Chapter 34: Oath of Fealty
Ultimately, the resolution to use Henry II's military funds to procure arms and train pilgrim soldiers was passed. Crusader nobles were more inclined towards offense rather than defense. This probably stemmed from their inherent love of plunder; if war occurred at their own doorstep, it would only cause irreparable damage to their own lands with no profit to be gained.
Coming out of the great hall, Godfrey clapped Lothar on the shoulder and said approvingly, "Well done, Lothar. Truly Werner's son. To tell you the truth, in the letters Werner and I exchanged over the years, he always praised your valor, but I never expected your wisdom and eloquence to be no less than your father's."
"Knight Lothar, you truly are formidable!" Balian too was full of admiration. He could understand the logic, but to organize his thoughts so well and speak them out before so many nobles was something he was completely incapable of.
"You flatter me."
Godfrey smiled. "Come with me. I'll take you for an audience with His Majesty the King."
Lothar asked, puzzled, "What about Balian?"
"Although he is my heir, I have not yet knighted him. He is not qualified for an audience with His Majesty."
Lothar smiled at Balian and said comfortingly, "It's only a matter of time. I'll go ahead then."
Passing through a dark corridor, Lothar saw the young king in a bright and spacious palace hall, hunched over a desk, writing furiously. There were numerous golden vessels on the table, filled with seasonal fruits, but the king seemed not to have touched them.
"Come forward, knight."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Lothar was startled by the young king's face, which was concealed by a headscarf and mask, but he made no offensive expression.
Baldwin IV looked Lothar up and down, his eyes somewhat complex. After a long while, he said, "Wearing that robe, you do look very much like your father. For a moment, I almost thought I had returned to years ago. Is your father in good health recently?"
This was the first time Lothar had heard someone say he looked like Count Werner; he thought he was much more handsome than Werner. "He is very healthy. Your Majesty, here is a letter from my father for you."
Baldwin placed the letter on the table without opening it, merely giving Lothar a deep look. "Your father was once my most trusted companion and a valued mentor and friend. He taught me how to command armies, how to lead thousands of troops. He was wise, intelligent, full of strategies, brave, skilled in battle, and fearless. But what I envied most was his robust body, one that seemed impervious to any injury or illness."
Baldwin IV gestured to a nearby chair and said with a smile—or rather, it sounded like he was smiling. The mask concealed his illness, and also his emotions. "Sit, Knight Lothar. There are some fruits on the table, but please forgive me for not being able to share them with you, as I suffer from a contagious and foul disease. Once contracted, even a witch would find it hard to save you." Speaking of his illness, the King's tone was very calm.
"Guy brought twenty-five crusader knights back from Gaul. They swore fealty to me, but I did not grant them an audience."
Lothar already had a guess, but still asked, "Why?"
"Lothar, everyone in this world has their own thoughts, they are not clay figures or wooden carvings. I do not have long to live; this is no secret. Therefore, those who are loyal to me—or rather, those loyal 'only' to me—are becoming fewer and fewer."
Lothar was silent. He had a favorable impression of this young, brilliant monarch, and hearing him speak thus, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
Baldwin IV seemed to see through Lothar's thoughts and smiled gently. His laughter was somewhat hoarse as he said, his speech unhurried, "Lothar, I trust your father, and I trust Godfrey who recommended you. Therefore, I am willing to trust you as well, to consider you my right-hand man. But you are too weak, and you have not yet achieved merit. Even I would find it difficult to secure a lordship for you. There are too many knights in Jerusalem; I cannot even grant you a manor fief without reason. You must have seen in the great hall earlier, as a king, my word is not absolute law."
Lothar nodded. "Your Majesty, I understand your difficulties. Please give me a task by which I can prove myself." Gaining trust didn't mean gaining everything. Lothar knew Baldwin needed someone trustworthy and capable, so a test was inevitable.
Baldwin IV smiled. "I have just such an intention. Now that you have arrived in the Holy Land, you should know that although the Sasanian dynasty of Persia has allied with the Ayyubid Kingdom, they are by no means a monolithic bloc."
Lothar nodded slightly. "This I already know." He chose his words carefully. "The Sasanian dynasty, a thousand-year dynasty even older than the Eastern Empire, once held influence over many territories now controlled by the Ayyubid Empire. Though declined, that King of Kings of the Sasanians would not be willing to cede the position of Zoroastrian Grand Patriarch to Saladin."
Baldwin said approvingly, "It seems you have done your homework beforehand. I was not mistaken about you. You are not one of those foolish knights who have just arrived in the Holy Land with nothing but fighting infidels on their minds. What I want you to do is this: lead an elite cavalry unit, disguised as Kurds, into the border region between the two kingdoms, and wreak havoc—burn, kill, plunder. In short, the bigger the commotion, the better. If you achieve merit and delay the infidels' offensive by a few more years, by the time a new wave of crusaders arrives, Jerusalem will be impregnable."
"In fact, Jerusalem is already in an extremely precarious situation. The Eastern Empire's main adversaries are the Seljuks occupying Asia Minor, who are dominated by the Sasanians; they cannot provide us with much assistance. And Saladin of the Ayyubids, he alone has an army of one hundred thousand in Damascus. Once he decides to launch an all-out attack, unless France, Great Germania, and England all organize a massive crusader army to reinforce us, we alone will have no chance of victory." Baldwin IV's tone was grave; he did not wish for the Kingdom of Heaven created by his ancestors to perish in his hands.
"I understand." Lothar nodded. "I will do my utmost to complete this task and strive to ignite the flames of war on the eastern frontier of the Ayyubid Kingdom—I imagine that King of Kings of the Sasanians would also be unwilling to see Saladin successfully retake the Holy Land."
Baldwin IV nodded. "Indeed. He is currently lacking a reason, and we shall give him that reason." He paused, then said in a low voice, "The secrecy of this mission is paramount; no one must know. After it is completed, I will award you honors under the pretext of you having defeated an infidel army."
Lothar was silent for a moment, then frowned. "Your Majesty, are there people in Jerusalem colluding with the infidels?" The moment the words left his mouth, he realized he had said something foolish. Jerusalem was now teeming with foreigners, like a giant sieve; its internal affairs could absolutely not be hidden from anyone intent on prying.
Baldwin smiled noncommittally, then, with some difficulty, pushed himself up from the table with both hands. "Knight Lothar, swear your oath to me."
Lothar replied, "Yes," and knelt on one knee. "Heavenly Father be my witness, I—Lothar von Habsburg—swear fealty to my lord, His Majesty Baldwin IV, to be steadfastly loyal, and never to leave his side."
With a clang, Baldwin drew his sword and laid it on Lothar's shoulder. "In the name of Baldwin IV, King of Jerusalem, Grand Master of the Royal Knights of Jerusalem, Protector of the Holy Land, and Sole Commander of all Crusaders, I declare that I accept your fealty. May the Heavenly Father bless you, Knight Lothar."
Having done all this, Baldwin IV let out a long sigh and nearly lost his balance, which was enough to show just how dire his condition truly was. He sat down in his chair and only recovered after a long while. With a hint of apology, he said gently, "Lothar, I should kiss you at this moment and grant you a piece of land, but limited by my foul disease and the situation in the country, I can do neither of these things."
"It matters not, Your Majesty." Lothar quickly shook his head.
"You are newly arrived in Jerusalem and need a place to stay. I grant you Constance Manor in the western district. This was once your father's property; he returned it to the crown before he left. Now, I grant it to you again. And I gift you one thousand Solidus gold coins. You may recruit pilgrims and train soldiers there. Furthermore, I know you have limited manpower. You may take my token and obtain aid from Baron Godfrey to complete this task. Baron Godfrey is one of the few people I can completely trust now."
Lothar smiled. "As you wish, Your Majesty."