he saw the man while shaking his hand.

"King Alvar, you seem to be doing well for yourself..."

The intent behind Berengar's words was clear, and they immediately caused King Alvar's eldest daughter to giggle, which immediately caught the Kaiser's attention. King Alvar's daughter had grown since the last time he saw her, then again, it had been close to five years since he last visited Copenhagen.

She was no longer a girl who could not even catch Berengar's interest but was a full grown woman, with a hefty bosom, and a pretty face. The young woman had long platinum blonde hair, pale skin, and ice-blue eyes. If someone were to use the term "Nordic Woman" then this girl would be the first thing that came to mind.

The lustful gaze Berengar gave the young woman immediately caused his wife Honoria to frown as she jabbed the man in the ribs with her elbow, causing him to behave himself. King Alvar took notice of this and immediately smiled fiendishly as he introduced his daughter to his ally from the South.

"Ingrid, you remember Berengar? The last time the two of you met, he was a Duke. Now he is an Emperor."

The girl smiled pleasantly at Berengar. Truth be told, he did not even remember the girl's name, or her face. His last visit to the Kalmar Union was brief, and at the time he was more concerned about establishing a non-aggression pact with the major power to the North than he was getting to know the man's family. King Alvar immediately noticed Honoria's glare and welcomed the woman, while allowing Berengar to speak to his daughter.

"Princess Honoria, you are as beautiful as ever. And who is this little guy?"

Alvar greeted Alexandros, who stood firmly by his mother's side. The woman sighed in defeat as she introduced her son.

"This little stowaway is my son, Alexandros. He's in big trouble for his actions, so don't treat him too kindly."

It surprised Alvar to see that the kid sneaked onto his parents' journey, but he still smiled nonetheless and introduced himself.

"I am King Alvar, ruler of the Kalmar Union. It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Alexandros."

While this was going on, Berengar was speaking with Ingrid with an awkward expression on his face.

"Ingrid was it? You would have to forgive me. My memory is poor, and I don't recall ever speaking to you before this moment."

The young blonde woman smiled as she responded to Berengar's claims.

"That is alright, I was pretty shy as a child, and never spoke with my father's guests. I would be surprised if you did remember me..."

Berengar was about to compliment the woman's appearance when Honoria interrupted. Naturally, she did not use the term she referred to Berengar as in private, as that would be woefully inappropriate.

"Dear, it has been a long journey. Can we please cut the pleasantries short and go to our room?"

Berengar felt dismayed that he did not get a chance to properly mingle with the beautiful nordic woman and apologized to Alvar for Honoria's rudeness.

"I apologize for my wife's remarks. The journey was cumbersome to her, and she desires to get some decent sleep for once."

Alvar suspected this would be the case. He did not know why Berengar had wanted to take the long route to Copenhagen, but the man was adamant, and he knew it was unwise to offend the Kaiser. Thus, he simply smiled as he nodded his head and ordered his servants to take Berengar and his party to their quarters.

"No need to apologize, I assure you. Your rooms have been waiting for you for some time now. If you will follow my servants, they will take you to your allotted quarters. I hope you enjoy your stay here in Copenhagen."

Berengar thanked the man before running off with his wife and child. As for Alvar, he stayed behind with his daughter and only spoke to her after the Kaiser was out of earshot.

"So... How did it go?"

Ingrid sighed heavily before shaking her head with a disappointing expression on her face.

"I fear that I did not get to say enough for him to form a proper opinion of me. His wife seems adamant about getting in the way. I don't know if it will be easy to secure the alone time I need to be with intimate with the man."

Alvar frowned when he heard this, before patting his daughter on the back.

"The German Empire grows stronger with each passing year. If we wish to deter them from making us a subordinate state like Lombardy, then we will need to secure an alliance with marriage. The fact remains that we are his only ally who does not have a member of our royal family married to him. This needs to be remedied. I know this is a bit much for you, but do your best to seduce the man. It should not be hard to do. From what I hear, he is quite the womanizer."

Ingrid scoffed when she heard this last part before rebuking her father for his words.

"And that is supposed to make me feel better about all of this?"

In response to this, Alvar wore a bitter expression on his face before hugging his daughter. He understood that she did not want to marry a man who had several wives. After all, she did not agree with that aspect of the German Reformation. However, she was the only one who could fulfill the role, and thus Alvar reminded her of this.

"I know you don't want this, Ingrid, but your sisters are too young to marry, and if we don't secure an engagement with the man while he is here, we will probably miss the opportunity altogether. This is more than just your future we are talking about.

It is the future of the Kalmar Union. Like it or not, the balance of power in Europe is tied to Berengar von Kufstein and his dynasty. Once they defeat the Catholic Church, Germany will become the new hegemon in the region. If we do not secure a long-term alliance with the man, then we will fall behind the other kingdoms."

Ingrid could only sigh as she heard this. What her father said was true, and if she was the sacrificial lamb to ensure her family's power for generations to come, then so be it. After all, she wouldn't want to force this fate on her little sisters. Thus, she could only nod her head in agreement with her father's words.

"I will do my best, but I won't make any promises...."

This was the best Alvar was going to get from his daughter, and thus he patted her on the head. He had other matters of importance to tend to, like setting up a feast for Berengar. He was aware of the culinary culture that had risen in Austria and spread across the reich.

The Kalmar union had fallen behind Germany in this regard, like most other aspects of society, and because of this, Alvar was fearful that the Kaiser might be upset with the meal he prepared. Thus, the man had spared no expense in hiring the best chefs he could find to prepare the tastiest dishes his Kingdom had to offer.

The future of his Empire depended on this diplomatic visit. Either Denmark would rule over the Kalmar Union as a true imperial power for years to come, or the Union would collapse. It all relied on the influence of the German Empire over the other Scandinavian Kingdoms. Thus, while Berengar was settling into his quarters with his family, the Royal Family of Denmark schemed to add their eldest daughter to the list of their guest's lawful wives.