The return of the fallen king

Chapter 35: Which devil is better to trust?

Pope Clement IV was clearly a busy man, with endless meetings, conversations, and decisions to be made. It was no surprise that he treasured his little spare time and wanted to use it in the most relaxing and delightful way possible. With that in mind, the Pope was enjoying his brief holiday from his duties by relaxing in his own quarters. The Pope had clearly left all his troubles and anxieties behind him in those few moments of leisure, and he was able to enjoy the moment of serenity and pleasure.

A tap on the door, however, soon interrupted his rest. A servant arrived to inform the pope that Charles had sent an envoy to his holiness in order to deliver him a letter, which was then given to his holiness by said servant.

''All right, please leave the letter on the bed; I'll read it soon. Also, give the courier some rest; I'm sure he'll be fatigued." The pope said to the young boy who had served him in this last year.

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The Pope sighed as he accepted the duty and took a moment to savour the silence as the servant exited the room and closed the door behind him.He then walked over to the bed, took the message, opened the letter, and began reading it, his look becoming more solemn with each syllable. Whatever Charles had written to the Pope was obviously a very serious subject that required the Pope's immediate attention and consideration. Sure enough, fury gripped the vicar of Christ just a few minutes after he took the letter sent by Charles.

The pope was angered by Charles' transgression and immediately wrote a response. His holiness was incensed at the actions that Charles had taken, and he made his displeasure clear in his letter. The pope believed that there was absolutely no excuse for such acts against the church, and he made it clear that he would not allow such abuses of divine power to stand. The pope wrote his response angrily and with a strong sense of justice, clearly stating his position and his intent to hold Charles accountable for his actions. He was outraged and furious at his attempts to usurp God's authority for his own political gain. The Pope saw this as a grave and heinous sin, and he was committed to bringing Charles to justice for his sacrilegious acts. He sent a strong and firm message of rebuke to Charles and made it clear that he would not allow the newly crowned king to continue his abuse of power unchecked.

After having done so, the pope took hold of the letter in his hand and began tearing it apart; after all, he was no fool and knew how to submerge himself in the world of politics. The letter he wrote was what he truly wanted to say, but the pope knew that he could not afford to make an enemy out of his only shield against Conradin.

While the pope's initial reaction to Charles' letter was one of rage, his subsequent reaction was one of cool calculation and political skill. He understood the necessity to play the game of politics and power, even if it meant surrendering his personal views and ambitions in the sake of a larger good. He set aside his first reaction and spent his time crafting an answer that would be more courteous and diplomatic, hopefully leading to a better outcome in the long run. It was a difficult undertaking, but one that the Pope was willing to undertake for the sake of the Church and God's people.

*To the Lord's faithful servant

I hope that God blesses you and your family.

I shall be honest with you, my child, for deep sorrow took hold of me when I read the letter you sent me. I have called you from France to protect the church, not abuse it. I want you to know that what you did would be enough to excommunicate you from the church and meet the same end as the one you have defeated.

Nonetheless, God's word recommends that we forgive and seek repentance. Seeing as you were sorry for what you had done, I suppose that you have repented and are worthy of forgiveness. However, You will have to show your repentance by protecting the church from imminent harm that will come to God's house. I hereby order you to ascend to Rome to take hold of your duties and to offset your wrongdoing with noble acts. I have to inform you that many of the communes are divided between serving Conradin or the church. May God have mercy on them.

It does not help the fact that you have remained mostly passive since you took hold of the throne, and many people have interpreted this lack of action as a sign of weakness. Many ghibellins in Florence are becoming restless, and the Guelph regimè may soon be turned into a ghibellin one. As such, I urge you to go to Florence with an army and show that you are more than present in the current Italian struggle. Your army will reinforce the position of the Guelph and weaken that of the Ghibellin. Time is short, Charles; act fast for all of our sakes.

Your holy father, Clement IV*

Charles' actions, in fact, profoundly disappointed and enraged Clement IV. He had made him to ascend to the throne hoping to defend and guide the church and its followers with the light of God, but it was apparent that Charles had become corrupted and influenced by the devil. Clement, on the other hand, recognized that he needed Charles's might now more than ever.

As such he devised a plan to balance Charles's forces after Conradin was dealt with.

After finishing his letter, a headache began to arise, creating great irritation that had not before existed in the pope's head. The current situation does not appear to be promising. Both Charles and the Pope held onto the idea that it would be at least a few years before Conradin arrived in Italy, years that could have been utilized to better prepare. Conradin's appearance caught both of them off guard, and as a result, they needed to move quickly or risked losing all of the work they had done and planned to do. The pope was concerned and frustrated that they would be at a disadvantage as a result of the rapid development. He knew they'd have to work swiftly to prepare for and protect against Conradin's attack.

Soon enough, however, Clement calmed down. After analyzing the situation, the pope understood that Conradin was still outnumbered by the French-ghibellin forces by at least two to one, and as such, they still had the advantage against the Hohenstaufen-ghibellin army. After all, most of the communes were supporting the church and would be more than happy to send forces to repulse the new player in the region. This meant that they still had the advantage and could use their numerical superiority to decisively defeat Conradin. This gave Clement a sense of relief and renewed hope, as he knew that if they could use their numbers effectively, they would be able to easily win. Soon enough, the worried frown turned into a sneer as the pope made fun in his mind of Conradin, who entered the Italian chess board without gaining enough allies, which served as proof of his short-thinking and immaturity.

Shortly after, the Pope met with the archbishop of Consenza, explaining the general political situation and the necessity for Charle's protection of the church, which could be translated as "We won't do anything because we need him to protect us." He also guaranteed him that no further transgressions against the church would be perpetrated by their defender. However, this one last sentence was more of an hope than a certainty, and both men knew that but kept silent

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