Heaven Can't Wait ۞ Baldwin IV

IX - Queen

The first new face Lluna had the chance of meeting right after dinner was the man named Josselin, the seneschal and the Countess' brother. It was a face on the verge of jaundice: His wrinkles were sucked into the hollowness of his high cheeks. Despite all this, the comely resemblance with his sister was evident enough to shine through, too.

Aside from him, there was yet another namesake of her betrothed, whom Raymond introduced as the notable Baudouin d'Ibelin. Baudouin spoke of his brother, Balian, away in Nablus with his wife the Queen Dowager, overseeing constructions for a hospice and church, but was set to come to Jerusalem as the King's official chamberlain, relieving Charles from a post that would seldom be bestowed on a young man of his stature.

The other officers of the Kingdom awaited in turns to make her acquaintance; like the constable, Aimery de Lusignan, brother of Guy; and the marshal, Gérard de Ridefort. Raymond had already removed himself from the presentations right before these two looked to approach her. Gérard glared down his nose at the count when they passed each other.

The one who had organized most of the banquet, Miles LeMay, was the butler, who made his introduction swiftly. Lluna was left to muse what else he might have been responsible for.

At some point, between wave after wave of noble introductions, the future Queen noticed that the King was nowhere to be seen anymore. But she did spot her sisters, nephews and nieces. It was especially heartwarming to realize that Maryam and Carmen had clearly found those pretty dresses somewhere: Maryam wore an ochre one, that coupled with her spry energy, and her dark skin and fluffy hair made her look like an adorable bumblebee; and Carmen a red one, giving this pale little rose a bit more joy and color. There even seemed to have been enough of the right sized for their cousins Taderfit, Raquel, and Meghighda. They had not stopped twirling around in them and trying to glance down at themselves all night.

In short time, there was no one left to greet. Al Mualim's attention was absorbed by the only couple that had not dismissed him right after pleasantries. They were the lord and lady of Artasium, a modest village just a little south of Bethlehem. Lord Rodrigo was a Castilian, so they were likely bonding over the fact that they both came from the Iberian peninsula and spoke Romançe. Despite Rodrigo being a close friend of the Grand Master of the Templars, as he stated earlier, and a Christian from Iberia, he proved to be open-minded, and no resent was obvious in his tone or expression. This was, mayhap, because he acknowledged that now he was the one claiming footing in foreign land.

Juliana stepped back a little to convene with her daughter.

"You maintained a good composure back there. It won't be the last challenge to present itself so boisterously before you."

"Undoubtedly not the last from this Renaud de Châtillon, if he remains here." Her hands took shelter inside the wide sleeves of the bliaut. "But I do wonder about all others. Tonight was but a taste of the differing stances that will befall us. Imagine when more arrive to the city."

They were something to look out for, according to the factions that Baudouin had mentioned in the first letter she found in her chambers.

"Yes..." Juliana failed to recognize the same obstinate daughter from the day before, now taking active interest. She had not been talkative during the feast, but she did speak particularly toward her betrothed. "The King has brought on himself a considerable trial... as if he did not have enough on his plate already."

"I think he is better aware of where his limits lie than most of us. He can handle this and more."

The young lady suspected that was precisely another reason why he took on the quest for marriage: the challenge of it. The whole endeavor and its process: seeking a willing family and their bride in offering; getting that bride to be comfortable with him; dealing with the people that might be made uncomfortable by what she represented. It was all a great big task that he could craft to measure if he moved the right strings.