Golden Face

Chapter 7

Almost a year later, Sibylla gave birth to a healthy boy. The midwife lifted the baby up, wrapped him in a white cloth and placed him in his mother's arms.

"Baldwin" said Sibylla smiling "Like my dear brother"

The maids took the baby to wash it and Sibyl slept, after her difficult birth.

Baldwin was sitting on his throne, facing him, his generals and relatives, who helped him in the war, were standing.

"Saladin is not going to back down now. The Muslim lands are beginning to unite under his rule and are waiting for the right time to attack Jerusalem, in the name of Allah"

"We will not allow this rebellion. I will send a letter to King Henry for more crusaders"

"They are outnumbered"

"Maybe, but we have the power of the one and only God on our side"

"We will also ask for the help of Constantinople. I am sure they will be on our side as always"

Baldwin rose from his throne and approached the map on the table "If we follow this side, Saladin should split his army, to surround us. With that way, it will be easier to defeat the divided army"

 "We'll use his strategy against him" Raymond thought for a moment "Very good idea"

"I want the crusaders and mercenaries that come to be already well trained from their homelands. We don't have time to train them from scratch here." The king said

"Indeed your majesty, I will inform Emperor Manuel of your terms"

"Barizan, I want you to take over the training of the crusaders" Baldwin said to a crusader "I want you to be in charge of whether they are ready to take part in the war, just like you did with me"

"Yes, my lord," said one of the crusader generals.

"The council is over for today" Baldwin said and all the generals bowed and left the room except from Guy who waited for everyone to leave so he could talk to Baldwin.

"The Sibyl has given birth to a son, an heir. You'd better go see him, to give him your blessing"

"I don't want to infect the pure child with my disease" he said leaving the room.

"Sibyl wouldn't see it that way though," Guy said as the door closed

He was sitting at his desk, writing the letter for King Henry. He would dip the quill into the inkwell, guiding the nib to the calligraphic letters he wanted to send. He took off his gloves and with his limp hands took the hot candle, letting it fall on the stiff paper. The pain from the candle in his hand never bothered him, he didn't feel the pain. He took off his gloves so as not to get them dirty.With the seal he pressed the wax, leaving the coat of arms of the royal family of Jerusalem on the letter. He put on his gloves and ordered the messenger to deliver the letter to England immediately.

Walking down the corridor, he saw Sibylla playing with little Baldwin in the garden. The love that they could not get in the first years of their lives from their sinful mother, Sibylla gives it to her son multiple times.

What he would not give not to be sick, not to defile his nephew with his hands, not to frighten him with his face, to be able to leave an heir to the throne, as his father and his grandfather did with their turn.

When he defeated Saladin three years ago, he felt that with such a victory he would also defeat his illness. He would live longer than any king, over sixty years. Now, he wasn't sure if he would make it to thirty.

 He walked into his room and looked at himself in the full length mirror. His sadness, his anxiety about everything happening to him, led him to lose control of his anger. He took off his mask and threw it at the mirror, breaking it.

"Your Highness" Rebecca's voice made him put his thoughts in order "Is everything alright?" she knocked on the door

"Don't come in!" he shouted, grabbing his mask

"I heard a loud noise, are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine, don't worry" he put on his mask "You can come in"

She opened the door and saw him standing next to the fallen, broken mirror. Rebecca walked up to him and looked around.

"I wanted to see if you were hurt by the shards of the mirror. You're lucky you're wearing white clothes and it would be shown"

"And I am lucky to have a faithful maid by my side" Rebecca smiled and began to pick up the broken mirror "Throw it away, they say it's a bad omen" she bowed and continued to pick it up.

He fell on the bed, his arms outstretched as if he was crucified, staring at the ceiling of the room.

"How did it break?"

"He got on my nerves"

"Your hands don't look hurt"

"I broke it with my mask" he made a motion with his hand "I threw it on my nerves"

"Too bad I didn't get in sooner then"

 "Why;"

"I would see your face"

"Why do you want to see my face?"

"Pure curiosity"

 "You don't want to see my face"

 "Why? Are you so ugly, so you wear a mask?" she started to laugh but stopped "Excuse me for my comment"

 "I wouldn't say ugly, more like disgusting"

"I don't believe it" Baldwin got up from his bed and looked at her "It's not the face that matters, it's the soul. You are a good and fair king to your people, there is no reason for anyone to judge you negatively because of your ugly face "

"Your speech is fine, but it does not persuade me to show you my face. Not even the Sibyl has seen it. Believe me, you will change your mind about me if you learn the whole truth, even if I were as good king as Alexander the Great, the Macedonian"

"I won't persuade you any further" she said after collecting all the pieces of the mirror into a large pouch

"I will call the servants to take the rest. Be careful not to step on any piece I didn't collect"Rebecca left the room and Baldwin fell back into bed.

As Agni did not deserve Jerusalem, so he did not deserve such a faithful servant as Rebecca.