Tyranny of Steel

In the city of Kufstein, a dense torrent of rain bombarded the denizens of the Austrian Capital. It was an utterly depressing atmosphere as the wind and rain swept away any stains that may have existed in the city's streets.

Linde gazed out the windows of the Royal Palace with a virgin strawberry daiquiri in her hand and a sullen expression on her pretty face. There was nothing she wanted more than to drink an actual alcoholic beverage at this moment, however she was pregnant with what could very well be her beloved's last child, and she would never threaten the safety of such a precious gift.

It had been nearly twelve hours since she had received word that Berengar had gone missing shortly after arriving in the New World, and she was in a state of complete and total despair. As she lounged away in the bar of the Royal Palace, she sighed to herself. Without her noticing, Hans had approached and gazed upon his mother's look of grief with a painful heart.

He did not know what had caused her to end up in such a depressing state, but he knew it probably had something to do with his father. Thus, the boy casually approached his mother, and grabbed hold of her dainty hand, instantly gaining her attention. With a forced smile, he tried to comfort the woman for whatever may plague her mind.

"It'll be okay mommy, whatever happens you still have me!"

Such kind words from her young child brought a bitter smile to Linde's face as she stroked the boy's strawberry blonde hair. While Hans had been gifted with her brilliant hair color, he had received the eyes of his father, and she gazed deeply into those sapphire gems as tears formed within her own eyes. The Second Empress of Austria struggled to fight back her tears, but in the end, the waterworks presented themselves.

"Oh Berengar... please be alright!"

It was at this point Hans knew something had happened to his father, and could not help but ask about it.

"Did something happen to father?"

Linde had not revealed to anyone the news of Berengar's disappearance. She had pledged to inform no one until they had found the Emperor or his remains. However, when she heard Han's question, she felt guilt over not telling the boy of what had happened to his father. Thus, she wiped the tears from her eyes as she mustered the courage to speak the truth.

"Your father has gone missing..."

Upon hearing this, Hans was flabbergasted. Berengar couldn't be missing. As long as the boy could understand the German language, he had heard stories of his father's bravery on the field of battle, and his courage in the face of the unknown. As far as the boy was concerned, his father was unkillable, a living legend. He had never once considered the possibility that his father would disappear or lose his life on one of his campaigns.

However, to hear such words filled Hans with an overwhelming sense of dread. As intelligent as the young Prince was, he lacked the emotional maturity to handle such grim matters and immediately lashed out at his mother for telling him such lies.

"That's impossible! Father can't be dead! He's invincible!"

When Linde heard this rant, she became visibly enrage and in the heat of the moment backhanded her son across his face before screaming at him.

"Don't you dare say that! Your father isn't dead, he's just missing! He will return to us safe and sound, as he always does!"

Hans was once more filled with disbelief as he felt the sting on his tiny cheek. For as long as he had lived, his mother had never struck him. She had only shown him the loving and kindness that he had taken advantage of. However, he could see the fury in the woman's eyes at the mere suggestion that her husband may have lost his life. Such a ferocious gaze filled the boy's heart with fear, resulting in him breaking out into tears.

When Linde realized what she had done, she climbed out of her lounge chair and knelt down beside her baby boy, stuffing his head into her substantial bosom as she stroked his silky hair, apologizing for her actions.

"I'm sorry, Hans. I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to hurt you. Here, let mommy take a look!"

The boy instantly revealed his reddened cheek and gazed upon his mother with a sense of intimidation he had never felt before. In that moment, he winced in pain, afraid that she might bare her fangs at him again. However, instead she merely kissed his wound, and in doing so made him feel a bit better.

Ultimately, the loving scene was interrupted by the Deputy Director of German Imperial Intelligence, who held a report in her hands. When she saw how her superior was acting, she merely coughed, alerting the woman to her presence. When Linde witnessed Hemma standing in the doorway of the bar area, her expression turned grim. She immediately gave an order to her young son, who was still latching onto her like a lamprey.

"Hans, go to your room. I promise I will meet you there in a bit, and will make you some grilled cheese sandwiches..."

Hans knew that this interruption was most likely an update on his father's disappearance and though he wanted to stay behind and listen to the news, he feared his mother might strike him again if he protested, and thus, he simply bowed his head before scurrying off.

"Okay mommy..."

It was only after Linde was sure that Hans was not within earshot that she steeled her resolve and asked for the update.

"What's the news? Did you find him?"

When Hemma saw the worried expression on Linde's face, she merely sighed before giving her all the information she had received.

"They found him alive, and unharmed quite a bit away from the coastline. He appears to have found the ruins of an ancient civilization. If the reports are accurate, it is a city larger than ancient Rome. I swear only Berengar could go missing and stumble upon such a lost civilization..."

Linde nearly passed out from the relief in her heart, however despite maintaining her consciousness, she lost control of her legs and instantly fell to the ground where Hemma helped her up to her feet. The redheaded beauty felt as if this news had lifted a giant weight from her heart. She could only smile with pride and relief as she thought about what adventures her man had been up to.

"Oh Berengar... Thank God you are alive..."

The moment she said these words, the crackle of thunder resounded in the air, as if such words had angered the deity she mentioned. However, such a thought would not appear in Linde's pretty head, as she did not know the reasoning as to why the Abrahamic God might be enraged by the mere suggestion that he helped save such an apostate. After saying this, Linde gained control of her legs and was able to stand on her own. She bowed her head respectfully to her deputy director and thanked her for the good news.

"Thank you Hemma, if you had not delivered me such information I fear what I may have done in my grief..."

Hemma was shocked. She had never seen Linde in such a disturbed state before, thus she could not help but question the condition of her boss.

"Your Majesty, are you going to be alright?"

Linde wiped a tear from her eye as she nodded her head thrice in response to this question.

"Of course! Now that I know Berengar is safe and sound, I will be fine. If you will excuse me, I need to inform my son. In my despair, I may have told him his father is missing and I do not wish for him to worry any longer..."

After saying this, Linde scurried off towards Hans' room, where she found the boy curled up in the corner holding onto a painted wooden figure of his father. It was a common toy among young boys within the German Empire, and the Prince of Germany was bawling as he stared at it with grief in his heart. The moment the door opened, the boy looked to his mother for visual cues, and when he saw her brimming with a beautiful smile on her face, he sighed in relief.

"Thank God... He is okay..."

The moment the boy said this, thunder crackled in the air once more, but he did not pay the slightest attention to it. He was merely happy that his father was alive and well. Although he also felt a sense of fury at his mother for worrying him over, nothing. Linde, of course, took this opportunity to hug her son and confirm his suspicions.

"Your father is alright, he has been found, and he is unharmed. In fact, if the reports are true, he has even found the ruins of a lost and ancient civilization during his absence. Isn't he such an amazing explorer?"

Hans could only laugh as he heard how his mother rationalized the man's disappearance. In the end, he smiled and nodded his head in agreement before repeating his mother's words.

"Yes, father is an amazing explorer indeed..."

After hearing this, Linde wiped the tears from her son's eyes before placing his toy on his nightstand. She had a pep in her step, the likes the boy had not seen in some time, as she latched onto his hand and dragged him towards the dining area.

"I believe mommy promised you some grilled cheese sandwiches, shall we?"

Hans simply looked back towards the wooden figure, which represented his father, and nodded his head with a smile on his face before responding to his mother.

"Let's!"