Tyranny of Steel

Two weeks came and went, and during this time Berengar had been closely monitoring the reports from his armed forces who were sifting through the ashes of Tlemcen in order to rescue any survivors of the German attack.

Those who were fortunate enough to have lived through the day of reckoning thought that perhaps the world had come to an end. After all, such overwhelming power was something that had never before been witnessed by humanity.

The combined might of the German thermobaric missiles was so powerful that it could even be seen from space, something which was caught on film by the Reich's military satellites.

Regardless as to what one thought about this incident, one thing was certain.

A powerful message had been sent to the world: The von Kufstein Dynasty and its Cadet Branches were strictly off limits. Any harm done unto them would result in the total annihilation of not only your entire bloodline, but the Kingdom where you reside in.

Because of this, Berengar and his family were able to enjoy the next two weeks in relative peace. Even Zara, who was considered the belle of the ball, was left entirely alone by those Arab princes who wanted nothing more in the world than to marry the girl. This was ideal for Zara, as she would much rather spend her free time with her father. Which is exactly what the girl did as she followed Berengar around the Moroccan palace like a loyal puppy.

Eventually, the day came for Ghazi's wedding, and while the boy was getting dressed for the upcoming ceremony, his father visited him. A brief knock on the door, followed by Berengar's deep voice, was all that Ghazi needed to permit entry. Once he saw his father standing in the doorway of his temporary residence, the young Sultan smiled and asked the question which was most important to him at this moment.

"Father, how do I look?"

Berengar smiled with fatherly affection, as he placed a hand on his son's shoulder before assuring him that he looked the proper part.

"You look very handsome, my son. Almost exactly like I did when I married your mother, albeit with darker skin and golden eyes. I am sure that your young bride will be blushing the moment she lays eyes on you."

Ghazi was dressed in a velvet tuxedo, and was indeed the spitting image of his father. The boy had even adopted his father's signature hairstyle. As for Berengar, he was dressed in a similar fashion to his son. The two men stared at each other in silence for some time, before Ghazi finally spoke, and in doing so, told his father the words that he had been meaning to say to the man for two weeks now.

"Father... I know why you did what you did... And even though I was a bit shocked, and admittedly terrified, when it happened. I can now say with certainty that I would have done the same if I were in your shoes. Our family can never be disrespected or harmed. And though Zara can be a serious pain in my ass sometimes, she is still my beloved little sister.

When I heard what had happened to her I was preparing my military forces for an invasion of Tlemcen, I guess that was a bit foolish on my part, when one considers the fact that the girl's father is not only the world's most protective parent but also the most powerful man on Earth."

Berengar smiled and nodded his head in approval of his son's words. He was glad to see that his children did not think any less of him for his cruelty. Speaking of which, this reminded Berengar that he had a wedding gift for his son, which he was quick to announce.

"Oh, speaking of Ghazi, I have a wedding gift for you. The lands that once belonged to the Emirate of Tlemcen are now yours to do with as you please. Though in retrospect, I probably should not have utterly annihilated their population if this was to be the region's fate."

Ghazi immediately broke out into laughter at his father's words. It was a grim topic to be sure, but just like Berengar, Ghazi had a dark sense of humor, and could not help but find that the whole situation was a bit laughable. Thus, in between his chuckles, Ghazi made fun of his father for perhaps the first time in his life.

"Yes, indeed, perhaps annihilating every living soul within Tlemcen was not the best idea. After all, they could have been very useful in my workforce. Oh well, what is done is done, and the land itself is still valuable, even if it has been scorched to shit..."

It was not Berengar's turn to laugh as he did so briefly before leading Ghazi out of his temporary quarters and towards the venue where the wedding was about to take place. The Mosque was just large enough to host the many guests who had arrived. However, when compared to the Grand Cathedral of Kufstein, which was the world's largest and most luxurious Church, Berengar felt that it was severely lacking.

Still, he would not complain about his son's choice of venue for his special day, and thus he entered the stands, where he found his wife, Yasmin, and their eldest daughter Zara waiting for him. After sitting down next to them, Berengar noticed that they were already in tears over the prospect of their beloved Ghazi finally getting married. Berengar simply shook his head in response to the overwhelming display of emotions and made a crass remark beneath his breath.

"Women..."

Not long after the Ceremony began, Ghazi and Amara conducted the Muslim rights of marriage in front of all their witnesses. Berengar gazed upon the Arabic beauty, and instantly thought to himself that the woman was not the equivalent of his wife Yasmin, or his daughter Zara, but was still good enough looking for his son to marry.

After the ceremony was over, the guests departed from the mosque, back to the palace, where they feasted on a variety local delicacies. To entertain the guests, the former Sultan of Morocco had hired a bunch of belly dancers to perform. Zara watched the performance with an excited look in her amber eyes. The girl immediately clamped onto her father's arm as she expressed her interest in learning just how to dance like the performers.

"Oh daddy, can Zara please learn how to belly dance?"

Berengar looked at his daughter with a bit of an odd expression on his handsome face. While it was true that the girl's mother knew how to belly dance, and performed for him quite regularly. Berengar felt weird thinking about his girl engaging in what to him was a very suggestive dance.

However, his daughter was now a woman, and would soon be marrying a man of her own choosing. Thus, after thinking about the subject in silence for several moments. Berengar made one condition for Zara, before agreeing to her request.

"I will permit it, however if you are going to learn how to belly dance, then you must swear that you will only perform for your future husband..."

Zara instantly agreed to these conditions before hugging her father and pecking him on the cheek with her luscious lips.

"Oh, thank you daddy! I promise!"

Yasmin looked over at her husband and rolled her eyes, knowing that she would be the one tasked with instructing their daughter on how to perform the traditional arabic dance.

However, she did not mind such a thing, after all it allowed her to become closer with her daughter. Thus, she said nothing about it.

As for Ghazi, he was not interested in the performers. Instead, he was happily chatting with his new wife, who was performing her responsibilities as a proper Muslim woman. He was having such a splendid time that hours passed in the blink of an eye, and before he knew it, the time had come for the reception to end. Causing the young sultan to send his guests back to their rooms. Before returning to his own quarters with his new wife. Where the two of them consummated their marriage.

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