Preys and Predators 3 Love Binds, Family Destroy Chapter 12

 

12. 

 

In the Balkans, in the second battle of Kosovo, Hunyadi commanded the centre of his army in the battle, while the crusader right wing was made up of Wallachians. The Hungarians had a long barrage cannon. The Hungarian regent sought to join up with anti-Ottoman Albanian forces, possibly led by Skanderbeg. The battle opened when Hunyadi attacked the Ottoman flanks with mixed cavalry (light and heavy).

The Turkish flanks, consisting of soldiers from Rumelia and Anatolia, were losing until the Turkish light cavalry arrived to reinforce them.

Cavalry skirmishing on the flanks of the stockades while the crusaders attack against the sultan's central position, but no conclusive results. The Christian flanks routed, and the survivors retreated to Hunyadi's main force. Sultan Murad II used his sipahi cavalry from Thessaly to envelop the cavalry on the Crusader left flank, along with a general assault all along the line to distract Hunyadi from the primary effort. The manoeuvre worked, and the enemy there was defeated.

When Hunyadi saw the defeat of his flanks, he attacked with his main force, composed of knights and light infantry. The janissary corps was not successful, but the Turkish infantry regrouped and successfully drove the Hungarian knights back. The aftermath of the retreat had the Wallachians deserting to the Ottoman side after being offered terms from Murad, leaving Hunyadi mostly defenceless.

Hunyadi fled but was later captured by the Serbs.

The Christian Balkan states were unable to resist the Ottomans after this defeat, eventually falling one after the other under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Hunyadi was captured by Branković in retaliation for the damage perpetrated by the Hungarian army in Serbia. Hunyadi's release was negotiated against a ransom of a hundred thousand florins, the return of the domains that Hunyadi had returned to Branković, and the engagement of Hunyadi's heir to Branković's daughter, Hunyadi's elder son László, at Smederevo as a hostage.

Diplomacy calls for a truce, and Vlad did just that before the battle at Kosovo. He sent a letter to Transylvania announcing he would make peace with John Hunyadi. Vlad knew that after losing the throne at Wallachia, his return to the Ottoman Empire was precarious.

“He may be busy at battle.” Vlad reinforced to himself that the non-reply from the Sultan was due to other factors.

However, Vlad held an option to stay away from the Ottoman Empire; he was not there. He regretted that Radu, silenced with no letters, had not been heard.

With no reply, Vlad decided his better option was to go to Moldavia. There, he will take an alliance with Alexander the Young, who was under the protection of Poland, on the throne. Alexander, who was very young at eleven years of age when he had ascended to the throne of Moldavia, could not manage the country’s affairs that were in the hands of the boyars of the Princely Council. He knew some of the council members through correspondence and by their friendship with his father.

With their assistance, Vlad must have obtained the consent to stay in Moldavia. He was received and accepted as a former protégé of the Ottoman power with which the Kingdom of Poland was in peaceful relations.

Moldavia was then to appoint Bogdan II, uncle to Vlad on his mother’s side, as the new ruler. There were intense Polish military actions aiming to re-enthrone Alexander the Young. Bogdan II, who was almost always on the battlefield, liked Vlad.

“You could ride with me in battle.” Vlad was told their relationship was short when Bogdan II fell victim to a plot and was assassinated at Răuseni by a lesser-known pretender, Peter, who was also supported by the Poles through the former Prince Alexander, with whom he was supposed to share the power.

Vlad was in danger for the first time since his arrival in Moldavia. The fidelity towards the dead prince created a barrier between the new power and his claims. He took refuge south of Transylvania.

Back then in Wallachia, Vladislav II resumed his control. He secured the three-year armistice. Wallachia would pay tribute to the Porte, while the other two states would guarantee Vladislav II his reign and non-involvement in domestic affairs. Vlad, without his land, soon arrived in Transylvania under the wing of the great protector of Christian Europe, John Hunyadi.

“Vlad Tepes, I offered you my protection.” John Hunyadi was short of allies and was not keen to create another war. “Soon, you will rule Wallachia. For now, you will ride as leader at one of my divisions.”

Vlad reluctantly accepted the protection and support of the man who had had his father and brother killed. John Hunyadi understood the vengeance, but he placed a small Transylvanian army corps with Vlad to dethrone Vladislav II. It was to protect but also to watch the young pretender in his loyalty.

At the age of twenty-five years, then, Vlad felt his journey was ending. Vlad had defeated Vladislav II the second time and ascended to the throne of Wallachia again. Vlad then held the frame of being stocky and strong, with a cold and terrible appearance, a strong and aquiline nose, swollen nostrils, and a thin and reddish face in which the very long eyelashes framed large, wide-open green eyes; the bushy black eyebrows made them appear threatening. His face and chin were shaven, but for a moustache. The swollen temples increased the bulk of his head. A bull’s neck connected his head, from which black curly locks hung on his wide-shouldered person.

Vlad Tepes was good-looking, but his reputation exceeded his appearance. His next action then was to attest to his reputation. In the spring of 1457, during Easter celebrations, the boyars all gathered at Dracula’s palace. It is said that Dracula had discovered they were responsible for his brother Mircea’s gruesome death. He was told that Mircea II died lying face down, which was customary for those who had been buried alive.

“Bring me the ones responsible.” Vlad had his men surround the boyars and their families in his home. He forced them to work on rebuilding Castle Poenari until their clothes were rags and then impaled them in his palace courtyard. After having taken revenge on those who killed his father and brother, Dracula confiscated their lands and gave them to the peasants in exchange for military service.

The other boyars, who had escaped his wrath, were taxed as Vlad saw fit. Many fled to Turkish lands to await better times. The acts of Vlad, however, won over the peasants, from whom a fanatic devotion arose. Vlad saw this as ridding the land of those who would rob and mooch off more respectable people. He also had a virile, puritanical streak and was known to punish everyone across all classes, sexes, and ages for all manner of crimes. There are tales of him punishing wives who were unfaithful to their husbands by mutilating them and leaving their bodies on public display “until the flesh fell from the body, and the bones detached themselves from their sockets.”

His impalement, typically through the anus, through the heart, navel, stomach, and chest. Women and children were also killed in this way. But aside from impalement, he was also fond of decapitation, cutting off noses, ears, sexual organs, and limbs; blinding; strangling; hanging; burning; boiling; skinning; roasting; hacking; nailing; burying alive; and stabbing, as well as exposure, being left with wild animals, and dropping people through conveniently built trap doors onto stakes below. Some claimed that he forced victims to eat the flesh of their slain fellows.

All this period, Radu was imprisoned at the palace but was later released upon the plea of the viziers. He was given the release upon his conversion to faith and his learned subjects. Murad II was taken to listen and send the Wallachian back to the Janissary. The incident with Aylin was forgotten.

“Radu Tepes is a hostage of ours. He will remain as such. With that, we will pressure the Wallachian ruler to be our ally.” Such was the excuse of the Sultan, but he liked the young Wallachian for his intellectual knowledge.

Lord Gencio Capulet’s luck was not that cheerful in the army. In his role, he had to march with the Hungarian army, watching the supplies. He was not on the front line of the battlefield, but he was there to ensure the army was supplied. He had to source supplies when the needs arose. Or raised his own coins to pay for them.

“I heard John Hunyadi lost the battle at Varna.” Lord Gencio Capulet sat there at the tavern and listened to the news on the war. “John Hunyadi found that the Venetian galleys had failed to prevent the transit of the Sultan; indeed. The Venetians transported the sultan's army for a price per soldier.”

“The traders feared for their trade routes, and loyalty lies with who pays them.” Lord Gencio Capulet heard the accusation. He listened on.

“Hunyadi then confronted the Turks, but King Władysław assumed command and, with his bodyguards, carried out an all-out attack on the elite troops of the Sultan, the Janissaries. It was designed poorly. The Janissaries readily massacred the king's men, also killing the king, exhibiting his head on a pole. The king's death caused disarray in the Hungarian army, which was subsequently routed by the Turks; Hunyadi himself narrowly escaped.”

“Are we then at the threat of the Turks?” Another of the ones asked who was seated at the table.

“I do not know. Vlad held the seat of Wallachia. He may be our only hope.” In fact, Vlad was equally rebellious.

“The Impaler, you mean. His reputation had created fear among us. Even the Turks feared him.”

“I heard he imprisoned John Hunyadi, who escaped to Wallachia, but the Palatine of Hungary was forced to release the hero.”

Much news evolved then. And Lord Gencio Capulet knew his stay with the army was to be over. The army had lost its battle, and it was time for him to go back to Genoa. He had not gotten his lands, and his coins were depleted with the dues from the army held back or missing. Lord Gencio Capulet decided then to do his own trading. He transacted the supplies with the bandits and retreating armies—anyone who would pay him. He recovered some of his losses and then deserted to the ships. He was going back to Genoa.

The luck did not hold for Shylock. He was with the army in Kosovo. His column was the infantry, though they numbered superior than the Turks, but they were not well armed. Shylock had on him the short spear acquired by him from a dying soldier he met at Genoa and later at the battlefield.

“You can have my spear. Thrust it at the chest and pull out quickly.” Shylock was told. “All I ask in return is to send words to my mother at Genoa that I am not coming back.”

Shylock nodded and then took the spear. He made a deal and held a weapon to protect himself. He was given a dagger and a long stick before this.

“Hear this, men of Hungary, Genoa, and Venice.” It was John Hunyadi then giving a speech. “We are the last bastion of Christianity, defenders against the heathens. I have pledged my life to win this crusade and soon to depose the heathen leader. Fight with me and for God.”

The roar of the infantry was above the riders. The riders were the cavalry with their fancy armour and lances. Their role was to ride as flankers or to rout the enemy where there were gaps in the defence line. The infantry was the main push of the army; their strength broke the enemy's attack and routed the lines.

“We ride now.” The armies met on the battlefield.

The army of John Hunyadi outnumbered the Turks. The latter lined up with the Janissaries at the rear, the coloured uniforms, and their muskets, while the Akinci took the centre and the Sipahi were to the sides. 

 

 

 

Preys and Predators 3 Love Binds, Family Destroy Chapter 11

 

11.  

 

Vlad was not prepared for the works of the Voivode and the regular updates from the scouts and spies of his. The latter he learned fast and deployed them faster. He was told of the mass buildup of the new army under John Hunyadi.

“It was only days when I ……” Vlad tried to make sense of the threat. “Recall the Sipahi and Akinci. I want them back here.”

“I cannot confirm they will return.” The Boluk Bashi Tarmak told Vlad. “They are the army of the Sultan, but they have their own convictions on when and how they will fight. When you sent them off, they were unhappy.”

“So be it. We will battle the Hungarians ourselves.” Vlad looked to the others. “We will ……”

“Bold are your words, …… Voivode, but we remain weak with the last battle drawing many casualties.” One of the boyars voiced out. “We must …….”

“Retreat? Surrender? Perhaps some of you will like that. You could then have Vladislav II back here. You may be granted clemency from him.” Vlad confronted the boyars. “But I reign now.”

“We ……” One of the boyars was to speak, but Vlad ignored him. He looked towards the Janissary commander. “When do we ride?”

“Soon.” The Boluk Bashi assigned there told Vlad. “Once I have words from the scouts, we will assess their weak points.”

Back at the Ottoman Empire, Radu read the brief letter given to him by Vlad. He was delighted to know his brother was alive and well, but felt reluctance to reply then. He was happy there at the palace; his affection towards Aylin had deepened.

“What did your brother say?” Aylin, seated next to him, asked. They were in the private chamber at the secluded side of the palace. They discovered it when they were told to move some cases out. Since then, Radu had sneaked off there with Aylin. It was more comfortable than the chamber at the barracks, and Radu had furnished the chamber with some draperies for bedding and piled pillows for comfort. Aylin had come bearing drinks and fruits. It was not all they had there; they held privacy for their intimate moments.

“You are beautiful.” Radu had told Aylin the moment he had seen her nude before him. They had their pettings before, but they were never fully naked to each other. It was always the fear of being caught by others in the barracks.

“So are you.” Aylin blushed and covered her breasts and navel with her arms. Radu lay there with his limbs spread and smiled.

“I am? I never thought so.” Radu looked at himself. He was then young and virile at his prime. “Come here.”

Aylin approached the young man and lay down next to him. They have been careful not to cross the line of intimacy, and then Radu raised the issue.

“I could ask the Sultana to wed you. Then we can consummate our bodies as one.”

“No……. Please do not. I will... I need the correct moment to tell the Sultana this. She is not someone you ……”

“I love you and desire that you be my wife. I am ready to convert to marry you.” Radu looked at the lady next to him. “Why ……”

“There are rules in the palace. I, myself, here, have already breached some of the rules.” Aylin sat up and looked at her feet. “I could ……”

Radu reached out with his right hand to knead her left breast. She wanted to push him off, but it was nice to be touched. She smiled that one day, a baby's mouth would take her milk from there. Soon, the realization hits her. She got up and reached for her clothes.

“I must get going. I forgot that the Sultana asked for me today.” Aylin pulls on the pants and then the tunic. “Stay here till I am gone.”

Radu knew the discretion needed and nodded. She picked up the bodice and walked to the door. She opened it and saw the Janissaries there. They were waiting outside the doorway. A servant of the Sultana approached Aylin.

“You are to return to the Sultana’s chamber now.” Radu had seen the Janissaries and rushed to get dressed. He was escorted out, dressed only in his pants. He was brought to the Boluk Bashi Tarmak. The punishment was fifty lashes and then being thrown into the dungeon.

Aylin was not better off.

“She is not pure anymore.” The servant had examined Aylin, the Sultana was told. Aylin protested then.

“I am pure. I have not done any with any man.” Aylin cried out. She was shamed before the retinue of healers and servants, stripped of her clothes, and laid on the flooring with her limbs spread.

“Silence, servant.” The head of the servants called out before looking to the Sultana. “She has shamed us all. She will be punished by the law. She will be stoned.”

The gathered there murmured their views, but most agreed to that punishment. One healer stepped forth to lay out his view.

“Stoning is for the acts of adultery. The maid here is not wedded and may not…….”

“Silence all.” The Sultana voiced out. She had remained silent since. “The maid will be stoned. That is just punishment.”

“Have mercy, my Sultana. I have done no such wrong. I was wrong to entice the man, but never had we broken the oath of intimacy. I begged for forgiveness. My wrong was also to love the man.”

“Love? Do you know, love, servant?” One of those gathered there voiced out. “Yours was not love. It was seduction. If there ……”

“Silence!” The Sultana was upset. “The maid will be stoned. It will be done in the yard, and only the other servants are to be allowed. Once it is done, her body will be impaled on the stake at the borderland. I do not want her soul to wander here.”

The proceeding was then interrupted by the arrival of the Grand Vizier.

“The Sultan attacks the Hungarians at Kosovo again.” The last Battle of Kosovo took place on 15 June 1389 between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan Murad I. The bulk of both armies was wiped out, and Lazar and Murad were killed. The battle marked the only time in history when an Ottoman Sultan was killed in battle.  The coming battle was the second one.

“May the Sultan be victorious.” The Sultana called out. She looked then at Aylin. “Send her away. Do as I order.”

Radu had not seen Aylin since, and his body was bloodied by the punishment. He had wished for the ointment, but dirty water was thrown on him instead. He was imprisoned in the dungeon.

“Vlad, do not return here. Death awaits you.” Radu's voice cracked under the pain. At Wallachia, Vlad was told by the Boluk Bashi that his safety there was in danger.

“The Sipahi and the Akinci have been directed to the Balkans. There, John Hunyadi had resumed his war. Hunyadi led his forces across the Danube and camped them in Serbia next to Kovin, just outside the Serbian capital of Smederevo. They await the German, Wallachian, Bohemian, and Albanian allies.”

“Wallachian?” Vlad was surprised.

“Not all of Wallachia is loyal to you. Some are loyal to the cause of toppling the Empire.” The Boluk Bashi explained. “The Sultan had to regroup at Sofia. There, the army will stockpile resources necessary for the campaign and receive reinforcements.”

“Where are the …... Wallachian rebels?” Vlad asked.

“They attacked Ottoman positions in Nicopolis. The units of Akinci were dispatched to respond to the attack. They did well to ambush and disperse the Wallachians, taking many prisoners in the process.”

“That is good news.” Vlad sighed.

“You are in support of the Empire.” Vlad was asked. “You must be. The defeated Wallachians were sent to Sofia, and it had bolstered our morale among the Ottoman troops before their march towards the crusader army.”

Vlad felt then that his safety was not only in the hands of the Hungarians but also among his own and the empire.

“The better news is that Skanderbeg was delayed from linking up with Hunyadi's army by the Ottomans and their allies. The Serbian Đurađ Branković, whose army had declined to join Hunyadi's forces due to an earlier truce with the Turks.”

“Truly, in war, alliance counts, or ……” Vlad sighed.

“Or you need to be a stronger leader. And to be one, you need to instill fear into your allies and enemies. A feared leader commands respect, and that comes with power.” The Boluk Bashi looked at Vlad. “You are still weak.”

“How may I strike fear?” Vlad asked.

“Be ruthless. We are trained to be. As you were. Make them fearful of you.” The commander of the Janissaries spoke. “Display your ruthlessness. Do what can be seen by others.”

“I …….” Vlad was in mixed feelings. “Be one or be dead.” The Boluk Bashi reminded him. “Kill or be killed.”

That day, Vlad gave the order for the revolting boyars and their men to be impaled on the stakes alive.

“Their blood will be fed to the pigs. Their estates were forfeited. Their families will be slaves.” It drove fear into the Wallachians.

“Vlad is mad.” The words spread out. He is impaling our people. He is like the Turks.”

The name Vlad the Impaler was then spread across the land.

 

 

Preys and Predators 3 Love Binds, Family Destroy Chapter 10

 

10. 

 

The war in Wallachia was a boon for the moneylenders there at Genoa and Venice. The banks will not entertain the borrowers, for there are no sureties that the loans will be secured. Estates were forfeited, and the treasury pillaged; words spread fast when the calamities struck.

“I do have to consider…” Shylock’s father frowned and had his right-hand fingers wrapped around his chin. “We …”

“Matthew Judas, I have been a friend and borrower of your …” The boyar who had fled Wallachia was a trader at Genoa, and his wares were of some quality, but the bankers would not vouch for his credit; he held little and borrowed too much. He had patronized the moneylenders for the alternative. The rates may be higher, but the shrewd trader manages to leapfrog with each borrowing.

“Lord Irian, your ……. I do have the last loan letter you took. You paid me half, but the other portion remains.”

“Charge me your rates. I will pay you later.” The trader stood up to leave.

“Lord Irian, I must …” Matthew Judas held back his words. He saw the trader’s three guards had stood before their lord, and their hands on the swords were not of fancy. The money lender holds no guards; the money lenders hold their protection from the association of lenders who will recruit scoundrels and mercenaries who owe them coins.

“Father……” Shylock stepped up, but the father halted his action.

“Shylock, we cannot offend the boyar.” The father motioned to his father to be seated. “The boyar is our lifeline for the business. Once a word had spread about our unwillingness, then we would be doomed. We are the lenders of last resort, and our reputation hinges on that.”

“The boyar…”

“No, Shylock. Lord Irian is without the means to access his estate, but the war changes sides as quickly as the waves come to the shore. It will withdraw by a certain time. The boyars are the same. Lord Irian may get back his estate, and then we will resume our trade.”

“If he does not.” Shylock was naïve to the trade.

“Then we will do the alternative action. Remember Antonio Meli. He was delayed, but Lord Gencio Capulet bailed him out. Boyars and traders are closely knitted. They may suffer the same fate, but when they flourish, they will be back.” Shylock’s father shifted his eyes back to the ledgers.

“Are you to tell that the war in Wallachia may affect us?”

“It does. The pretender to the throne is already enacting action that will… may affect us.” The father sighed. “A pretender takes over, and more will emulate him. However, “conflicts of such may benefit us.”

“Wars need to be funded. The banks may do so for the ones that will win, for they need to. If the victor annexed the land that they owned, or even their clients, they stood to lose. Those who cannot get loans from the banks will seek us.”

“Whom do we defend now, Father?” Shylock asked.

“Defend? None, son. We are to remain above the conflict. We must be ……. biased when the time is right.” The father said. “Now go and find out from the streets who is winning.”

Shylock took off, but he was to see Leah; he fancies her. He was concerned about her. He sent words to her and waited for her at the bridge arch. She arrived late, but it was expected.

“Father is busy with his collections. He feared the war would affect us and was prepared to leave Genoa.” Leah told Shylock.

“My father said that all will be fine. We just must see who wins and then whom we shall side with.”

“Your father is … wise to the ways of the war.” Leah sighed. “My father is a lonely man. He fears for me. I am a lady, and in a fight, I could not do much.”

“I will defend you, Leah.” Shylock approached the lady. “I love …”

“Love is not the word we seek now. What we need is peace. I must be going to help my father.” Leah took off, and Shylock was left holding onto his last word. He stood there thinking, was he seen as weak to protect Leah? He knew not much of fighting, but he had his lessons in sword fighting. His mother had insisted on that and not to be like the father.

“I do have my skills, but I do not engage in fights. I have …”

“Matthew Judas, those fighters of yours are enough to intimidate a weakling, but when they are to confront the armed guards, they will rather hold the goblet of mead than to fight.” Shylock’s mother was right. The scoundrels were not brave, and there may be a few mercenaries who could, but they are expensive to hire.

Shylock made up his mind. He ran to the recruitment centre and saw the emergence of Lord Gencio Capulet. He avoided the man and snuck in by the side door.

“Sir, I want to join the army.” Shylock offered his services. He handed the form that he had signed.

“You will be paid in Florentine Florin.” The recruiter told him after endorsing the form.

“I want to be paid in ducats,” Shylock said.

“There is no ducat now. That is reserved for the officers. You will receive florin.” Shylock was to protest, but he was pushed off the desk by another in the queue. He found himself facing another officer who handed him the new form.

“Hold this and present yourself tomorrow for training. We march soon to Wallachia.”

Lord Gencio Capulet was given a better send-off. He was recognized by the recruitment officer and told that he would be given an officer commendation.

“Lord Capulet, sir. You …”

“Lord Gencio Capulet will suffice. I am in the army now.” Lord Gencio Capulet smiled. He was always smiling.

“Sir. You will take command of a detachment of mercenaries. They are good soldiers, ex-Hussite troops from Bohemia, and some are ex-Wallachian. You will hold the rank of ‘sutasi’ (lieutenant).” The recruiter told the Lord.

“I was thinking of being at the flank. I am well-versed in … logistics support.” Lord Gencio Capulet handed over the ducat to the recruiter. The latter looked at the coin handed, and then another coin was added.

“Yes, sir. I can arrange that.” The recruiter nodded. “Thank you, sir. Next!”

The next event for Lord Gencio Capulet was to get Antonio to take him to see Angeline Dubier. They took the carriage to the next venue.

Angeline comes here every other day. She took care of the horses there.” It was a stable for the public carriages. It was a terrible place to work, but the horses needed tending to. Angeline Dubier was there to work and supervise a group of kids to clean the stables.

Antonio pointed out the lady to Gencio.

“Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this day.” Lord Gencio Capulet smiled. (Adapted from Romeo and Juliet; Love at first sight.)

“She is young. Pristine, unlike her sister.” Antonio said. “I have my intention to court her.”

“You will refrain from it. I will have your head impaled at the docks for that.” It was rare for Lord Gencio Capulet to threaten another.

“Hold onto your breeches. I will ……. There are many more I could pursue.” Antonio said then. “Do you want to meet her?”

It was then that Lord Dante Montague met his love. He was at her home, seated across from her, with the aunt and mother seated to the side. He had arrived bearing gifts and was received in the library. The imposing portrait of the father hung above the fireplace and stared at Lord Dante Montague.

“Lord Dante Montague, I am told that you have ….” The mother started the conversation, but she was cut off by Juliette.

“Mother, we are friends and …”

“I was to say that he had returned from the east and …” The mother looked at the Lord, and in turn, she was interrupted.

“I was, but it had been some weeks now. I am …” Lord Dante Montague was cut off then.

“Apparently, the young ones do not have the patience to hear us out.” The mother looked to the sister. “I …”

“I do apologize, Mother.” Juliette took the stance of being nicer.

“I was saying that I had done well there. I had some ……” Lord Dante Montague was again cut off.

“I know. I was told that you did well, but you lost the jewel to the Capulets. Was it intended?” The mother looked at the man.

“Lost? No, it was not intended. We are traders, and in the line of our trades, we try to get the best on the bids. I lost then.” Lord Dante Montague bit his lips then. The loss of the bid for the jewel had haunted him from the many he met. Apparently, Lord Gencio Capulet had sung his victory song once too often.

“Then it may be obvious that you are not a good trader.” The mother was blunt in her words.

“Mother! I am …” Juliette snapped out, and the mother glared at her.

“My daughter is… undisciplined most times. She may have …”

“Erred perhaps, but I can assure you that my love for her is without …” Lord Dante Montague stopped in his words. There was a new arrival at the library.

“Mother … Oh, hello, Dante.” It was Angeline. “I do apologize, but the absurdity of the event needed to be told. A man by the name of Lord Gencio Capulet approached me and asked me to marry him. I had him smacked in the face and ran off here.”

“Lord Gencio Capulet?” Gencio was stunned. So was Juliette.

“I am sure Lord Gencio Capulet was not that ….” Juliette was taken aback by the sister’s accusation.

“Oh, he claims to be that man.” Angeline looked at Juliette. “He said he knows you.”

“He …” Juliette was fuming with rage then. “I will ….”

“Do nothing, girls. I will handle this matter myself.” The mother stood up. She then looked towards Lord Dante Montague. “I am sure you know the way out.” 

“Madam, I hold another jewel to gift Juliette.” Lord Dante Montague stood up and held the small case towards the mother.

“A trinket at best, but that does not exchange my daughter for it. Good day, young man. I am to be off now.” With that, Madam Dubier had Lord Dante Montague dismissed as a trinklet peddler.

Preys and Predators 3 Love Binds, Family Destroy Chapter 9

 

9. 

 

In 1448, Vlad Tepes was assisted in his invasion of Wallachia. He was at the head of the army consisting of the Janissaries and the others of the Ottoman Empire, the Sipahi, heavy cavalry, and tribal horsemen in the Ottoman army. The other was the Akinci, used as raiders on the frontiers of the Ottoman Empire, subsisting totally on plunder. His army was huge and managed to rout Vladislav from the seat of Voivode.

His victory was a military one, and not of the people. Vlad was not well received by the boyars, the feudal lords of Wallachia. The peasants viewed him as a conqueror rather than their hero.

“Voivode Vlad Tepes, the gates of the city remain open for you to come in.” The boyars lined up at the gate to welcome their prodigal son. Vlad rode in with the Janissaries, a force of over two thousand, while the Sipahi and Akinci had their plunder outside the city.

“I do not see some names here.” Vlad read the list of boyars present in the hall of the Voivode’s home. “I see …”

“Some of them had died, my Lord. Some have left for Hungary. Some have …” One of the boyars stood out to tell Vlad. He was seen by them as a young, arrogant bastard who was to topple the rightful Voivode. Vlad II may have been the previous Voivode, but he had ceded to the Ottoman Empire, a shame for the Wallachians’ name.

“I am here to reclaim my father’s land,” Vlad announced to the boyars there. “I …”

“And the land is now being plundered by your army, yours.” Another boyar found the courage to speak on the action of the conquering army. “Are we … Can you stop this?”

Vlad remained silent. He was inexperienced to reply then. He held the command of the army, but his real command was only the Janissaries. He held no direct command over the others.

“I will speak to the commanders.” Vlad struggled to reply.

“Are you to do so? Our families are living in fear. Our homes were invaded. Our wives and daughters were violated before our eyes.” Another boyar cried out. “Our men … Our boys are … impaled on stakes.”

“I …” Vlad struggled to reply.

“Yet you are here.” It was one of the commanders who spoke to the boyar. “You moved them here to avoid the slaughter.”

“Aye, I did.” The boyar looked at the commander. “I did it for my family. Would you not?”

“I will have your tongue for the pigs.” The commander drew his sword, but Vlad stopped him.

“Have the army move to the borders. There they will await my orders.” Vlad told the commanders. “Only the Janissaries will remain here.”

“Vlad ….” The commander protested. Vlad held up the scroll that proclaimed him as the Supreme Commander, signed by the Grand Vizier.

“Heed my orders, or answered the Grand Vizier.” That was the ultimate command given then.

The commanders bowed to Vlad and left the hall.

“Boyars, long have you survived on this land. I have returned, and to my dismay, the treasury is empty. I want your contribution to fill it once more. The wealth will be … distributed to the peasants.” Vlad saw the discontent among the boyars.

“The ones who had fled or died will have their lands forfeited to the Voivode.”

It was a partial victory to appease the peasants and for Vlad to pay the Janissaries. Vlad sent words to his brother, Radu.

“My brother. I am now Voivode of Wallachia. The bastard, Vladislav, is not here. He has fled to Hungary. Come home, brother.”

Across the land, the bastard named by Vladislav met with John Hunyadi at his home in Transylvania. They met at the library of the Lord. John Hunyadi, claiming noble blood, also claimed to be the son of a boyar from Wallachia with a daughter of a Hungarian noble family. Vojk, John's father, took the family name of Hunyadi when he received the estate around the Hunyad Castle from King Sigismund in 1409, ennobled as count of Hunyad.

Hunyadi's victories in 1441 and 1442 made him a prominent enemy of the Ottomans and renowned throughout Christendom. He established a vigorous offensive posture in his battles, which enabled him to counteract the numerical superiority of the Ottomans through decisive manoeuvre. He employed mercenaries from recently disbanded Czech Hussite troops, increasing the professionalism in his ranks and supplementing the numerous irregulars mustered from local peasantry, whom he had no reservations about employing in the field.

“My Lord.” Vladislav looked to the other. “I had to retreat here when the army of mine, eight thousand strong, fled the battlefield. It was not that we were weak, but they …”

“Lack the will to fight, or was it your leadership?” John asked the Voivode. “You were in the Balkans, fighting the Ottomans there.”

“Yes, I was. Under the banner of yours. Wallachia was undefended, and the pretender took the seat. I had taken my men back there. We were evenly matched, but the battle was to the Ottomans. The Wallachians; some turned sides and some joined the pretender, while others fled.”

“And you fled too?” John looked at Vladislav, who remained silent. “Tactical withdrawal, perhaps.”

“Yes, my Lord. Tactical withdrawal.” Vladislav looked to the other. “I did assist you in the Balkans…”

“I will need some time to consolidate my army. We will ride back to Wallachia and kick the pretender back to his Sultan. I will recruit my army from the best. Genoa’s hold good soldiers.” John eased the pain on Vladislav.

“I repay my debts, Vladislav.”

“I will do my part too.” Vladislav meekly replied. “I …”

“Do what you think you can.” John ignored the man. “I have letters to send and sponsors to meet. The war will not be free from them.”

“I can offer them land. The boyars who are dead or fled will have their lands forfeited.” John told the other without looking up from the desk filled with papers. “Now, please go. I need the space to work.”

Words of the impending war reached Genoa, and one of the keen persons was Lord Gencio Capulet. He got the news from the other traders, and there was trade to do. He could join and be a commander. The latter will give him the influence to direct trade to his friends and himself. He rushed to the recruitment centre when he met Dante.

“Surely, Lord Dante Montague will not compete with me to be commander?” Lord Gencio Capulet smirked at the other when they were at the square.

“Commander? Me? No, I am not a soldier. I am no fighter. I am a trader and a lover”. Dante Montague heard of the recruitment of mercenaries to fight under the Hungarians’ flag. “I have much to do. I am to wed Juliette by the end of autumn.”

“Hell will freeze over then, Gencio.” Lord Gencio Capulet mocked the other. “Are you sure? We are a blazing duo in the social circle, and with you wedded… I will be the devil there all alone, holding the flaming torch.”

“You can have Hell and Heaven, Lord Gencio Capulet. I am to wed my love.” Dante laughed. “Do me a favour. Die in the war, or do not come back at all. I hear Wallachia has a lot of ladies keen to have you as their lover.”

Lord Gencio Capulet was hurt that Juliette was to wed the rival of his. She had avoided him in those recent days and did not answer his letters.

“I will fight for John Hunyadi. I was told that he held large tracts of land to give as tributes. With that, I can cease to be a trader and manage my land. I can then... What is her name? The sister of Juliette? Was she not staying in Venice until recently?”

“Angeline. Yes, she is with her family here. She was staying in Venice with their aunt. She …” Lord Dante Montague was interrupted by Antonio Meli, who was between the two and looked at Dante.

“Tell me, Dante, were you at the recruitment centre?” Antonio was the usual brash idiot. “Are you mad, or was it love unrequited?”

“It was me who needed some new actions. Are you going too?” Lord Gencio Capulet asked. “We could ride together.”

“No, I am not. I must trade in my new wares from Spain. Once I sell that, I will return you the ducats I owe you.” Antonio looked then towards Gencio. Antonio’s promise was as good as his ships arriving on time. “Are you going too? Then God will be looking after me. I will have two fewer traders to compete with.”

“Assuming your wares arrive on time.” Lord Dante Montague was to strike at the trader. “I must be on my way.”

“What is his hurry?” Antonio asked.

“He wants to get wedded to Juliette.” Lord Gencio Capulet replied. “She had decided.”

“That vixen.” Antonio smiled. “If I were …”

“If you do, then Dante will have your head on the docks for all to see.” Lord Gencio Capulet looked at the other. “Do not look little on Lord Dante Montague. I had seen him fight on the trade routes. He is a good fighter, and Mercy does not write well with him when he defends his own wares.”

“I heard of Lord Dante Montague’s prowess in fighting. It was not his wares I was referring to, but the sister of Juliette, whom I had seen, is a beauty in herself. I am in line to fight for her.”

“Who is she?” Lord Gencio Capulet asked.

Angeline Dubier. She was brought up in Venice and recently returned to Genoa. She is …” Antonio smiled with his devious expression.

“Shut your bad thoughts, Antonio. You have enough coins to spend at the brothels. Do that before I do the works of Dante on you… for free.” Lord Gencio Capulet walked to the recruitment centre. He paused there, for his mind was on Angeline. He wondered what she looked like.   

“Next!” Lord Gencio Capulet heard the call.