The Tragedy of Men - Chapter Eight
Title The Tragedy of Men
Chapter: It’s not murder it’s an act of faith (8/9)
Author: smaragdbird
Summary: Richard’s sister Joanna arrives in Acre. Richard and Philip end their affair for once and for all and Richard asks Robin for his loyalty.
Pairings overall: Richard/Philip, Much/Thomas, allusion to Robin/Marian plus diverse historical married couples
Characters/Pairings in this chapter: Much, Robin, Thomas, Joanna, Richard, Philip
Rating: overall rating of NC-17
Spoilers/Warnings:overall warnings of detailed violence and torture
Disclaimer: Robin Hood belongs to BBC and not to me. Also I don’t make any money with this. It’s just for fun
Notes:Okay first a big, big thank you to both my beta-reader thymelady and my artistneaptidea. They have both done a more than incredible job especially in that short time. You are awesome guys, both of you :)
Second, I took a historical liberties with this fic: Richard and Philip didn’t arrive in Acre until summer 1191 but here I made them come to Acre in 1189 for dramatic purposes. Also I interpreted the historical characters in this story as it fit my purposes which I only say here in case one of you has seen Kingdom of Heaven and wonders why Guy de Lusignan is such a nice guy (although according to my textbooks and Wikipedia he wasn’t so bad ;)
Third, all Arabic in this fic comes from the phrase pages in an old travel guide. Feel open to point out any mistakes I made
Artwork, by neaptidea
Previous Chapter
The tragedy of men
It’s not murder it’s an act of faith
The news spread fast that the King’s sister would arrive in Acre soon. The rumours why she would come to Acre spread even faster. Nearly every noble’s name was mentioned as a potential new husband for Joanna, especially those who were already married. Isabella’s marriage to Conrad had once again proven to everyone how little the nobles cared about the holy matrimony.
King Richard appointed Robin to his sister’s personal guard, but as the issue about the crown of Jerusalem was still far from settled, this task fell de facto onto Much.
“Who are you?” Princess Joanna asked. It should have been Robin and Much guarding her but Robin was needed in another council meeting so Much had gone alone.
“I am Much, Mylady,” Much answered and looked down on his feet. She was the King’s sister after all.
“Are you from England?”
“Yes, Mylady.”
“Which part?” The question surprised Much so much that he looked up.
“Nottinghamshire, Mylady.”
“I’ve never been there,” Joanna said softly, almost wistfully. “I grew up in Winchester at my mother’s court.”
“My master is a good friend of the Earl of Winchester,” Much blurted without thinking. Joanna looked at him with her sage eyes. “Who is your master?”
“Robin of Locksley, Mylady.” A fleeting smile stole itself onto Joanna’s face.
“I know him. He’s the handsome, young man that captains my brother’s guard.”
“That he is, Mylady,” Much confirmed.
“Richard is very fond of him, isn’t he?” There was something else in her voice now beside curiosity.
“Yes, he listens to my master’s advice, Mylady,” Much said proudly.
“It has to be good advice, after all; Richard conquered Acre.”
Much flushed as if she had complimented him and said: “Thank you, Mylady.”
“Please,“ she gestured for him to come nearer. “Do you sing?”
“Yes, Mylady,” Much nodded enthusiastically.
“Do you know English songs as well?” She began to hum. It wasn’t a song Much recognised but her soft humming reminded him of the songs his mother had used to sing when they had sat around the fire in the evenings.
“I’m sorry I don’t know that one,” Much said once she had stopped. Disappointment flashed over her face for a moment but then she shrugged. “Well, sing.”
And despite what Robin and everyone else were saying, Joanna didn’t ask him to stop once.
///////////////////////////////////////
“Did you yet decide who Joanna should marry?“ King Philip poured wine into his goblet and watched King Richard.
“No, but I thought about it a few times.“
“Good! So have I. I could use a new wife; my son would have a mother... “
“Philip,“ said Richard in a warning tone.
“What? We both know you're not going to marry my sister, especially not now that you are married, but I could still marry yours. Joanna was always your favourite, wasn’t she? We could be brothers, and add incest to the ever-growing list of sins the Pope is already indulging us for.“
“I'd sooner marry her to Saladin.“
“Unfortunately he's already got one wife, but his brother, on the other hand, hasn’t...“
“I know. That’s one of the possibilities I had in mind.
“You’re joking.”
“It's worth considering.“
“I wasn't being serious.“
“I was.”
Philip held his hands up in a mockery of defeat.
“If you want to be the laughing stock of Europe, it would be far from me to stop you. After all, you managed just fine to make a fool of yourself in front of your father and - ;“
“Stop it,“ said Richard, more sharply than seemed appropriate. Philip fell silent, surprised by his vehemence.
“There's something I need to know,“ Richard said out of the blue.
“What?“
“What was Geoffrey doing in Paris when he died?“
“Why are you suddenly bringing up your dead brother?” Philip asked annoyed. “He’s been dead for eight years now. Let it rest.”
“What was he doing there?” Richard pressed on.
“It was a jousting tournament, I’ve told you before. He fell from his horse and... “
“You fox cub, why do you always have to lie?!“ Richard shouted suddenly.
“I'm not. This time, anyway,“ Philip said, peeved. “It's the truth.“
“Why was he in Paris?“
“He was my seneschal, you know that!” Philip seemed genuinely frustrated with Richard’s nit-picking questions. “What do you want me to say?“
“They say you were grief-stricken when he died, that you threw yourself on the coffin. So what the hell was going on between you two?“
Philip was silent, his eyes not meeting Richard's. “Who is 'they'?”
“My mother, if you must know. She told me before she left Cyprus.“
“And you actually believed her? Have you been brooding over this for the last two years? Did you ever once consider the possibility that she was trying to play jealousy against me?
“Why would she do that?”
“Are you serious? She despises me. I can't pretend to understand how that twisted snake's nest she calls her mind works, but you should know her well enough to take anything she says with a grain of salt.“
“What was there between you and my brother?“ Richard asked again, this time directly to Philip’s face. Philip sat up straight, holding his ground before the onslaught of Richard's temper.
“We talked. He wanted me to join him in an attack on Normandy, but... “
“I don't give a damn about Normandy!“ Richard shouted. That made Philip raise his eyebrows
“You shouldn’t. You gave it to me, remember? Or was that Geoffrey? Or maybe your father? Or little Johnny? I can’t remember. There are too many men in your family.“
The blow across Philip’s face came out of nowhere. He couldn’t have defended himself if he had wanted to.
“You whore,“ snarled Richard.
Philip took at step back, ready to react should Richard try to attack him again.
“I'm not going to ask what the fuck that was,“ he said coldly. “You will never strike me again.“ They stared at each other for a few moments until Philip’s anger broke out of him.
“And damn it, you weren't even speaking to me! We were practically at war.“
“So you went to Geoffrey? Or did he come to you first?“
“You don't want to know, do you?“ There was only silence.
“Your jealousy makes me sick, Richard. There have been and always will be other men and women in my life. I’m not yours.”
“They are not my brother, though!” Richard shouted. He took a deep breath, his voice still shaking with fury.
“What happened between you and Geoffrey?
“I invited him. We did talk about Normandy and Henry, and, later, after rather a lot of wine, about you. He said that you were a fool for fighting with me, and I could see in his eyes that he didn't just mean over territory. And that was it.“
“Stop. Lying.” Richard gritted out between his teeth.
“You’re so sure that you know the answer, what do you need me for?”
“Did you love him?”
“I came to love him, Richard, I couldn't help myself. He made me love him. I thought you were gone for good, and how was I supposed to guess you would come back? But it was never like that. I valued his friendship, his intelligence. I didn’t replace you with him.”
“I don’t believe you.” Richard jerked away when Philip tried to reach for him.
“He's been dead and buried for eight years. Let it stay there. Let the dead rest.“
“I can't,” Richard refused to look at Philip. ”I can't.“ Philip looked at him and a sudden coldness stole itself on his face.
“Then let's end this, once and for all.“ Philip’s voice was as cold and clear as a frozen lake.
“Damn it, don't you think I would if I could?“ Richard yelled and pounded his fist onto the wooden table between them.
“It's not working, Philip. I can't think of anyone but you. Whatever I do it’s about you,” Richard sank down on his knees, defeated.
“I remember a time when that wasn’t a bad thing,” Philip said quietly. He moved around the table and placed a hand on Richard's slumped shoulder.
“If you can't walk away, I'll do it for you. As soon as the Council elects Conrad as the new King of Jerusalem, I’ll leave. I need to go back to France and sort out Philip de Alsace’s succession anyway.”
“Why are you so insistent on Conrad?”
“Why not?” Philip shrugged. “I like him. His Kingship over Jerusalem is the price I want for leaving the most of my troops with you. You can wage holy war to your heart's content. Maybe you can keep a promise for once.“
“It always would have ended like this, wouldn’t’ it?” Richard gave a short, bitter sob of a laugh.
“It didn’t end in execution and public humiliation.” Philip leaned down and kissed Richard softly.
“We’re at war and we are Kings. We don’t have time for trivial things like romance.” He helped Richard up.
“I feel like I should thank you.”
“You can thank me when you come home. Now go. I should get some rest, and you have a long way to go to fulfil your promise.”
Richard nodded and walked away quickly enough that he only heard a single whimper from Philip's room, and he could almost pretend it was nothing more than the wind blowing through the sleeping Acre.
///////////////////////////////////////
“Forget it, Richard!” Much could hear Joanna’s voice through the whole court. “He’s a heathen! A devil! I agreed to come here to be married but I will rather join a convent than let you marry me to that demon!”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion, woman!” Richard yelled.
“I will take the Holy Vows in front of all your lords and barons.”
“I want you to at least consider it. I would strengthen the peace. You could convert him.”
“Why can’t you marry me to someone else? de Lusignan maybe or even Phillip?”
“Phillip has no desire for a new wife,” Richard told her sternly.
“Of course.” Her tone reminded Much of Adhémar at his most sarcastic and exasperated. “Because you are here to warm his bed at night. You would make a better queen to Phillip than any woman I ever knew or heard of. Just do it and let John inherit the throne like father wanted.” Her voice grew more and more acidic with each word.
Slap. Much winced involuntarily when he heard the King hitting his sister. Only moments Richard stormed out of the room, not even noticing Much. Joanna, however, did.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s Much, Mylady,” Much said carefully politely.
“Oh, come in.”
He did as he was asked. Joanna sat on her bed, her face flushed and her whole appearance slightly in disarray.
“I’ll hazard a guess and say that it wasn’t my brother who sent you.”
“No, Mylady. King Philip asks for your company during dinner tonight.”
“Oh well, why not.” Joanna ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to straighten it. “Tell him I’ll come and see him.”
“As you wish, Mylady.”
///////////////////////////////////////
“You wanted to see me Your Majesty?” Robin asked after he had knocked against the doorframe of the King’s chamber.
“Yes, come in Robin, take a seat - ;“ Richard gestured to the chair in front of him.
“Robin, you know that King Philip is pushing the Council of Nobles for a vote against Guy de Lusignan in favour of Conrad de Montferrat.”
“Yes.” Robin waited patiently until Richard continued:
“And you know that I always supported de Lusignan in this struggle.”
Robin nodded again.
“Do you trust me Robin? Do you trust me to know what’s best for England and to restore Jerusalem into Christian hands?”
“You know that I do, Your Majesty,” Robin replied firmly.
“Then you must swear that you will never reveal this to anyone, or it could easily provoke a war between England and France.”
“I swear on my life and my loyalty to you.”
“Conrad de Montferrat can never be King of Jerusalem.”
“You mean the nobles have to vote against him?”
“No, I mean that he has to die.”
“Do you want me to kill him?” Robin asked with a hint of disbelief in his voice.
“Robin, you have to understand that Conrad’s brother is funding John’s rebellion against me on Conrad’s and Phillips account. But no, I don’t want to kill him. Do you know the Knights Templar called Thomas that served in my Guard for a while?”
“Of course.” Robin didn’t see where this was leading.
“I want you to get him killed, by all means. He is the price the Hashshashin want for Conrad’s death.”
“Your Majesty...” Robin hesitated but he held steady under Richard’s scrutiny until he reached a decision. “For England.”
“For England.”
Next Chapter
Chapter: It’s not murder it’s an act of faith (8/9)
Author: smaragdbird
Summary: Richard’s sister Joanna arrives in Acre. Richard and Philip end their affair for once and for all and Richard asks Robin for his loyalty.
Pairings overall: Richard/Philip, Much/Thomas, allusion to Robin/Marian plus diverse historical married couples
Characters/Pairings in this chapter: Much, Robin, Thomas, Joanna, Richard, Philip
Rating: overall rating of NC-17
Spoilers/Warnings:overall warnings of detailed violence and torture
Disclaimer: Robin Hood belongs to BBC and not to me. Also I don’t make any money with this. It’s just for fun
Notes:Okay first a big, big thank you to both my beta-reader thymelady and my artistneaptidea. They have both done a more than incredible job especially in that short time. You are awesome guys, both of you :)
Second, I took a historical liberties with this fic: Richard and Philip didn’t arrive in Acre until summer 1191 but here I made them come to Acre in 1189 for dramatic purposes. Also I interpreted the historical characters in this story as it fit my purposes which I only say here in case one of you has seen Kingdom of Heaven and wonders why Guy de Lusignan is such a nice guy (although according to my textbooks and Wikipedia he wasn’t so bad ;)
Third, all Arabic in this fic comes from the phrase pages in an old travel guide. Feel open to point out any mistakes I made
Artwork, by neaptidea
Previous Chapter
The tragedy of men
It’s not murder it’s an act of faith
The news spread fast that the King’s sister would arrive in Acre soon. The rumours why she would come to Acre spread even faster. Nearly every noble’s name was mentioned as a potential new husband for Joanna, especially those who were already married. Isabella’s marriage to Conrad had once again proven to everyone how little the nobles cared about the holy matrimony.
King Richard appointed Robin to his sister’s personal guard, but as the issue about the crown of Jerusalem was still far from settled, this task fell de facto onto Much.
“Who are you?” Princess Joanna asked. It should have been Robin and Much guarding her but Robin was needed in another council meeting so Much had gone alone.
“I am Much, Mylady,” Much answered and looked down on his feet. She was the King’s sister after all.
“Are you from England?”
“Yes, Mylady.”
“Which part?” The question surprised Much so much that he looked up.
“Nottinghamshire, Mylady.”
“I’ve never been there,” Joanna said softly, almost wistfully. “I grew up in Winchester at my mother’s court.”
“My master is a good friend of the Earl of Winchester,” Much blurted without thinking. Joanna looked at him with her sage eyes. “Who is your master?”
“Robin of Locksley, Mylady.” A fleeting smile stole itself onto Joanna’s face.
“I know him. He’s the handsome, young man that captains my brother’s guard.”
“That he is, Mylady,” Much confirmed.
“Richard is very fond of him, isn’t he?” There was something else in her voice now beside curiosity.
“Yes, he listens to my master’s advice, Mylady,” Much said proudly.
“It has to be good advice, after all; Richard conquered Acre.”
Much flushed as if she had complimented him and said: “Thank you, Mylady.”
“Please,“ she gestured for him to come nearer. “Do you sing?”
“Yes, Mylady,” Much nodded enthusiastically.
“Do you know English songs as well?” She began to hum. It wasn’t a song Much recognised but her soft humming reminded him of the songs his mother had used to sing when they had sat around the fire in the evenings.
“I’m sorry I don’t know that one,” Much said once she had stopped. Disappointment flashed over her face for a moment but then she shrugged. “Well, sing.”
And despite what Robin and everyone else were saying, Joanna didn’t ask him to stop once.
///////////////////////////////////////
“Did you yet decide who Joanna should marry?“ King Philip poured wine into his goblet and watched King Richard.
“No, but I thought about it a few times.“
“Good! So have I. I could use a new wife; my son would have a mother... “
“Philip,“ said Richard in a warning tone.
“What? We both know you're not going to marry my sister, especially not now that you are married, but I could still marry yours. Joanna was always your favourite, wasn’t she? We could be brothers, and add incest to the ever-growing list of sins the Pope is already indulging us for.“
“I'd sooner marry her to Saladin.“
“Unfortunately he's already got one wife, but his brother, on the other hand, hasn’t...“
“I know. That’s one of the possibilities I had in mind.
“You’re joking.”
“It's worth considering.“
“I wasn't being serious.“
“I was.”
Philip held his hands up in a mockery of defeat.
“If you want to be the laughing stock of Europe, it would be far from me to stop you. After all, you managed just fine to make a fool of yourself in front of your father and - ;“
“Stop it,“ said Richard, more sharply than seemed appropriate. Philip fell silent, surprised by his vehemence.
“There's something I need to know,“ Richard said out of the blue.
“What?“
“What was Geoffrey doing in Paris when he died?“
“Why are you suddenly bringing up your dead brother?” Philip asked annoyed. “He’s been dead for eight years now. Let it rest.”
“What was he doing there?” Richard pressed on.
“It was a jousting tournament, I’ve told you before. He fell from his horse and... “
“You fox cub, why do you always have to lie?!“ Richard shouted suddenly.
“I'm not. This time, anyway,“ Philip said, peeved. “It's the truth.“
“Why was he in Paris?“
“He was my seneschal, you know that!” Philip seemed genuinely frustrated with Richard’s nit-picking questions. “What do you want me to say?“
“They say you were grief-stricken when he died, that you threw yourself on the coffin. So what the hell was going on between you two?“
Philip was silent, his eyes not meeting Richard's. “Who is 'they'?”
“My mother, if you must know. She told me before she left Cyprus.“
“And you actually believed her? Have you been brooding over this for the last two years? Did you ever once consider the possibility that she was trying to play jealousy against me?
“Why would she do that?”
“Are you serious? She despises me. I can't pretend to understand how that twisted snake's nest she calls her mind works, but you should know her well enough to take anything she says with a grain of salt.“
“What was there between you and my brother?“ Richard asked again, this time directly to Philip’s face. Philip sat up straight, holding his ground before the onslaught of Richard's temper.
“We talked. He wanted me to join him in an attack on Normandy, but... “
“I don't give a damn about Normandy!“ Richard shouted. That made Philip raise his eyebrows
“You shouldn’t. You gave it to me, remember? Or was that Geoffrey? Or maybe your father? Or little Johnny? I can’t remember. There are too many men in your family.“
The blow across Philip’s face came out of nowhere. He couldn’t have defended himself if he had wanted to.
“You whore,“ snarled Richard.
Philip took at step back, ready to react should Richard try to attack him again.
“I'm not going to ask what the fuck that was,“ he said coldly. “You will never strike me again.“ They stared at each other for a few moments until Philip’s anger broke out of him.
“And damn it, you weren't even speaking to me! We were practically at war.“
“So you went to Geoffrey? Or did he come to you first?“
“You don't want to know, do you?“ There was only silence.
“Your jealousy makes me sick, Richard. There have been and always will be other men and women in my life. I’m not yours.”
“They are not my brother, though!” Richard shouted. He took a deep breath, his voice still shaking with fury.
“What happened between you and Geoffrey?
“I invited him. We did talk about Normandy and Henry, and, later, after rather a lot of wine, about you. He said that you were a fool for fighting with me, and I could see in his eyes that he didn't just mean over territory. And that was it.“
“Stop. Lying.” Richard gritted out between his teeth.
“You’re so sure that you know the answer, what do you need me for?”
“Did you love him?”
“I came to love him, Richard, I couldn't help myself. He made me love him. I thought you were gone for good, and how was I supposed to guess you would come back? But it was never like that. I valued his friendship, his intelligence. I didn’t replace you with him.”
“I don’t believe you.” Richard jerked away when Philip tried to reach for him.
“He's been dead and buried for eight years. Let it stay there. Let the dead rest.“
“I can't,” Richard refused to look at Philip. ”I can't.“ Philip looked at him and a sudden coldness stole itself on his face.
“Then let's end this, once and for all.“ Philip’s voice was as cold and clear as a frozen lake.
“Damn it, don't you think I would if I could?“ Richard yelled and pounded his fist onto the wooden table between them.
“It's not working, Philip. I can't think of anyone but you. Whatever I do it’s about you,” Richard sank down on his knees, defeated.
“I remember a time when that wasn’t a bad thing,” Philip said quietly. He moved around the table and placed a hand on Richard's slumped shoulder.
“If you can't walk away, I'll do it for you. As soon as the Council elects Conrad as the new King of Jerusalem, I’ll leave. I need to go back to France and sort out Philip de Alsace’s succession anyway.”
“Why are you so insistent on Conrad?”
“Why not?” Philip shrugged. “I like him. His Kingship over Jerusalem is the price I want for leaving the most of my troops with you. You can wage holy war to your heart's content. Maybe you can keep a promise for once.“
“It always would have ended like this, wouldn’t’ it?” Richard gave a short, bitter sob of a laugh.
“It didn’t end in execution and public humiliation.” Philip leaned down and kissed Richard softly.
“We’re at war and we are Kings. We don’t have time for trivial things like romance.” He helped Richard up.
“I feel like I should thank you.”
“You can thank me when you come home. Now go. I should get some rest, and you have a long way to go to fulfil your promise.”
Richard nodded and walked away quickly enough that he only heard a single whimper from Philip's room, and he could almost pretend it was nothing more than the wind blowing through the sleeping Acre.
///////////////////////////////////////
“Forget it, Richard!” Much could hear Joanna’s voice through the whole court. “He’s a heathen! A devil! I agreed to come here to be married but I will rather join a convent than let you marry me to that demon!”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion, woman!” Richard yelled.
“I will take the Holy Vows in front of all your lords and barons.”
“I want you to at least consider it. I would strengthen the peace. You could convert him.”
“Why can’t you marry me to someone else? de Lusignan maybe or even Phillip?”
“Phillip has no desire for a new wife,” Richard told her sternly.
“Of course.” Her tone reminded Much of Adhémar at his most sarcastic and exasperated. “Because you are here to warm his bed at night. You would make a better queen to Phillip than any woman I ever knew or heard of. Just do it and let John inherit the throne like father wanted.” Her voice grew more and more acidic with each word.
Slap. Much winced involuntarily when he heard the King hitting his sister. Only moments Richard stormed out of the room, not even noticing Much. Joanna, however, did.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s Much, Mylady,” Much said carefully politely.
“Oh, come in.”
He did as he was asked. Joanna sat on her bed, her face flushed and her whole appearance slightly in disarray.
“I’ll hazard a guess and say that it wasn’t my brother who sent you.”
“No, Mylady. King Philip asks for your company during dinner tonight.”
“Oh well, why not.” Joanna ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to straighten it. “Tell him I’ll come and see him.”
“As you wish, Mylady.”
///////////////////////////////////////
“You wanted to see me Your Majesty?” Robin asked after he had knocked against the doorframe of the King’s chamber.
“Yes, come in Robin, take a seat - ;“ Richard gestured to the chair in front of him.
“Robin, you know that King Philip is pushing the Council of Nobles for a vote against Guy de Lusignan in favour of Conrad de Montferrat.”
“Yes.” Robin waited patiently until Richard continued:
“And you know that I always supported de Lusignan in this struggle.”
Robin nodded again.
“Do you trust me Robin? Do you trust me to know what’s best for England and to restore Jerusalem into Christian hands?”
“You know that I do, Your Majesty,” Robin replied firmly.
“Then you must swear that you will never reveal this to anyone, or it could easily provoke a war between England and France.”
“I swear on my life and my loyalty to you.”
“Conrad de Montferrat can never be King of Jerusalem.”
“You mean the nobles have to vote against him?”
“No, I mean that he has to die.”
“Do you want me to kill him?” Robin asked with a hint of disbelief in his voice.
“Robin, you have to understand that Conrad’s brother is funding John’s rebellion against me on Conrad’s and Phillips account. But no, I don’t want to kill him. Do you know the Knights Templar called Thomas that served in my Guard for a while?”
“Of course.” Robin didn’t see where this was leading.
“I want you to get him killed, by all means. He is the price the Hashshashin want for Conrad’s death.”
“Your Majesty...” Robin hesitated but he held steady under Richard’s scrutiny until he reached a decision. “For England.”
“For England.”
Next Chapter