Tyranny of Steel

Since Honoria's escape from Constantinople, Melissa had been staying in Antioch under the name of Vistula Melodia. Throughout this entire time, the Byzantine Royal family was unable to determine her real identity or that she had aided Honoria in her escape.

As such, she made a life for herself in Antioch. Having been given a second chance at life, Melissa did not go back to whoring herself out for a living. Instead, she eventually found herself married to a hardworking carpenter in the city. 

Initially, she had spent her days in bliss, her marriage was a happy one at first, and she loved the man who had taken her in when she was down on her luck. However, happiness never truly lasts, and as such, Melissa's husband soon found himself drafted into the armed forces to fight in North Africa. 

The meager pay that the man earned in the armies of the Byzantine Empire was sent back to Melissa in Antioch; however, this stipend was barely enough to survive. As such, her life was filled with hardship as she struggled to maintain her lifestyle.

Things turned for the worse as the young woman finally received news that her husband had died in battle; in return, she received nothing other than a body to bury, and with her little savings, she could not afford a proper funeral.

Thus in the act of desperation, she had taken out a loan from some unsavory merchants and used it to cover her husband's funeral expenses. Before long, the loan sharks had come to claim the debt she owed, and when they found out that she could not pay it, they attempted to force her into prostitution once more to clear the debt that she owed. 

However, Melissa had promised that she would never degrade herself in such a manner ever again; as such, she packed up what little belongings she could take and made her way out of Antioch, heading to the one place where she knew anyone who could remotely help her.

After months of traveling, Melissa had finally arrived in Kufstein. The moment she entered the city's gates, the woman was astounded that such a magnificent city had been developed in the middle of Austria. A place that was not long ago considered a backwater by the Byzantines. 

She could hardly believe her eyes as she walked through the city with her pack slung around her back. The City of Kufstein was unlike anything she thought it would be; it even could be said to rival some of the cities of the Empire. 

After searching around some of the local shops in the trade district Melissa spotted the location where she intended to visit. Luckily for her, she could immediately tell her destination because the castle was built upon a hill overlooking the city. After traveling through the city's streets observing all kinds of exciting sights, Melissa finally arrived at the castle's gates. 

However, when she finally reached her destination, she was blocked by the Castle Garrison, who prevented her entry into the mighty fortress where the Duke Resided.

"Hold it right there! The Duke is currently not seeing any visitors, so unless you have an invitation, you are not allowed into the castle!"

The moment Melissa heard this, she began to frown; she had been through so much and traveled so far that she felt it was a bit anti-climatic to be denied entry just like this. However, she could not easily get past the garrison, and as such, she began to sigh before turning around. Maybe if she were lucky, she could run into Honoria on the street someday.

Whether it was divine intervention or just random chance, Honoria had been out in the city meeting with her newest acquisitions to her crew and had just begun to return to the castle. The last time Honoria saw the woman known as melissa, she wore a wig and extensive makeup, despite this, the princess could easily identify the woman as they walked past each other

As such, Honoria stopped in her tracks and grabbed ahold of the woman's wrist, scaring her in the process, yet the next moment when Honoria called out her name, the woman realized who it was who had grabbed her and began to calm herself.

"Melissa, is that you? What are you doing here in Kufstein?"

After saying that, Honoria brought the woman into a friendly hug before releasing her. Melissa was quite shocked that she had managed to run into Honoria out of pure chance and struggled to gain her composure.  Eventually, she calmed herself down before voicing her concerns to the young Princess she had helped run away from home. 

"Honoria, I need your help..."

Seeing the troubled look in Melissa's eyes, Honoria became worried and grabbed ahold of the woman's hand before dragging her towards the castle with a pretty smile on her face.

"Whatever kind of trouble you are in, I am sure that Berengar can help you!"

When the guards saw the girl return, they were about to lower their rifles in a threatening gesture; however, they immediately pounded their chests in salute to the Duke's lover when they noticed Honoria was by her side.

"Lady Valeria, I am sorry we did not know this woman was your friend! I apologize on behalf of myself and my subordinates for any rudeness we might have shown her..."

Honoria paid no mind to the guard's statements; in her eyes, they were doing their job, keeping away the rabble and threats to the safety of those who dwelled within. As such, she smiled when responding to the men who guarded the castle's gates.

"Think nothing of it! I am certain you were fulfilling the task his grace has given you!"

Seeing the cheery smile on the Princess's face was enough to melt even the most stoic man's icy heart. If there was one thing the guards in Kufstein castle liked to chat about, it was the competition between the two goddesses who stayed by Berengar's side and which of the two women were better. 

As such, the guards were just happy to have a conversation with such an angelic beauty and merely nodded their heads in silence, allowing Honoria and Melissa to enter the castle's gates. After entering the structure, Honoria took Melissa to the dining hall, where she ordered the kitchen staff to prepare something for the woman to eat and drink. 

The two women sat in silence for some time before the food arrived, and they finally began to discuss the issue at hand. After taking a few bites of the delicious food, Melissa began to break out into tears as she confessed her faults to the Princess.

"I am sorry, Honoria, I just had nowhere else to go!"

Honoria instantly began to comfort the woman by rubbing her back; the two of them discussed the events that Melissa had been through in the past year in length for some time. Afterward, Honoria responded to Melissa with a gentle tone.

"If you need a place to stay, I am sure I can get Berengar to arrange a place for you; if you need a job, there is plenty of work available here in Kufstein! If you need the training to fulfill the job of your desires, that can be provided to you as well. You do not need to worry anymore; here in Kufstein, even women can work if they need to!"

What Honoria had said was true; Women were able to work in Kufstein. However, they were encouraged to get married, stay home, and raise families. The reason for this was simple, Berengar needed massive population growth if he intended to colonize the new world and Africa. There were only so many people in all German-Speaking regions; the number was likely less than 10 million in total. 

However, Berengar recognized that there were women in situations where they too needed to work to provide for their families or themselves. As such, Berengar had allowed women to work in various fields, albeit segregated from the male workforce. 

When Melissa heard this, she stopped crying and looked at Honoria with a careful gaze. She could hardly believe it. However, the earnest look in Honoria's mint green eyes told the woman all she needed to know about this, and as such, she hugged Honoria before thanking her.

"Thank you! I will appreciate any help you can provide!"

Honoria had reunited with an old friend, and Melissa would begin working in Kufstein soon enough, in a career that did not degrade her, which was all she ever wanted. The two women continued to chat for some time, as Honoria told Melissa all about what had happened during her stay in Kufstein and how she had fallen in love with Berengar.

Melissa was happy to see that life had worked out well for Honoria, and thus the two women became closer; despite this being the second time they had met, they already felt as if they had been friends for life.

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