by K. T. Tomb
“Quite right,” Angus agreed. “Do you know much about her then?”
“Just the basics, I’m afraid, but I’m completely intrigued. She was such a powerful woman and for her to have survived and remained so formidable in such a strange and perilous time for women who dared to grasp at power and wealth, is absolutely fascinating,” Chyna said. “But tell me, Angus, what you know. Robert says you’re quite the expert. I especially want to know why they called her ‘The Eagle’.”
“How much time ‘ave ya got?” the old man asked her, with a cheeky look in his eye.
“As long as it takes for you to tell me everything you know, Angus,” Chyna said, with a smile.
She reached into her pocket and took out the pack of Embassy cigarettes, placing them on the stump between them and dropping the lighter beside it before leaning back in the garden chair and repeating, “As long as it takes.”
The old man smiled as he took a cigarette from the pack and lit it.
“Alright then, missy. We might as well start at the very beginning. I can only tell you how I remember the story. When you get to the estate you’ll get to read it for yourself in the original manuscript.
“Before her birth, Eleanor's life had been prophesized about. History doesn’t say by whom, but the prophecy itself was recorded:
'The eagle of the broken bond shall rejoice in the third nestling.'
“Eleanor was the eagle, the broken bond was the annulment of her marriage to Louis and the third nestling was Eleanor's favorite son, Richard.
“She was born into the ruling family of the duchy of Aquitaine, a large province that covered most of western France. Aquitaine was a cultural center, much ahead of its time compared to the other French duchies and cities that still lived in a medieval world. Aquitaine was also the largest of the French duchies, the prize of Western Europe. Eleanor's family had ruled Aquitaine since Ranulf I, Duke of Poitiers, first held the title from 841-867.
William was born in 1099 to Duke William IX of Aquitaine and his second wife, Philipa de Rouerque. William IX was famous across the continent for his scandalous behavior. He was what became known as a 'troubadour'. While France lived in a dark age, William turned Aquitaine into a land of culture and beauty. The court of his Aquitanian duchy became a center for artists, poets, musicians, singers, and writers. He married Philipa de Rouerque, William X's mother, after her husband, the King of Aragon, died. Not soon after, he discarded Philipa and took on a mistress, a woman named Dangereuse de Chatellerault. She had a daughter named Eleanor, whom William decided to marry to his son, William X.”
“Wow,” Chyna said, “that’s incredulous how even though he was such a playboy himself, the King still saw fit to arrange his son’s marriage.”
“It was the way of the day, lass. A man could bed whomever he wishes, but he married the woman his parents chose.”
“Fascinating.”
“Although William tried to refuse, the marriage took place, somewhere around 1120, when Eleanor was only 17. About a year or two later, the couple celebrated a healthy daughter, whom they also named Eleanor. However, the girl wasn’t the heir Aquitaine needed. After another three more years, in 1125, they had another child, a girl named Aelith. Then finally, in 1126, a boy whom they named William Aigret was born. He was to be the next duke of Aquitaine. In 1127, Duke William IX died, leaving William X as the next duke of Aquitaine.
“Sadly, tragedy struck the family in 1130. Eleanor of Chatellerault died at the age of 27, as did William Aigret, at the age of 4. Widowed, William now only had his two daughters, Eleanor and Petronilla. This brought up talk of a possible female succession, and William decided to name Eleanor as his heir, to become the Duchess of Aquitaine. She would be the first ‘and only’ woman to rule the duchy in her own right.
“In the summer of 1137, Eleanor received news that her father was dead, having suffered from food poisoning, and that she was the Duchess of Aquitaine. Before he had died, William had declared King Louis VI of France as Eleanor's protector and a few of his loyal knights set out to inform Louis VI of William's death. Louis, upon hearing of the unfortunate loss, hatched an excellent plan. Eleanor was being urged to marry quickly to protect her interests. Many lords of Aquitaine were greedy and attempted to rape Eleanor and marry her so that they could take control of Aquitaine. So Eleanor agreed to King Louis' suggestion and married his son, the dauphin Louis, in the summer of 1137. The two were wed in Bordeaux by Geoffrey du Loroux, and upon the agreement, Eleanor remained the sole ruler of Aquitaine with Louis as her consort. In the event of her death, he would inherit it. A week after their marriage, on August 1, 1137, King Louis VI died of dysentery. Louis was now King Louis VII of France. Eleanor was now a queen.
“When Louis wrote to the German emperor, Conrad III, and convinced him to join the French troops on the expedition, that became known as the Second Crusade, Eleanor had no intention to sit at home in Paris. Although he was reluctant, Eleanor convinced Louis to let her join him on the crusade. In 1147, Eleanor and Louis reached the Holy Land.
“The French and German troops reached Constantinople to a royal greeting. Louis and Eleanor lodged at Blachernae Palace with Emperor Manuel I and his wife, Irene of Sulzbach.
“Prince Raymond was killed in 1149 while in combat, his severed head sent to the caliph of Baghdad. After Antioch, the French forces and the German forces continued to Edessa, but finally, both sides gave up. The trip was exhausting, and the whole crusade was a mess. The French troops returned home, and Eleanor and Louis returned by ship, separate ships by Eleanor's demand. In hopes of reconciling their marriage which was deeply hurt on the crusade, Louis and Eleanor stopped in Rome under Louis' wishes. There they visited with Pope Eugenius, who persuaded the two to sleep in the same bed once again. Eleanor agreed, and after she arrived home in Paris, she gave birth to another daughter, Alix, in 1150.
“In 1152, Eleanor had had enough of Louis, and although he tried to persuade her to reconsider, Eleanor decided to have her marriage to Louis annulled. Louis was a weak man, controlled by Thierry of Galeran, who poisoned his mind with lies about Eleanor. Eleanor wanted real love, the kind that had been written and sung about in Aquitaine and in the new and refined Paris. Barely two months after Eleanor and Louis annulled their marriage, Eleanor had remarried.
“This time she married the Duke of Anjou, Henry, a member of the Plantagenet family. Henry's grandfather was Henry I, King of England. His mother was the famous Matilda, the former empress of Germany and the Duchess of Normandy. The marriage shocked the people of France. Eleanor was 11 years older than Henry. Nonetheless, Eleanor had found a man she loved more than Louis, but no more than 5 months after her marriage to Henry, she bore a child in 1153, named William, who later died in 1156.
“The year after William's birth, 1154, another son was born, Henry. 1154 also marked another great event in Eleanor's life. Her husband became King Henry II of England, following the disastrous reign of King Stephan of England. Eleanor was now the Queen of England. As Eleanor set out to culture her new kingdom, Henry celebrated his good fortune. Before his marriage to Eleanor, Henry had controlled Anjou and Normandy, and now he controlled in addition not only England but Gascony, Touraine, and Aquitaine.
“On April 1, 1204, Eleanor died at the age of 82 at the Abbey of Fontevrault. She was buried there, between Henry II and her son Richard, who is today remembered as Richard le Couer de Lion, Richard the Lion-Heart.
“Eleanor had outlived five of her seven children. The only two who outlived her were Eleanor, who died in 1214, and John, who died in 1216. At the time of her death she had over 30 grandchildren. In just 15 years she became the duchess of Aquitaine, the Queen of France and the Queen of England. Under Eleanor's reign she brought about a great change in Europe. She introduced art and culture to the continent that had lived in the dark shadow of the church for centuries. During her reign the construction of the Notre Dame cathedral took place, and the population of Paris soared to 200,000.
“Today Eleanor's descendants hold thrones across Europe and she is remembered as a very important figure of the Crusades. Her cultures that she introduced to the great kingdoms almost a millennia ago still live on today and Eleanor lives on as one of the most ruthless “yet beloved” rulers ever.”
“So this is the woman whose armor I must find?” Chyna said, marveling at the magnificent story she had just heard.
“It disappeared just over twenty-five years ago; stolen right out of the manor house. Just gone one night, without a trace and hasn’t been seen since.”
“Angus,” Chyna asked curiously, “Outside of it once belonging to Eleanor and the fact that a woman in that time would never need a suit of armor made for her, much less worn by her, what’s so special about it?”
“Well, lass, if you were listening and put two and two together, you’d have gotten that both of her husbands went on crusade; both times Eleanor went with them and she always ended up pregnant while in the field.”
“So?”
“So, Eleanor’s little nickname was solidified during those years. It was then that she became known for joining her husbands’ troops on the battlefield. When she did so, she insisted on wearing full battle armor, just as any knight would. A magnificent suit which was specially designed for her and bore the sigil of an eagle with wings spread wide open over the Shield of the Crusaders. But her armor wasn’t just designed for a woman,” Angus said, sitting back and smiling widely at her as he lit another cigarette. “It was designed for a pregnant woman; a heavily pregnant Queen.”
The End
Chyna Stone returns in:
The Aquitaine Armor
Return to the Table of Contents
THE AQUITAINE ARMOR
by
K.T. TOMB
A Chyna Stone Adventure #5
The Aquitaine Armor
Published by K.T. Tomb
Copyright © 2014 by K.T. Tomb
All rights reserved.
The Aquitaine Armor
Prologue
“Sir Robert,” Chyna said, “I find your story truly fascinating, but then again, I’ve never met a real descendant of British royalty before. Any royalty for that matter.”
She was gushing and she knew it. In an effort to ground herself a little, Chyna held on to Tony’s arm firmly.
“Ilea,” Tony said, “shall we dance a little?”
“Certainly; I was wondering when someone would ask me.”
Tony pried Chyna’s hand from his left arm. They excused themselves and walked toward the dance floor in an effort to allow Chyna to get her feet wet in the prospective case.
“Let’s sit down,” Sir Robert suggested.
It was a good idea. Chyna was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed with the entire affair; she had been caught completely off guard by Ilea’s brisk introduction and Sir Robert’s explanation of his crisis. When they were comfortably ensconced at a nearby table, Robert signaled for a waiter. The man came over to them promptly.
“Coffee,” he instructed, and the waiter moved away with his order.
They sat in silence, taking in the activity around them until he returned with the tray; a pot of steaming coffee, two cups and the usual accompaniments. The waiter had outdone himself by bringing a few tea sandwiches and biscuits along with the beverage. Robert tucked something neatly into his gloved hand after the exchange and thanked him.
After a few sips, Chyna’s head stopped swimming and she took that as her cue to get her facts straight.
“Of course, you know that I wouldn’t be able to confirm our involvement until I’ve had the chance to discuss it with my associates.”
“I understand, Miss Stone,” Sir Robert replied. “I thought you would be too gracious to accept on a whim. However, it is absolutely crucial that you take it into consideration. I’ve had a long five years since my father passed on with getting the estate’s affairs back in order and turning it into what it is today. It just seems that no matter what I accomplish there, nothing will be gratifying enough for me until somehow the armor is restored to its rightful place.”
“Well, I guess my real question is, how would you even be able to tell it apart from another of the same period—even from the same set of knights or military company?”
Robert laughed and looked straight at Chyna.
“When you… sorry… if you come to Dordogne Estate, you will understand everything. My caretaker there, Angus McKinley, knows as much about Eleanor of Aquitaine as someone from her own court would have. That aside, the Eagle’s armor was very unique, Miss Stone. Her sigil on the breastplate alone would be instantly recognizable.”
“What would you say the armor is worth today, Sir Robert?”
“Well, apart from being absolutely priceless to me and the rest of the Montgomerys, I’d say a unique piece with such provenance would go at auction for upwards of a million pounds.”
“That’s quite a sum.”
“Indeed.”
They sipped their coffee in silence for a few more moments before Chyna put her cup down and looked at him.
“I’ll take the case as long as I can get one of my investigators to agree to come. As a new policy, we no longer go on solo jobs.”
“Yes, I heard about what happened to Miss Ambrose; my sincere apologies.”
“It turned out fine, but we might not be so lucky next time, so it’s two or no deal these days.”
Chyna stood from the table and so did Sir Robert. She extended her hand for him to shake and then spoke again.
“We’ll contact you in a few days once I’m back in the office.”
“I appreciate you considering this, Miss Stone.”
With a nod, Chyna stepped away from the table to find Tony.
***
The flight back to Istanbul had felt like a homecoming for her. Tony sat close beside her with his arm draped around her shoulder for most of the flight. Chyna rested her head on his shoulders and slept most of the way like a baby.
Tony couldn’t help thinking how lucky he was to have a woman like her in his life. There was never a dull moment and he couldn’t say that, with the lifestyle he lived, he could ever find a better fit. They both spent the vast majority of their time on the road, but at least the last year had seen them both coming to call the same country home: Turkey.
Even if they didn’t live in the same city yet, it was the first time they had even lived on the same continent in fourteen years of dating. He sighed as Chyna rested her head on his shoulder again as he drove her Audi Q7 from the airport to Chyna’s house in the Cihangir neighborhood.
He only had a few more weeks of vacation before he would be starting at the U.S. Consulate office, but even the thought of finally beginning in his new assignment couldn’t faze him; he was just so glad to finally be with her. In the house, Chyna went upstairs to shower while Tony took the luggage from the car and up to their bedroom.
Their bedroom, he thought with a chuckle as he climbed the stairs.
He placed the bags in front of the closet and sat on the bed to take his shoes off. Chyna was singing in the shower and he smiled as he recognized a song they had both loved when they had just started dating. He remembered Chyna saying to him one night that the lyrics barely made any sense, but somehow that didn’t make it any less enjoyable. He recalled that a lot of the lyrics to popular songs at that time had that same quality about them; a sense of disjointedness that seemed appropriate for the time.
Tony unbuttoned his shirt and threw it at the clothes hamper before pushing the door open and stepping into the bathroom.
“Tony?”
“It’s me, Babe,” he replied, undoing his jeans and pulling them off as well.
“Are you coming in?”
“Of course I am, darling.”
“Good, I was getting lonely.”
***
The next morning, Chyna went into her office earlier than usual.
She knew there would be piles of email
s waiting for her and that she only had herself to blame for it. Chyna had taken the four days to return to Iraq for Ilea’s museum party and she had treated them like a ‘full on’ vacation. She never once replied to the many emails and notifications she saw come up on her Blackberry; Sandra had instructions to refer everything to Sirita and Sirita had instructions to call her if anything was urgent.
It wasn’t as bad as she had thought and she archived the old messages, deleted the trash mail and printed the ones she wanted to follow up on. Among them, and at the top of her pile, was an email Sir Robert Montgomery had sent wishing her a safe trip home.
He reminded her to think about his case and accept his offer of an all expense paid trip to his Bristol estate of Dordogne to gather a few facts before she made up her mind. At the top of the paper Chyna wrote, ‘Oscar: Standby’ and shoved it aside.
“Siri!” Chyna called, as soon as she heard the front door open at a quarter to nine.
“Chyna?” asked Sirita in a confused voice. “Is that you?”
“Sure is! Come in here a minute, please.”
Sirita pushed her boss’s door open and stepped inside.
“How was it in Baghdad? Was the party as amazing as I suspect?”
“It really was and not one speech was made the entire time!” Chyna said. “There was wonderful food and drink and a lot of dancing.”
“Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun,” Sirita replied.
“It was. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get to go to the next one; not all our clients are that formal,” Chyna reassured Sirita.
Prior to her and Tony’s departure for Baghdad, she has gotten the feeling that Sirita had felt left out for not being invited to the museum opening. She was also aware of the fact that neither had Lana or Oscar and had quickly recognized it for what it was, which was corporate congeniality; if everyone couldn’t attend, then none would be invited.
