I Only Love My Greatest Enemy

The Capital of Foldzar was abuzz with activity. Food vendors lined its streets, bringing out fresh dishes for the festival. Sugar plums, street pastries, and roast pigeons sent their sweet scents into the air.

Great platforms had been made, standing above the streets. Musicians played jolly tunes on them with flutes, lutes, crumhorns, drums, and numerous other instruments. The people in the area around the platforms danced like there was no tomorrow. Even those passing by listened to the music in the background.

The crowds were a wash of color. Blues, greens, and yellows were already popular colors for clothing. But for this festival, many people brought out their fanciest outfits. Priests wrote of events like these that the people there looked more like peacocks than humans.

Masks were common among the festival goers. They were incredibly varied. Some covered part of the face. Others, all of it. These masks could range from being modeled after animal faces to being a blank slate. And they were in numerous different colors.

Alcohol flowed freely. Barrels had been purchased by the festival's patrons and just left out in the streets for anyone to drink. Numerous people took up the offer, downing so much that they passed out. Others drank more modestly.

Great shows were held too. Theatres were filled to the brim with audiences eager to see Sir Lentforth's latest play. Street performers also drew large crowds. Smiles and laughter filled the roads of the capital.

There were other parts of the festival where men engaged in fencing competitions and dueling. Some blood was spilled. However, none of the duels fought were to the death.

Eris Hapsburg sat on a balcony overlooking one of the city's central plazas. She wore a red corset with a black dress under it. The girl had a green sash over her shoulders, and there was a white vulture-style mask on her face. It covered her eyes as well as her forehead, leaving her mouth exposed. There was a badge on her corset. It had the image of a two-headed black eagle on a field of yellow on it.

Five other noblewomen were on the balcony as well. They wore clothes of varying elaborateness as well as different masks. One of the women wore a similar badge to Eris. She wore similar clothes too. However, she had three shashes, two of red and one of purple. There was a pearl necklace around her neck. She had a similar hair color to Eris, but her eyes were green. Her jaw was longer than it should be, an effect of certain marriage habits of her branch of the family. This woman's mask was pale white and blank with images of pink waves on it.

"It is so good to finally meet you, Dutchess Hapsburg," Eris smiled warmly, struggling to avoid looking at the long jaw.

A chuckle escaped the older woman's mouth.

"Please, call me Rowena. We are both Hapsburgs. That makes us family," she said.

"Thank the gods, she's a woman. I'd think she was propositioning me otherwise. I understand not wanting to risk having commoner blood in your veins, but there is such a thing as being too obsessed with keeping the bloodline pure," Eris thought before speaking. "Then, please, call me Eris."

"Of course, Eris, my dear," Rowena nodded.

She then grabbed a cup of tea from the table and took a sip from it. Eris did not drink.

"I don't think she'll try to poison me, but there's no reason for me to take chances," the girl thought.

"Tell me, Eris, what do you think of your fiance?" Rowena asked.

With a smile, Eris answered.

"I love Armand with all my heart."

"Oh, I see. Well, you must have been disappointed when you saw his book," Rowena said. "Imagine the ludicrousness of it. A book claiming that monsters are real."

Eris kept up her false smile.

"How dare you insult Armand?" she thought before speaking. "I was there when the feast was attacked by monsters. I can assure you that they are real. And if you won't take my word for it, remember that Marshal Staufer backs Armand's claims too."

Rowena's face was completely covered by the mask. It was impossible for Eris to read it as a result, which sent a tinge of frustration through her body. Still, the girl could tell a few things from Rowen's body language.

"She knows that I'm telling the truth. Rowena believes Armand's claims, but she's still denying them. Then, this is entirely political," Eris thought.

"I see. I suppose it could have been some mass hallucination caused by some magic," Rowena stated.

"And what of the wolf skulls Marshal Staufer brought back from the feast? No wolf is as large as those."

"They must be very elaborate forgeries, made by whoever used magic on that feast. Surely, the idea of monsters is ridiculous enough to be dismissed on the face of it, regardless of how much evidence there is."

Eris shrugged.

"Think that if you wish," she spoke before thinking. "I gave Rowena standard responses, nothing that made me look insane. Let's see what her next move is."

Rowena let out a deep sigh.

"But Eris, you must at least worry about Armand's mental health. His job is very stressful with his ridiculous claims. He might have already gone insane," she said.

"How so?" Eris asked.

"Rumors are spreading of a faction forming. Its goal is allegedly to end serfdom. And, according to those rumors, your fiance is one of its leaders," Rowena answered.

She shivered.

"Imagine, Marshal Staufer's adjutant wanting to end serfdom of all things. He should have a priest examine him for possession if such a thing is true."

Eris' smile became genuine. She skilfully hid the malice present in it.

"Here it is, the real reason why Rowena is against Armand. I need to handle this carefully. If she wants me dead, I'm in a very good place for her to try to kill me. But I need to back Armand's anti-serfdom faction and make it clear that I'm on his side, even if ending serfdom is stupid," Eris thought before speaking. "I would not say it's madness. Serfdom has been falling out of favor for centuries now. No one wants another peasant revolt."

"The only times peasant revolts succeeded were when their demands were so low that it wasn't any trouble to grant them," Rowena pointed out.

Eris nodded, "That might be the case, but people always die in peasant revolts. And even if 1,000 traitorous commoners are killed in their uprising, is that really worth the life of even one noble?"

Rowena shrugged.

"Nobles die all the time, but the benefits of serfdom are undeniable," she said.

"If only Armand could see that. But he's held back by his notions of morality. And I'm stuck with his faction," Eris thought before speaking. "It is true that we don't live as long as commoners and serfdom is beneficial, but the knightly class is becoming obsolete. Mercenaries are growing in prominence. And most mercenaries are commoners. Even though mercenaries mostly work for money, there is a chance that they might sympathize with their commoner brethren."

Eris then made her expression turn dead serious.

"Without a warrior elite, we are more vulnerable to peasant revolts than ever before. Do you want to risk turning the very mercenaries we rely on against us? Not against any individual noble, but against the noble class as a whole?"

Rowena's shoulders spread apart. A slight tremble went down her hands. Eris had to suppress the smile on her face.

"I got her. Mercenaries would never turn against the highest bidder, and subhumans cannot outbid us. But Rowena believed my lies. If things keep going well, Armand and I might have a new ally," Eris thought.

The older Hapsburg woman nodded.

"Yes, I believe I can understand your logic," Rowena said.

She let out a deep sigh.

"In the old stories of chivalry, knights travel the land, fighting evil. They protect women, the clergy, and all innocents. They safeguard the lands from bandits and risk their lives to serve the king. I highly doubt things were that idealistic in reality. In all likelihood, knights were far more practical than the stories depict them, and they probably had a different sense of honor too."

"Things are rarely as black and white as the stories say," Eris nodded.

Rowena then turned her head. She gazed out at the sky.

"True. But at one point, I am certain that knights strived to live up to the chivalric romances. I have no doubt that there were knights who wanted to be just like Sir Lomarck or Sir Helrot. But that time has long since passed," Rowena said. "The knights of the present range from old men desperately clinging to relevance to men who are bandits in all but name."

Eris shrugged.

"Yes. Knights are losing wealth and power. I suspect they are bitter about it," she stated.

"Some of them are. Some of them are just desperate. I've heard of knights who started feuds with entire cities just to get ransom money," Rowena replied.

The older Hapsburg woman tilted her head downwards.

"You have some good points about serfdom. However, it is already on its way out. There is no need to outlaw it. Serfdom will go away on its own. And as long as things do not get worse for the serfs, we will not need to worry about any peasant revolts," Rowena said. "But things are getting worse for the knights. Their time is coming to an end, and they do not have many options. The peasants might not revolt. But mark my words, the knights will."

Eris gave her a nod. The girl made her expression turn grim.

"The last time around, the knights did not revolt. So, unless something changes their stances, they won't this time around either. I probably do not have to worry about that. I'll just play along," she thought.

"Even if they're obsolete, knights could be one of Foldzar's biggest threats. They are formidable warriors and many of them are still wealthy," Eris said.

"Yes. I believe we should focus on them and not the serfdom controversy," Rowena replied.

"Why not look at both? If serfdom is ended, the commoners might have more sympathy for the nobles who helped end it. Then, when the knights revolt, they will be more likely to side with us."

The older Hapsburg woman nodded slowly.

"That is a very good point. Getting the commoners on our side could be key to dealing with a knight revolt," Rowena said. "I will think on this more. I cannot make any rash decisions, especially when so much is on the line."

"Think as much as you need to," Eris replied.

After her conversation with Rowena was finished, Eris left the building she was in. The moment she stepped outside, she saw that someone was right outside. It had been a year since they last met. But Eris recognized Armand right away. Her heart thumped when she saw his face, and the faintest hint of desire flushed through her upon seeing his body. Before, she was too young to feel physical attraction for him. Now, Eris was entering puberty.

"Armand, you've grown," she said.

"So have you," Armand replied.

His eyes were locked with Eris'. Armand was deliberately avoiding looking at her chest. Eris wasn't the only one who had entered puberty. Still, there was a wariness about Armand.

"I did not expect you to find me so soon," Eris stated. "This was fast, even for you."

"It was, but I managed to make some connections that I didn't have the last time around," Armand spoke before thinking. "And thank the gods, I did. Leaving Eris in this festival on her own is not an option."

A smile crossed Eris' face.

"As expected of you, always making the best of new opportunities. Perhaps you could take me to meet some of those connections?" she asked.

Armand gave her a smile and a bow.

"This is perfect," he thought.

"I would be honored to, Eris. The church is holding a special service for this festival," Armand said.

His fiance blinked in shock.

"The church? Your connections are in the church?" she questioned.

"Yes, they are," he replied.

Not wasting any time, Armand grabbed Eris' arm. He yanked hard and started moving towards the capital's cathedral.

"We shouldn't be late, Eris. The service has already started," Armand said.

"You never had many connections in the church before," Eris stated.

"But things have changed. Like you said, I take advantage of new opportunities," he replied.

As Eris thought about how she could get out of having to go to spend the day in church, Armand recalled all the trouble he went through to find out just where Eris was.