Tyranny of Steel

After eating breakfast with the Sultan of Granada, Berengar took his morning bath. Though the bathhouse in the Castle of Granada was better than most, it still failed to compare to the elaborate design that Berengar had made for himself.

However, it was enough to get the job done, and after finishing his bath, Berengar got dressed in his extravagant attire before regrouping with Adela. The young woman looked visibly stressed as if she had been contemplating what actions to take during the entirety of her sleep.

Nevertheless, Berengar grabbed ahold of his little fiancee and shoved her into his arms as he stroked her silky golden hair. The girl had just left her quarters before running into Berengar, and as such, she was curious about the intelligence Berengar could collect in the previous night.

As such, she looked around cautiously to make sure nobody else was nearby before asking the question in her mind in a calm voice.

"What did you find out?"

Berengar nuzzled his cheek against her to put on a show of affection. If anyone were secretly watching their moves, they would think the two were embracing each other like a couple usually did. After getting close to her ears, he whispered to his little fiancee..

"It is worse than we thought, Yusuf the younger brother of Hasan, and at least three of his ministers are involved in a plot to assassinate the Sultan and pin the blame onto us. They intend to create a theocratic Caliphate here in Grenada."

Though Adela was shocked to hear this, she played the part of a fiancee who was being doted on by her future husband, and as such, she did not make any facial expressions to indicate her true feelings.

"When do they plan to do it?"

Berengar danced around with Adela slightly as he kissed her forehead before speaking further about the plans.

"Tonight at Dinner, they intend to poison Hasan's drink. The cupbearer is part of the conspiracy. I have already dispatched my agents to gather more intelligence; we can not allow this to unfold."

After saying this, Berengar broke away from the long hug and held onto Adela's hand tightly while acting as if they were not just conspiring.

"Well, my love, I think it is time for you to get some breakfast. I have already eaten with the Sultan, but I will accompany you anyway."

With this, Adela nodded and followed Berengar to the Dining Hall, where the rest of Hasan's dynasty were busy eating breakfast. As for Berengar, he silently observed the discussions that were taking place at the table.

After a while, the meal was over, and Adela and Berengar were free to return to their business. Berengar searched for the Sultan and eventually found him in his study once more. As such, Berengar decided to investigate whether Hasan knew he was being conspired against. Thus, he shut the door behind him as he began to question the young Sultan in a not too obvious way.

Berengar had brought his translator with him, though the topic they would be discussing was confidential, the man who Berengar used as a translator was from his own court, and was someone Berengar could trust with critical information. As such he began to speak with Hasan while his words were translated into Arabic.

"Pardon me if it is not my place, but I get the feeling that some of your ministers are not exactly welcome to the idea of me staying here..."

When Hasan heard this, he began to frown, not over Berengar's choice of words, but because Berengar was correct when he said that; as such, he sighed heavily before resting his face in his hands. It was only after a few moments that Hasan began to speak.

"My brother is a deeply religious person and is foolish enough to believe that the Imams should run the state. I do not know where he got such beliefs.

What I know is that he is deeply disturbed by our family's more secular nature as rulers. Thus, he has been conspiring with my more fanatical advisors for some time. I fear eventually they will make an attempt on my life.

I am sorry to trouble you with such things. I suppose you also must have a hard time at home; after all, you are one of the figureheads of the German Reformation, and there must be diehard Catholics who surround and scheme against you..."

Berengar sat in front of the man and took out a flask from his pocket and took a sip from it. The Sultan eyed the flask thoughtfully as Berengar did so; seeing the hopeful expression on the man's face, Berengar plugged the flask and tossed it over to him before explaining its contents.

"It is a fortified wine; we make it in Southern Tyrol. It has become one of my favorite drinks."

The man quickly took off the flask's cap before smelling it; after doing so, he had a taste; when he did so, his eyes began to shine with excitement before he took another swig. After drinking his fill, he handed the flask back to Berengar, which was half empty, and Berengar merely chuckled in response.

"You like it, huh?"

To this, the Sultan nodded his head before sighing heavily.

"It is a damn shame I can't drink openly; the more faithful of my followers would become disgruntled if they saw me doing such a thing..."

In response to this, Berengar took another swig before addressing the Sultan's previous concerns.

"I can't say I had issues with fanatical Catholics in my ranks. I did a thorough purge of such people during my rise to power. They were removed from their positions of power and replaced with like-minded people.

If what you say is true, the Fanatics in your Court are already plotting your death. I would be careful if I were you; anyone who remotely disfavors your secular nature could be a threat. Tell me, who in your Court would you label as a fanatic?"

Hasan thought about it for a few moments before he came to a sudden realization. Among all of the members of his Court, few looked fondly upon his secular rule; most of them were religious fundamentalists. As such, he quickly began to write down a list of potential suspects and their occupations.

Among the members listed were his brother, most of his advisors, his cupbearer, his cooks, and even two of his wives. He began to become filled with paranoia as he thought about these people as potential assassins.

Eventually, Hasan looked up at Berengar with a look of panic in his eyes, which slowly began to turn into a look of terror.

"What do I do? Any one of these people who are close to me could be a potential assassin!?!"

Berengar's lips began to curve into a wicked smile as he began to fill the Young Sultan with ideas of tyranny. As such, he took a sip from the flask once more before speaking the thoughts on his mind.

"Anyone, no matter what their relation to you, who is a potential threat should be removed from any position where they could endanger your life. Your cupbearer, for example, I see you have listed him as a potential threat. What if tonight is the night he slips poison into your chalice?

Several of your cooks are listed as well; they could easily poison your food without you realizing it. Your Marshal? He can rally religious fundamentalists in your army to attack you personally. The captain of your house guard? He can turn them against you at any time.

What you need to do is remove these people immediately while surrounding yourself with allies. I do not mean to suggest surrounding yourself with sycophants who tell you what you want to hear; they are equally dangerous. You need people to support you, people who share your vision.

There must be some people in your Court who believe in your cause. I find it hard to believe that your father could rule for so long as a secular ruler without being assassinated if everyone in this Kingdom is a religious fundamentalist like you have surrounded yourself with.

You should make a list of your loyal followers, men who would kill and die for you, and have them remove every person on this list tonight at dinner. If necessary, do not be afraid to shed blood. Do not partake of the food or drink until you have secured your position. That is my suggestion."

Hasan took Berengar's words to heart but did not immediately proceed to implement them into action; instead, he looked at Berengar with a gaze of confusion before asking the question on his mind.

"Why are you willing to help me to such a degree, we barely know each other, and we come from two different worlds."

Berengar's expression sank to one of pure coldness as he addressed the young Sultan over his concerns.

"I have seen men of every denomination kill and die in the name of their religion. These men should never be afforded a position of power; it only brings death and destruction to every poor soul caught in their wake.

Though I have not known you for long, I can tell you are a man capable of bringing your people into a new golden age, one where a man isn't persecuted by the faithful because he views the world through a different lens than religion.

The path to power is filled with the corpses of your enemies. If you do not have the stomach to do what is necessary, then one day, the enemies surrounding you will succeed in claiming your life. You asked why I was helping you? You could say it is because I would rather not see the potential of a great man snuffed out by religious fanatics."

With this said, Berengar raised from his seat and approached the door; it was only after he had grasped upon the knob and began to open it that he revealed the last part of his train of thought.

"For the record, I killed my brother when he made an attempt on my life; if only I had done it sooner, I might have saved myself from the loss of my right eye. Learn from my mistake, and spare yourself some suffering..."

After leaving behind his message, Berengar left the Sultan's study and allowed the young man to dwell upon their discussion. Whether or not Hasan would be able to survive the night depended entirely upon how he proceeded with the information Berengar provided him.

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