The Ouroboros Cycle, Book One. G.D. Falksen
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Love, William thought. A manifestation of the foolishness of youth.
“Tell me of Fuchsburg,” William said, pretending not to recognize the name. “What property and wealth does your title entail? Or are you a baron in name only?”
“The Barons von Fuchsburg are old nobility from the days of the Holy Roman Empire. Napoleon sought to erase us. The Prussians sought to absorb us. But we are still here, still masters in our homeland.”
“Your property?” William repeated.
“The Barony of Fuchsburg controls thirty thousand acres of land,” Korbinian said, “two towns facing one another across the Rhine, the oldest university in the German-speaking lands, and the finest vineyards in all of Europe. I have more than enough wealth to ensure your granddaughter’s comfort and happiness, whatever her whims and desires.”
Korbinian looked at William intensely and continued:
“She will want for nothing, I assure you. Each day, when she wakes, she will view the majesty of the Rhine from her tower in the castle. She will be attended by the most dutiful servants—”
William almost scoffed, but he kept his thoughts private. Babette hated being fussed over by the servants.
“—She will never lack intelligent conversation,” Korbinian said. “Her sitting room will be graced by none but the finest minds in all the world, I promise you sir. Artists, philosophers, scientists, and scholars shall be at her beck and call, there to delight her mind and senses whenever she desires it!”
William held up a hand to silence him, taken aback by the statement. Few men would have known to speak of introducing his granddaughter to scientists and scholars before they spoke of kings and courtiers.
“Why would my granddaughter have any interest in such things?” William demanded, sounding angry. “Clearly you do not know her.”
Korbinian kept his head high and gave William an accusing look.
“You are mistaken, sir,” he said. “When she and I spoke, we spoke of nothing but the Classics, philosophy, and matters of substance. She delighted in them, as a foolish girl might delight in dresses and jewels.” He looked William directly in the eye and said, “If you think otherwise, then you do not know truly your granddaughter.”
William was amused enough at the boy’s challenge to indulge it a few moments before adjusting his stance and intensifying his glare. Korbinian was only human and he looked away, but he resisted the predator’s gaze longer than most men could have.
The boy was proving most interesting, William thought. Most interesting indeed.
He stopped at the edge of the apple orchard and looked out across the sea of trees. Small leaves and buds were beginning to form on the branches. Soon they would be in bloom.
“You are an interesting man, Baron von Fuchsburg,” he said. “And I will admit that you possess a better understanding of my granddaughter than do most men.”
Certainly a better understand of her than her own father possesses, he thought.
“You will grant your consent?” Korbinian asked.
“Do not be hasty,” William said, resuming his walk. “You and Babette have known one another for but a single day. I would not trust either of you to make a wise decision on this point within the span of twenty-four hours. I must think of my granddaughter, you understand.”
“She will be provided for—” Korbinian began.
“I can provide for her,” William said, interrupting him. “I wish to be assured of her happiness.”
“As do I, sir,” Korbinian said, with such vigor and earnestness that William almost laughed aloud.
“What of your relations, Baron?” William asked. “Your father?”
“My father is dead, sir.”
“Dead?” William raised his eyes at this. “And how did he come to die?”
“Asia, sir,” Korbinian said.
“Asia is a place,” William said, “not a cause of death.”
“When I came of age,” Korbinian said, “my parents went on an expedition into Persia, leaving me and my sister alone so that we could come to understand our duties. While in Asia, my parents came to be at war with one of the local khans over some matter that does not concern me and, therefore, of which I am ignorant. The khan killed my father moments before his own death.”
“How did the khan die?”
Korbinian smiled proudly and said, “My mother stabbed him through with my father’s sword and threw him from the top of the tallest tower of his palace. I am informed by my mother that the same fate was a form of execution used by the khan on his subjects for many years, so it met with the general approval of the populace.”
“Really?” William asked. He made his voice sound doubtful, but if what the boy said was even partly true, it spoke very highly of his lineage.…
“I swear upon the name of Our Lord, it is true,” Korbinian said.
“Yes, best not to bring Him into this,” William said. He and God had not been on speaking terms for as long as he could remember. Swearing upon the name of Christ only annoyed him. But Korbinian was young; he could be forgiven for it. “And where is your mother now?”
“She remains in Asia,” Korbinian said. “She took the kingdom by right of conquest and now rules as khan.”
William chuckled. The boy was telling stories, of course, but at least he was creative. James would never have understood why that was a good thing, but William did.
“You mentioned a sister,” he said.
“Yes,” Korbinian said, “my sister Ilse. She is unmarried, but she entertains suitors from the finest families in Europe.”
“Is she your elder or younger?”
“She is my twin, sir,” Korbinian replied.
William nodded but said nothing, considering various points in his head. At length he spoke again:
“Baron von Fuchsburg, you have impressed me today. But you must understand that I cannot give consent for my granddaughter to marry a man that she scarcely knows.”
“Then give me leave to court her,” Korbinian said. “I beg you, sir. My mind is like fire since I met her. My thoughts are aflame. I think of nothing but her.”
“Wait a week’s time,” William said, “and see how hotly your thoughts burn then. Better still, a month.”
“This is not mere desire, sir!” Korbinian cried. “You may doubt me sir, but I am driven by love, not by some base fantasy!”
William recognized the passion in Korbinian’s eyes and voice. At the very least, the boy thought he was sincere in his emotions.
“You have lodgings in the village?” William asked.
“I do,” Korbinian said. “And in Paris. I was meant to spend the spring there, meeting eligible young women. Now I wish for none of them but your granddaughter.”
“Remain in the village,” William said. “Wait for my reply.”
“I would wait an eternity, so long as it may lead to my seeing her again,” Korbinian said.
William looked at him and nodded.
“I do believe you would,” he said. “Thankfully for the both of us, my answer will not be an eternity in coming.”
Babette’s future did not have the time for eternities.
* * * *
“No! Absolutely not! I forbid it!”
James’s