Tyranny of Steel

Berengar stood within the confines of his newest son's room. The tan skinned boy who held the blood of Germania and Al Andalus within his veins was sleeping in his crib. His golden hair waved as the light breeze of the autumn wind flew through the windows.

Princess Yasmin and her husband, the Emperor of Germany, stood side by side as they gazed upon their newborn child with affection. Berengar had little time for family affairs as of late, and thus he could not give the child a proper name.

As for the mother of the child, she refused to name her son without the input of the boy's father, a liberty that more than one of Berengar's other wives had taken for themselves during his previous absence. As the two doting parents gazed upon the young Prince of Granada, Yasmin spoke up about the topic she was most interested in.

"So, shall we give him a German name, or an Arabic one?"

Berengar reflected on this question for several moments. Ultimately, he concluded that an Arabic name would suit the boy best. After all, in Berengar's mind the child would one day be the Sultan of Al-Andalus.

"We shall name him something proud and strong in his mother's maiden tongue. What do you wish to name our son?"

Berengar gazed into his wife's amber eyes and held onto her hands as he waited for her to come up with an appropriate name herself. After thinking it through for several moments, a warm smile formed on Yasmin's luscious lips as she gazed upon her newborn son.

"How about we name him Ghazi? For one day, our baby boy will be a hero to his people, and a conqueror just like his father!"

Berengar thought about it for a moment before expressing the boy's full name aloud.

"Ghazi Al-Fadl? Very well, I see no reason to reject such a name. I look forward to the future prosperity that this boy brings to his people, and the alliance he shall represent between Germany and Al Andalus."

With this name settled, the two parents departed from the room, leaving the infant child to rest in peace. Like all of his other children, the quarters where the boy lived were under strict supervision by the Royal Guard. Thus, the moment Berengar and Yasmin exited the door, the two men who kept a watch over the room saluted their Emperor with respect.

Berengar nodded his head in silence as he and his wife continued through the corridors of the Royal Palace until they reached his office, where Berengar sat down and poured a couple of chalices filled with wine for the two of them. The couple sipped from their beverages in silence before Berengar expressed his internalized guilt.

"I'm sorry. When you gave birth to our son, I failed to be there for you despite my promise. I honestly tried to end the war as quickly as possible, but it simply was not my destiny..."

Yasmin continued to drink the wine in her chalice in silence, simply gazing upon her husband with a stoic expression. She could tell he felt quite guilty about such a small thing and thus she simply sighed before shaking her head.

"I think you have surrounded yourself with too many immature little girls. Such an insignificant matter might anger your other wives, but I'm not upset. It is not your fault that you were absent during Ghazi's birth.

You were attacked in your own home, and you had to respond. The war to unify your people was more important than living up to a small promise to me. You place too many burdens on yourself, but I suppose the weight of the crown is quite heavy, is it not?"

Berengar was stunned in silence. The emotional maturity of this woman was something else. Every time he spoke with Yasmin, she knew just what to say to cheer him up. However, his appreciation of the woman's character was immediately interrupted by a question on his wife's part.

"So, now that you have unified the German Empire, what are your plans? Surely you don't intend to sit back and do nothing for the rest of your life?"

In response to this, Berengar chuckled before pulling out a map of his newly united Empire. On this map were railways that connected every major city of Germany. There were also several key port cities that did not exist yet present on the map. When Yasmin gazed upon such a project, a smirk appeared on her lips before responding.

"Quite the ambitious project. You intend to unite your Empire with your rail systems, telegraph wires, and expand your naval capabilities via more ports? I assume this is just one of the many things you have planned for the future?"

With a single glance, Yasmin could guess exactly what Berengar had planned, thus Berengar scoffed in defeat. This woman was too smart for her own good. After taking a deep breath, he outlined his plan for the fatherland in excessive detail.

"The first phase of my Grand Infrastructure initiative is to overhaul the cities of the Empire. The goal is for each province to meet the same standard of living that you see throughout Austria, especially in our capital. Things like running water, sewage systems, sewage treatment plants, recycling plants, universities, and much more will be universally established across my empire.

At the same time, we will focus on increasing agricultural capabilities across the Empire. The four field system, artificial fertilizers, mechanized agriculture, all the things that have made my Kingdom great will become the new standard throughout Germany and in doing so increase crop yields, while decreasing the amount of labor required.

As you have previously noted, there will be a national railway which connects every major city in the Empire, and the proper telegraph systems to accompany it. As for national security, we will establish more major port cities, specifically in the Baltic and north sea. We will also begin construction of a massive border defense around the Empire, where the Border and Coast Guard will become independent branches of the Military.

To put it simply, my goals for the next decade will be to bring the primitive feudal state of my Empire up to the modern standards I have established in Austria thus far. I also have plans for further infrastructure projects, but for the time being, they are merely in the planning stages."

Yasmin carefully listened to everything Berengar had stated and nodded her head in response. It seemed like a solid plan, but there was one thing in particular she was worried about, and the Moorish beauty did not hesitate to ask the question that was on her mind.

"What about the colonies?"

Berengar took a sip from his chalice before answering this important question with a confident smirk on his face.

"For now, the existence of the New World is a state secret of the highest caliber. Only those with a proper security clearance can learn of it, let alone visit it. Thus, Colonial expansion will be a slow and steady progress. It is unlikely that our rivals will become aware of the New World within our lifetime."

Upon seeing her husband's confident expression, Yasmin had no further questions, and instead she merely lifted her gilded chalice in the air and spoke a toast.

"To the von Kufstein Dynasty! United together against the world!"

Berengar smiled when he heard this and lifted his chalice as he accepted the toast. After clinking their cups, the couple feasted on the wine contained within. The words the Granadan Princess had spoken gave Berengar a new outlook on life. For the past few years, he had been rather absent from his children's lives, and because of the polygamous nature of his familial relationships, it was only a matter of time before the kids of the different queens began fighting among themselves.

However, Yasmin was right. If his Empire was going to last the test of time, close family bonds would have to be forged and emphasized among his children. What Yasmin had said was absolutely correct. It was the von Kufstein Dynasty untied against the world.

He realized now more than ever that he would have to reconcile the differences between his various brides and play an active role in his children's lives as their father. Thus, a smile appeared on the young Emperor's face as he leaned over from his seat and kissed his wife. After doing so, he thanked the woman for her insight.

"I must thank you, Yasmin, for just now your words have inspired me to become a better father, and to ensure my dynasty is truly united, as one giant family against the world. I look forward to these years of peace, and what we can all accomplish together."

Yasmin did not know that her simple toast would have such an effect on Berengar's mind, but she was glad to see that he was now going to become a true father to his children. Thus, she merely smiled and nodded her head. The young couple would continue to converse about their ambitions for the rest of the evening.