BOOK 3: One True Destiny

Chapter 24

                                                                                         Rage

The Condottiero cannot believe it! Francis and Mary escaped! He finds all the guards together with Prince Carlos passed out surrounded by empty bottles of wine at the kitchen. "Wake up you fools! Our captives have escaped!" He exclaimed as he violently shake their backs. The guards are heavily intoxicated that they can barely open their eyes. The Condottiero then gets a pail of water and splash it in their faces, waking them all up! "Search the nearby forest and all the villages! Do not come back until you find them both!" He angrily said. They all hurriedly left. Carlos remains seated while the Condottiero approaches him. "I suppose you have nothing to do with this mess, do you?!" The Spanish Prince can barely respond. "Noo... obviouuszly nnot." He tried to stand but ended up passing out in the arms of  the Condottiero. This is a catastrophe! They will all be hanged by Ironhead as soon as he finds out that they lost the French prince and the Scottish queen! They must track them down before King Henry and Philip find out their location! The Radical party is not ready to face the combined massive army of France and Spain! They need time to organize forces and plan the battle strategy with their brothers from The Order of Santiago and The Order of Aviz! Where can they be hiding? There is no way that they can go far by foot! Surely, they are hiding somewhere near the castle.

                                                                                Silver Lining

An urgent message arrived at the Spanish Court! Philip immediately notified Henry and they both rush to Bash's chamber upon reading the letter. "What is it?!" Asks Bash as he sees them panting as they enter the council chamber. "Philip received a message from Italy regarding Francis and Mary! They have escaped! They were able to sought sanctuary in a University in the town of Camerino!" Bash stood up at once and called one of his mercenary brothers who is standing outside. "The time has come! Send word to all our brothers that we will all set sail to Italy before sunset. There we shall wait while France and Spain assemble their armies. War is coming... A war between us and those who dare to shift the powers of nation. We must prepare this instant! This war will determine the fate of The Order and of the world." The mercenary bows and immediately leaves. King Henry then sends an urgent message to Francois, the Duke of Guise, for him to gather and lead the majority of the French troops to Italy. He gives him strict instructions not to tell anyone about their impending attack. They must all act discreetly for The Radical party may have spies lurking inside the French court. King Philip instantly dispatched his fastest rider to urge his generals to prepare the Spanish army for battle. Their forces will meet in Asiago Plateau located at Veneto, Italy, where the Traditional party will camp and plan their battle strategy. They must reach Italy first before their enemies will have the chance to strike! For sure, the Radical Party will summon all its connections to win the war. While all of them are occupied making arrangements, Vincenzo arrived from Portugal. Right away he walked towards Bash and whispered something. "Your Majesties, I believe we finally identified the culprit. It is Jorge de Lancastre, the Duke of Coimbria, the younger brother of the late Prince Tomas." Bash announced. King Philip cannot believe that his first cousin once removed is responsible for this chaos! It is no wonder that The Radical Party has been one step ahead! The Spanish king is very much aware that Jorge is the acting leader of The Order of Santiago and The Order of Aviz upon the death of King Sebastian. These brotherhoods are the two most powerful military forces in Europe! They are highly trained fighters who never lost a battle. They are the men lurking in the shadows, who made a vow of loyalty solely to the rulers of Portugal for centuries... That is why the country has never been conquered. "Henry, I must travel this instant. I need to ask permission from the Portuguese court to temporarily appoint  me as their ruler in place of my son. Should they agree, Jorge will lose all his authority and power. I will be granted full control over the forces behind him. I leave the Spanish army under your command." King Henry nodded, placed his hands on Philip's shoulders and said, "Thank you my friend, France is forever grateful for your assistance." "I will send word as soon as I make progress." Says Philip as he leaves.

                                                                                    The Letter

After making all the necessary arrangements, Bash finally have the time to sit down and begin to write a message for Mary. The news of her safety abruptly ended his misery. What should he tell her? Where should he begin? It's been months since the last time they saw each other. The young leader takes a deep breath as he tries to find in himself the right words to say. Then he finally found the courage to slide his pen to the paper. 

My Dearest Mary,

I died the night that you disappeared. The past couple of months have been unbearable. I am in agony and in despair not knowing where you are or if you are well. I want you to know that my engagement with Lizzy did not push through. I simply cannot commit myself to another because my heart belongs to you and to you alone.

I love you. Please wait for me.

– Bash

He then asks one of the messengers to instantaneously travel to the University of Camerino to personally hand his letter to Mary. Bash smiles as he gives the letter away, as part of him that died came back to life. Soon he will see her and they will be together again.