Chapter 53: Celebration
—A Byzantine official mentioned this incident in his private diary.
He said that this was a typical Byzantine style conspiracy. It was targeted at Princess Maria, and her future barbarian husband.
This kind of conspiracy was commonplace in the Byzantine court, even considered crude, but for dealing with these simple-minded, crude Franks without any city ways, it was already sufficient.
The person who carried out this conspiracy bribed several key figures in the princess’s dowry procession:
First, the official in charge of managing and guarding these beasts.
They stuffed a she-bear that had lost its cub into the end of the procession and opened most of the cages.
“This she-bear was the largest I have ever seen.” The official wrote: “When it was on all fours, its eyes could still meet those of an ordinary man at eye level. When it stood upright, it was twice his height. Its fur was thick, matted together with bitumen, tree gum, and tar, like wearing a layer of thick armor. Ordinary weapons cleaving at its body had no effect at all; arrows either bent and fell off or stuck futilely on it.”
Second, the slaves or handmaids around the princess.
The head of the she-bear’s dead cub was chopped off and placed in the reliquary box where the princess originally kept the hair of the Virgin Mary—this was undoubtedly an extremely blasphemous act. Their souls would inevitably be thrown into the lake of fire and burned for ten thousand years, but evidently, interest outweighed punishment after death.
And when the princess’s handmaid discovered that such a horrible filthy thing had been placed in the reliquary box, whether intentionally or not, her first thought was surprisingly to try to throw it away.
At this point, the chaos had already begun; dozens of beasts had been released from their cages, including agile and strong leopards, tigers whose roars alone could make people tremble all over, and about a dozen cunning and cruel wolves.
Without exception, they were all starving and filled with hatred toward humans.
“By rights,” the official continued to write: “They appeared in the parade procession only to show people these animals that would soon appear in hunting or martial arts tournaments.
Normally, they should be given herbs that cause drowsiness or paralysis, but these suggestions were rejected by the official responsible for guarding the beasts. He said that if those Franks saw the animals we brought looking weak and listless, wouldn’t they mock us for cowardice?
Thus, not only did they not use those herbs that could soothe the beasts’ senses, but instead used some stimulants. So when the cage doors opened, they eagerly charged into the killing.
“From what I saw,” he cautiously added: “Some beasts might have wanted to flee more, but people pushed each other, unaware that they had blocked the beasts’ escape route, and they too suffered horrific tearing bites.”
Third, the warriors in the princess’s dowry procession.
They should have been utterly loyal to the princess, unconditionally obeying all her commands, and could be considered a nail planted by Manuel I in the Holy City, but those warriors not only failed to form a tight and effective defensive net, but instead left a gap, through which the she-bear charged straight toward the princess’s sedan chair.
“I was lucky.” The official sighed: “At the time, I was just an ordinary little scribe, excluded from the periphery of those nobles. When the she-bear carved a blood-drenched path through the crowd, I was rolling and crawling into the crowd of onlookers. Alas, gentlemen, please don’t mock me. I know this makes me seem cowardly, but I still use this word just to let you know the chaotic situation at the time.
If I had been standing upright and walking quickly or running like others, I would surely have been seen as an obstacle by the she-bear or pushed down by others, just like those unfortunate fellows.
When I looked back, some warriors not only did not stop the she-bear, but even obstructed those who wanted to rescue, whether their colleagues or Amalric I’s knights.
At this point, the princess along with the sedan chair had already crashed to the ground.
This was originally a huge but exquisite wooden contraption; upon impact, it immediately shattered into several pieces. The slender railings broke, the sedan chair’s canopy collapsed and tangled with the curtains, forming a deadly large cocoon.
One handmaid abandoned the princess and tried to flee, but was caught up by the she-bear and had her entire face torn off with one paw—that scene is truly unforgettable to me, even today decades later—that face like half cut off still haunts my nightmares.
The other handmaid was even more unfortunate.
She was very brave and tried to stand in front of the princess, but the she-bear merely slapped her chest with one palm, caving it in. She did not die immediately; as she fell, the she-bear was still angrily clawing open her abdomen.
She screamed in agony while being eaten by the bear—I know bears like live food, but the she-bear was more about venting; it shook its head, flinging some entrails out, not chewing slowly.
“Our princess was in no way unworthy of the Komnenos name; she neither cried out nor fled,” the official commented: “While the bear was eating the handmaid alive, she found a weapon from the wreckage of the sedan chair—a double-edged sword inlaid with jewels, possibly prepared as a gift for the groom.
But what use was that? Facing such an angry and powerful beast, even a knight who had beheld a saint might not dare to meet it head-on.”
“I heard someone shout to release the hunting dogs, but it was too late, just like the knights charging over; their primary guard was their king, which is understandable, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit resentful in my heart.
The ones who arrived in time were only two attendants, I say this,”
Here he switched to deep red pigment, indicating an important part: “Because beneath their fluttering cloaks and coats, they were not wearing chainmail.”
At the time, I thought these two children, though brave, were too foolish, but then I saw—one was wearing a small deep purple cloak, and the other’s coat was trimmed with purple.
I immediately recalled that in this procession, probably only three people could wear deep purple silk clothes: one was of course the princess’s husband Amalric I, and another was our princess.
And the third, who else but our princess’s future stepson, the heir to this holy kingdom, Prince Baldwin?
I thought the people around me would shout Prince Baldwin, but unexpectedly they shouted Little Saint.
—Here “Little Saint” was capitalized.
I was somewhat unable to comprehend, or rather my mind was completely seized by this scene predestined for a most tragic ending; my eyes stared unblinkingly at the scene—I had almost already imagined how many tragic poems later generations would compose for this scene, how many magnificent paintings they would create.
In fact, Prince Baldwin was not like those barbarians we knew who never thought and relied only on military force; he controlled a horse that wanted to flee or kneel, and forcibly crashed it between the she-bear and the princess.
The she-bear’s paw, enough to take the princess’s life, viciously struck the horse’s belly; the horse neighed, then wailed and fell down.
At this point, Prince Baldwin had nimbly leaped down and stood guarding in front of the princess; he loudly called the name of his beheld saint “Saint George”; a spear coalesced at his side.
I thought I would see a mutually destructive outcome next; his spear could certainly pierce the she-bear, but the bear was not like a human that would collapse when wounded.
Their ability to endure pain was extremely strong—as anyone who had hunted bears knew, even with a hand bitten off or guts spilling out, they could still kill a dozen hunting dogs and the people encircling them in one go.
The spear could pierce the she-bear, but the bear’s paw would also strike Prince Baldwin or the princess, killing them on the spot, but an even more unbelievable scene appeared.
The little attendant who came with Prince Baldwin somehow appeared in front of the she-bear; a soft and bright white light emanated from his body, ripple-like waves flickered, expanded, and solidified in the air.
Sorry, gentlemen, you might think from my recounting that the whole process was slow, but it truly happened in an instant.
By the time I could comprehend what was happening, he was clad in a layer of bright white scale armor（ every scale clearly visible）; he bent his left elbow across in front of the she-bear’s eyes; the she-bear almost unthinkingly bit down, while heavily striking his shoulder blade with one paw.
The people around me all shouted in terror.
But God bless him, he actually held firm; one foot forward, one back, tensing his body like a bow and arrow. He fed his left arm into the she-bear’s maw, letting it crunch without flinching, and the she-bear’s blow heavy as a thousand catties only made him sway slightly.
I didn’t know if he could withstand a second blow. But at this moment, Prince Baldwin’s spear was rested on his right shoulder; with a flash of white light like thunder, the spear shot like a huge arrow, piercing straight through the she-bear’s head from its cheek; moments later—or I don’t know how long— the she-bear’s massive body crashed down.
By now, King Amalric I had arrived on horseback, and the surrounding combats—whether man versus beast or man versus man—were ending. The rebels were captured in one fell swoop; none escaped the knights’ pursuit filled with anger and shame.
Those bribed officials initially wanted to flee—if the princess had indeed been attacked by the she-bear and died or been gravely injured, their plan might have succeeded, but as soon as the princess escaped danger, she immediately clung to Amalric I’s horse reins and, with a voice trembling yet clear and sharp, pointed out every one who had betrayed her.
When these people were brought forward in custody, they were still quibbling; they didn’t even look at the princess, only pleading with the King of Ayyarasa Road, distorting right and wrong by saying the princess must have gone mad from excessive fright, thus uttering words that wronged good people.
Just as I hesitated whether to testify, I saw Amalric I completely ignore them; he turned to the princess and asked: “What do you want to do?”
The princess said: “Kill them all.”
Even I at the time couldn’t help shedding a tear of sympathy for these high-and-mighty lords.
If the princess were still in the Byzantine court, she could not possibly have such great power, or perhaps never would in the future.
But now, she was the most direct victim, the betrayed emperor’s daughter, the king’s wife; Amalric I saw their intentions clearly too, and by handing the decision to the princess, he was perhaps expecting such a result.
The princess did not disappoint him, giving a satisfying answer.
These people were scared nearly mad; the worst outcome they had imagined was probably being detained by Amalric I, thrown into prison, waiting for their families to pay ransom before returning to Byzantium to face Manuel I’s anger.
But the king had already decided: “Spare those formalities,” he said. “Consider it laying a red carpet for my bride.”
At the king’s command, his knights immediately took action.
The princess did not forget her two benefactors, Prince Baldwin and his attendant.
They stood leaning on each other, visibly exhausted, nearly spent; even though I had never beheld any saint, I knew that for their age, confronting such a frenzied beast must have come at a great cost.
The princess reached out to them, and Prince Baldwin pulled his attendant along and stepped forward; the princess was somewhat surprised but still drew them both to her side, one in each arm.
Those arrogant fellows, once lifted up, were already scared shitless, knees buckling, barely able to stand. Some tried to struggle madly, but gained only more fists for their efforts.
The people around me all widened their eyes（ probably me too）; for them, this was also a rare spectacle.
So many masters, all dressed in silk, adorned with gold and silver, stuffed fat, now dragged like chickens by the wings, arms seized and hauled to the path the princess would take, one after another ordered to kneel, then beheaded.
Their blood sprayed far, splattering and flowing on the ground, indeed paving a road like a crimson silk rug.
Amalric I’s attendant brought a horse—still one provided by Amalric I’s first wife, the Countess of Jaffa; the princess nodded slightly in thanks to her, then mounted with the king’s help.
The two of them rode shoulder to shoulder toward Holy Cross Castle, horses’ hooves trampling the not-yet-congealed blood, leaving a trail of deep red rose prints on the stone slabs.
I was also discovered and imprisoned like the other Byzantines, but only briefly; after all, the banquet welcoming the Byzantine Princess was about to begin, and the princess’s procession had already lost a third—surely not leaving the remaining two-thirds to spend the entire wedding in prison, making the princess the embarrassed one, not us.
So, we—that is, those deemed non-threatening by the king—were released first, scattered to fill two long tables.
I thought I would eat without relish; in fact, I was starving, feeling I could even devour a cooked she-bear if served.
And before the wedding banquet began, the princess, seated side by side with King Amalric I on the high platform, suddenly stood up.
She raised her cup, first blessing her husband to be invincible in battle, unstoppable in attack, undefeated by any conspiracy or trickery（ I felt she meant something by it）） and frustration.
Then she toasted us, wishing us all health and prosperity. After we all stood, she raised her cup a third time, handing the golden cup in her hand to Prince Baldwin beside her.
She said she wanted to thank her stepson Baldwin; this was possibly the most wonderful gift she had received.
We all knew Prince Baldwin had leprosy and might not live past thirty, but after a slight hesitation, the princess still wished him strong health, long life, like his father, to become a wise and valiant king; this blessing nicely eased the tense atmosphere between us and those Crusader knights.
I knew some among them had even proposed canceling the wedding. No matter how or by whom these officials were bribed, such an incident was, harshly speaking, a complete evil omen. Any future misfortune could be attributed to this wedding.
I marveled at their loyalty to Prince Baldwin, or perhaps their great reverence for King Amalric I, allowing them to ignore such an obvious defect in the prince.
Though I had heard before how Amalric I doted on this only son, confronting two churches（ Roman Church and Ayyarasa Road Church） for this child.
He must have also sought aid from our emperor, but in the Orthodox Church, some resolutely deemed this marriage evil because Prince Baldwin had leprosy—the Byzantine emperor’s princess should not marry a sinner’s father.
The Patriarch of Ayyarasa Road had condemned Amalric I, saying that for his own son, he brazenly abandoned his faith and God; he too was a sinner, deserving hell.
Some in the Orthodox Church thought the same.
Ultimately, this marriage was confirmed, perhaps for another reason: they all knew Prince Baldwin, even if he ascended, could not maintain rule for long; he had received a blessing, but the leprosy had not healed.
In the end, only two could possibly take the throne: his sister Sibylla’s child, or the child our princess would bear to Amalric I; the former would likely gain most of their support.
As for the latter, they had always been wary of us—after all, debtors fear creditors.
Here the official intentionally added a note in small script explaining the reason: although the holy war originated from the Byzantine Emperor seeking aid from the Roman Church, requesting Christian countries’ Franks to help drive out the Saracens, during the Crusaders’ march to the Holy Land, they plundered no few cities along the way—most of which were Byzantine cities—leading to many conflicts.
“The princess handing her golden cup to Prince Baldwin was publicly declaring that henceforth she would regard Baldwin as her own son, transferring part of her interest and power to him.” This statement was of course pleasing, especially to King Amalric I, as these things would ultimately fall into his hands.
At this point in the diary, there was a blank space representing reflection, after which the official absentmindedly drew two little hand-holding figures.
“I stayed in Ayyarasa Road for some time afterward.
I often saw Prince Baldwin and his little companion coming and going together; they were almost always together except when sleeping. I also knew that when the princess expressed thanks, Prince Baldwin even pulled him to his side, unabashedly saying this was his brother.
Seeing this, the princess changed the gifts for them: from one gold plate, matching gold knife, gold fork and gold spoon, and one silver plate, to two identical sets, giving each one impartially.
I heard someone grumbling indignantly that the prince’s attendant had originally been just a slave.
Hey!”
——
“That monk’s prophecy was surprisingly accurate.” Baldwin said.
