The return of the fallen king

Chapter 37: Res Publica Ianuensis

<<"A smile is deceptive, I have found. Some are real... and some are false. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference.">>

― Tony Del Degan, The Plight of Steel

Conradin left the court of Peter II of Savoy with his army in tow, having failed to persuade the Savoyard forces to support him. It was still March of the 1267 year of the lord. Conradin probably departed the country with a bad taste in his mouth, knowing he'd lost the chance to boost his forces. Conradin and his forces were then left to continue marching, no doubt searching for allies to help them further their cause against Charles, but hope was soon fading as they had yet to come across anyone who appeared willing to back them.

Conradin was in charge of the army, which moved quickly, traveling 25 kilometers per hour.

After 16 days of maintaining this pace, the troops reached Genoa. The troops had traveled 400 kilometers in only 16 days, which was an impressive display of endurance. This demonstrated the discipline and unity of the army, and it was clearly obvious that the army was committed to completing its task and would stop at nothing to do so.

Conradin was leading the way and setting the pace for the rest of his warriors as he rode in front of the army. Since he was aware that they were in friendly territory and that his soldiers weren't currently under danger, he had let his guard down. After a long day of march, Conradin could see in the distance the walls of the city of Genoa, a sign that they were close to their intended destination. He could feel the excitement growing in the hearts of his soldiers, as they were eager to reach the city and unite their forces with the first of the four communes that pledged support to Conradin's cause.

As the army was sighted by the guards, there was a sudden sense of urgency and tension in the air. The guards scrambled to the palace to inform the officials of the approaching army, and a group of elegantly dressed men soon emerged from the gates, riding out to meet with Conradin's forces. These men were likely diplomats who would be tasked with invading Conradin inside to be treated as guests, and sure enough:

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" The Repúbrica de Zêna (Ligurian) salutes your highness, and the city is pleased to have the honor of hosting such a distinguished figure as yourself. Genoa is delighted to offer hospitality to such a great man, and as such, it is with great joy and pride that we invite your Majesty inside our walls." The Genoese said in a perfect German accent as he opened his arms as a form of invitation.

''On behalf of my men, I thank the esteemed ' Dominante dei Mari" ("the Dominant of the Seas") for the hospitality offered to me and my men," Conradin said with a sober and calm tone.

After this short exchange, Conradin was allowed inside the city along with his armies after obviously disarming most of their weapons since having 5,000 armed men inside a rich city was not the brightest of ideas. Soon enough, Conradin, along with his three retainers and his friend, reached the Senate of Genoa. Genoa was in fact led by a council of men divided between two noble families, "the Fieschi and the Grimaldi ''. The Fieschi governed the eastern part of Genoa, with their headquarters in La Spezia; the Grimaldi instead ruled the western part of Genoa, with their capital being San Remo. Currently, there was an unstable peace between the two families, which always seek to undermine each other. From the council hall, a man left to meet with the group, probably chosen to host the esteemed guests.

Once near them, he bowed and greeted the youngest one, whom they regarded as Conrad III.

''Good afternoon, your highness. I hope that your voyage was peaceful." The man asked, and after that, started to observe the young monarch in front of him, trying to gauge some information out of him, which failed for Conradin remained stoic throughout the short exchange .

"Yes, it was peaceful; thank you," Conradin replied with a slight smile. The man's words were respectful and polite, but there was also a hint of curiosity in his expression that Conradin found interesting. The older man seemed genuine enough, but he had to wonder what he was really thinking. He was not one to take anyone at their word, and he was always on guard when meeting new people for the first time. After a moment's pause, he spoke again.

'' May I know with whom I have the pleasure to talk?'' Conradin asked, trying to understand the identity of the man in front of him.

''Of course, your Majesty, my name is Oberto Doria, and I think that you had the pleasure to speak with my nephew Enrico some months ago." Oberto clarified to Conradin while letting out a kind smile.

'Yes, I do remember him; he is a strong man armed with a good spirit." Conradin noticed that Oberto's smile deepened as a result, and he assumed that Oberto was simply pleased to see that his nephew had made a good impression on the king.

''I have been entrusted with the responsibility of guiding you about Genoa and providing you with any information you may need to know.''

Even though the Doria family, of which Oberto was a member, had held many illustrious military positions throughout the history of the Republic, their relative weakness compared to the other two noble dynasties could be seen in the fact that they only had a small fief under their control.

As soon as Conradin heard it, he made the decision to be forthright and inquire about the status of the pledged troop he had been promised.

'' I would like to ask about the current status of the forces that were pledged for the campaign."

Oberto was not surprised by this , since he already predicted that Conradin was mainly interested about the auxiliary troops that Genoa could provide him for his campaign,as such he did not lost time to inform him of the composition of the Genoese support army.

''I thought that you would be interested in that, and we are happy to inform you that the agreed-upon 2,000 soldiers have already been raised. We have currently prepared 500 archers, 300 crossbowmen, 400 light horsemen, 200 heavy knights, and 600 men at arms for your campaign.

While this was not the initially promised agreement, Conradin was still satisfied, as he felt that the extra cavalry forces were more useful than 400 men at arms, for it is the cavalry that decides the battle most of the time, not the infantry.

''Wonderful, sir Oberto. I hope that this will be the start of a fruitful relationship between our two countries.'' Conradin said while thinking in his mind on how to better use the newly added troops, regarding their number as satisfying.

''I am sure it will be. Anyway, I was also relied upon to invite you this evening for a feast that will be launched in your honor this evening and ask if you will bless us with your noble presence."

''Of course, it will be my honor to be there and present," Conradin said , after all he started to have a soft spot for feasts and other social events.

''Wonderful, your majesty, I think that it is now time to depart from each other; you shall see me at the feast tonight."

''Very well see you there, Sir Oberto."

The man bowed deeply before turning and leaving, and Conradin looked at his companions. "A feast? They seem to be a hospitable lot here," he remarked. "And who is this Sir Oberto? Is he part of this council?" He was curious to find out more about the way that the Genoese republic was governed and what role Sir Oberto had in the running of the republic. It seemed like it would be prudent to find out more about the political structure of the city, and he figured that Sir Oberto might be a good source of information.

It was Corrado who answered Conradin, informing him that Oberto was a member of the Doria family. After letting Conradin digest the information Corrado took it upon himself to inform him of the current political status of Genoa. Telling Conradin of the current division of power between the Fieschi , The Grimaldi and the weak Doria family.

After that, Conradin, along with Frederick, Corrado, Galvano, and Maletta, retired to their own chambers after being led there by some servants tasked with assisting them.

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