The return of the fallen king

Chapter 52: Arrogance , the bane of mankind

The company rose from the breakfast table, where they had been enjoying a delightful and light-hearted meal. They were all nervous and impatient to discover what the church expected from them, and they all felt foreboding and trepidation about what the cardinals would say. They realized whatever it was had to be highly important if the cardinals had come so quickly and unexpectedly to present it to them. They all made their way to the main entrance of the estate, where they expected the cardinals to be waiting for them, with a sense of dread and apprehension.

Conradin believed the church could never bring him good, especially considering his family's past with them. He had no illusions that he would be met with goodwill or friendship, and he was prepared to face their threats and intimidation without yielding or being persuaded from his goal. He understood the church was a cruel and deadly foe, but he was also determined to stay firm and not back down from his goals, no matter how much pressure they put on him.

'I don't anticipate anything , and yet I am already dissatisfied' Conradin grumbled as he walked out of his residence.

The date was the 8 of April it has been one month since he descended in Italy from his holding in Swabia, and he was surprised by the fact that the church has already given Conradin his asnwer to his arrival since he had expected that he had at least a bit more of time before meeting the pope's representative.

As the group exited the hall, they noticed a bunch of cardinals waiting for them. Conradin spotted their iconic crimson outfit, red cloak, and large cross descending from their fat neck.

Conradin led the group slowly towards the cardinals, who looked at them coldly and indifferently. He was unhappy at the sight of these church representatives, who had brought so much sorrow and death during the previous century to his house. He knew they could be vicious and merciless when they wanted to be, and their presence here now only added to his nervousness and disquiet. He kept his cool, not allowing the Cardinals to see his anxiety and apprehension.

He stared back at them with equal severity, prepared to face whatever they had to say to him without letting any of their intimidation get to him. They were prepared for conflict , and they knew that the church would not hesitate to use whatever force and power they had at their disposal in order to achieve their aims. They braced themselves for whatever confrontation might come as they approached the group of cardinals standing in silent wait.

Once they were near, Pietro de Pece walked ahead and presented the titles of his liege.

''His majesty, Conrad third of his name , son of Conrad II, grandson of the great emperor Frederick II, Roi Siciliae, Roi Hierosolymitanum, and dux of Swabiae, is here to greet the representative of the church." Pietro said as it was customary to show good manners even to the enemy.

The title that was given to Conrad made the cardinals erupt in irritation and anger, for the church did not recognize Conradin as the king of Sicily and gave the crown to Charles of Anjou. The cardinals' reaction to the formal introduction of Conrad did not surprise the group, but it served to remind them once again of the church's stance of hostility and opposition towards them. They were well aware that the church did not recognize Conrad's claim to the throne of Sicily, and the cardinals' reaction only served to further cement the fact that the church would see them as nothing but a thorn in their side that needed to be removed.

Following this, one of the cardinals opened a scroll and, after warming up his voice, began reading the words written by the pope himself in a somber and gruff voice.

''His holiness, the representative of Christ on the hearth, Clement IV, hereby orders Conrad III, Roi Hierosolymitanum, and dux of Swabiae, to immediately cease any hostile action against the king of Sicily, Charles, the church, and as such, God, or else your baptism and salvation will be hereby revoked by the church," Such were the words coming from the scroll written by the pope. Conradin was aware of the terrible blood between his house and the church, so this communication came as no surprise.

As such, he decided to humor himself and his group: ''Well, it seems that your arrival did not bring positive news; apparently the pope has been too busy draping his white gown with French wine to follow the path of justice." Such words did not help but further anger the cardinals; however, Conradin managed, to his glee, to make his group snicker; even Galvano, who was usually the stoic type, snorted from his nose and turned his head, masking his laughter with a cough. They still knew that the situation was serious, but it was good to see that their monarch could still show an unusual sense of humor even in such a tense situation. The cardinals however did not seem nearly as amused, and they did not lose time to express their irritation.

''Be careful about your words, boy; the church until this moment did not contest your right to the kingdom of Jerusalem. If you, however, decide to continue in your fool's errand, we will not have any choice but to denounce your right to both the kingship of Jerusalem and from the duchy of Swabia."

The cardinals said as they were trying to make Conradin back off from his campaign.

''Well, this your last threat, truly makes me shiver from fear, losing about what? A city and 20,000 people that lives there , oh, and yes, I almost forgot a city without walls. On Heaven's name, that truly is worrying."

It seems that the church's words did not really convince Conradin to stop his invasion and instead gained them more ridicule from the young monarch. The cardinals did not seem to react to the sarcasm of Conrad's reply, and perhaps they weren't used to hearing such criticism and disdain from someone who they perceived as inferior to themselves. They continued to look at the group with suspicion and contempt, and they made no attempt to conceal their hostility. They appeared taken aback and speechless for a moment, as if not expecting such a brazen disregard for their threats. But eventually they recovered and maintained their composure, responding that they would not hesitate to carry out their threats if the group continued on their current path of defiance. They seemed to genuinely believe that their threats would be enough to scare the group back into submission, but clearly they had miscalculated the group's resolve and determination, or the chip they had to play in this game of threatening.

The cardinals were obviously growing increasingly desperate, and their threat was getting more and more serious. But the group knew that the church used the threat of ex-communication as a weapon and means of control, and they were not about to let themselves be deterred or intimidated by it. They also realized that if the church did indeed excommunicate the group, it would not be a permanent state, and they would eventually be able to redeem themselves in God's eyes. Apart from that, the group knew that they just needed to win the war and siege the Eternal City, and the ex-communication would be revoked. After all, Emperor Frederick II was ex-communicated three times, so it was a bit of a thing that was passed down in the family.

The cardinals, however, apparently saw the group's continued defiance as a sign of arrogance and heresy, and they began to feel even more resolute in their perceived rightfulness.

"Well then," Conradin said, as he stared down the cardinals with defiance, "if that is what it takes to defend our right to the throne and follow our path, so be it. You can ex-communicate us if you wish, but it will not deter us from our purpose. And once we have won back the crown, we will redeem ourselves before the church and be able to hold our heads high again. But for now, we must focus on our purpose, and we will not let anything stop us, even the church and its threats of ex-communication."

Conradin said that while looking at the cardinals in the eyes as a sign of defiance, the group knew that even an ex-communication would not stop them from their ultimate objective of retaking their lands, and they were prepared to face any challenges and obstacles that they might encounter along the way.

The group had been prepared for a confrontation with the church since the beginning of their journey, and they felt an even greater resolve after the cardinals' visit. They knew that this was likely only the beginning and that more challenges and obstacles would be thrown in their way, but they were determined to face them all and push through to their final goal. They were prepared for it, and they were not going to be intimidated or swayed by the church's threats or influence. They were determined to pursue their goals and ambitions regardless of what the church might think or do about them.

And so like this, everyone in the group understood that they were now part of a ship that had no chance to sail back; the only thing they could do now was push forward and beat whatever wave the sea sent toward them.

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