Stories thread - King of the Romans PBM

[OverKnight]

Rome, 1302

"So, I'm curious, why didn't you take my suggestion? Why did you support Dietrich's bid?"

Matthias sighed and glanced across the table at Elsebeth. An invitation to coffee had seemed innocent enough, but the Princess, true to character, was seeking information. Matthias drank a bit of the strong brew to give himself time to think.

"I doubt I would have had the support of the Diet. Defying the will of the Kaiser and a third straight term, I wouldn't have had the votes."

Elsebeth narrowed her eyes and ran her finger along the edge of her cup, "Really? And you thought Sir von Dassel would garner more support? I know you better than that, why not do it yourself? Why risk defying the Kaiser with a proxy?"

Matthias stared down at his cup, "Even if the Diet bent down on their knees and begged me, I would not have served a third term. I doubt that they would have done that anyway. Most of them are like that weasel Hans, half-hearted praise and muttering about how they would have done it better. Even if you do the job well, you wear out your welcome. And Dietrich was not a proxy. . .I supported his Charter Amendment because I felt the Kaiser was out of touch and not qualified to serve as Chancellor. However, I was not willing to run against him, von Dassel was, so I supported his bid."

Elsebeth raised an eyebrow, "But you voted against his Edict in the end, why?"

Matthias grimaced, "Not my finest hour. It was doomed to fail, and von Dassel had made a hash of enlisting support, enraged half the Diet in fact. I got off a sinking ship."

Elsebeth chuckled, "Well at least you still have a County, if not a command. Are you looking forward to your 'missionary' work?"

Matthias rolled his eyes, "Ah, good King Jan, the sanctimonious prig. It wouldn't surprise me if he was in bed with the Kaiser. Those Imperial edicts were rolled out right at the start, and he seconded all of them in a flash. He does owe his position to Siegfried, and it's not like he can expect a warm welcome in Franconia if he loses it."

"So what now? Will you stay in Outremer, return to Bavaria? Perhaps raise your banner in rebellion like Ulrich Hummel? That was at Adana, your Citadel, was it not?"

Laughing ruefully, Matthias drank the dregs of his coffee, "God forbid, things don't look good, with half of Italy gone Purple and the Kaiser gracefully donating a Sicilian territory to us, but rebellion? No."

Matthias paused and thought a bit, "As for what I am going to do? I don't know. I'd been Chancellor so long, I don't know what to do with myself now that I'm just a Count. I'm not really needed in Bavaria, but Outremer is a shadow of its former self. All I do know is that this unification business has to be stopped."

Looking at Matthias quizzically, Elsebeth refilled his cup.

"Why? One of the last acts of your term was to aid the Byzantines near Caesarea, why turn against them now?"

Matthias looked at Elsebeth and his eyes narrowed.

"Caesarea was a. . .peace offering, and not for the Byzantines. It is one thing to aid an ally, to bolster a friendly buffer state, it is another to treat with them as equals. We are an Empire, they are a remnant of one. Without us, they would not have Iconium or Caesarea, and most likely would have been picked off by the Turks or Hungarians by now. If the First Crusade hadn't intercepted those three Jihad armies, the heathens would be in Constantinople, and their 'Empire' would be nothing but a memory."

Elsebeth gave Matthias an appraising gaze over the rim of her cup.

"The Kaiser, the Kaiserin, the Prinz and most of the Electors are behind Unification, it would be unwise of you to oppose it. You did not follow my last suggestion, my dear, I hope you follow this one. Do not get in their way, you will gain nothing by opposing Unification, and could lose a great deal."

Matthias set down his cup with more force than necessary, "This isn't a matter to be bartered for influence. Unification is folly! We grow weaker while the Byzantines feed off our greatness! The Kaiser seems to listen to his wife more than his Electors, and her claws will only dig deeper the further we go with this farce. No good will come of it! What has been split asunder cannot be rejoined. To try, is to invite disaster."

Matthias rose and bowed to the Princess.

"I am sorry Highness, but I have travel arrangements to make. I must supervise the work on the Royal Arsenal at Adana. If I cannot lead men in the field, I will least help arm them. Good day."

After Matthias had left, Elsebeth sat a while deep in thought. Matthias had reached his potential and more, she had chosen wisely, but his star was now in descent. It was time to consider alternatives.

It was time to speak to Kaiserin Theodora.