Tyranny of Steel

Aelisia peered past the door of the French Princess's bedroom and into the halls. She could see shadows on the wall, which moved in tandem with the voices that erupted within. The guards of House de Valois were on the move. Their intent was to safeguard the King and his sister. 

The revolutionaries quickly lowered the muzzles of their muskets and pulled back the hammers, preparing for the moment the enemy turned the corner. They fully intended to kill their way through the royal guards and capture Aubry's other siblings. Once the royal family was firmly in their hands, the war would come to an end. Or so they hoped. 

Aubry continued to scream at the top of his lungs for help, but was eventually knocked unconscious by the soldier who held him down. After several moments, a group of knights flooded the hallway, where the echo of gunfire resounded throughout the stone corridors. The musketeers had fired their shots straight into the chests of the enemy knights, a mere meter away from them. 

Blood sprayed onto the walls as the bodies tumbled to the ground. Those who died on the spot were the lucky ones, as the survivors were too wounded to move. They could only grunt in agony as they slowly but surely bled out. 

After killing the initial wave of Knights, the revolutionaries rapidly reloaded their muskets before charging through the hallway. However, before they fully rounded the corner, the leader of these men gave a quick command to the Order of Saint Berengar.

"Quickly, escort the prisoners back to the siege camp!"

The militia members nodded their heads, and carried King Aubry and his sister Sibilla out of the room, while protecting Aelisia from any harm. The group quickly made their way through the tunnel and outside of its confines before rushing back towards the camp.

As they did so, the sound of armed conflict erupted from within the palace. The revolutionaries boldly charged forward with the intent to capture Aubry's other siblings. After all, even if Aubry died, there were two more men who could fill the vacancy that the King left behind, even if they were puppets of a dying realm. 

By the time Aelisia and the militiamen reached the siege camp, they were exhausted. However, that did not prevent the Lieutenant tasked with leading the platoon from reporting the ongoing situation to the revolutionaries.

"We've captured the King and the Princess. However, your men went after the remaining two princes. I do not know if they yet draw breath..."

Just as the officer spoke these words, the gate of the outer walls opened, revealing the figure of a lone revolutionary who was signalling the army to advance and seize the palace.

"Hurry! Before the enemy catches up! Storm the Keep!"

Without a moment of hesitation, the army of some two thousand revolutionaries rushed out of their siege camps and towards the palace's entryway. The entire garrison was busy fighting those brave souls within the building, allowing the rebels to charge through the gates without resistance. 

Aelisia sat back in the camp, along with the Order of Saint Berengar, who had secured King Aubry and Princess Sibilla. She could still not get the sinful sight she had just witnessed moments prior out of her head.

In fact, both the King and his sister were still naked, as they lie on the floor bound and gagged. There was a murderous glint in Sibilla's eyes as she gazed upon the young nun who had led the enemy through the secret passages and into the palace. 

Upon seeing this visceral reaction, Aelisia stared into Sibilla's eyes with an equally fierce intent before preaching to the sinful woman about her misdeeds.

"Princess Sibilla, it has been some time since we last met. I'm sure you don't remember me, but I want you to know that without my help, we would have been forced to shed much more blood in the pursuit of justice. I want you to reflect on that as you march to the gallows."

It was true that Sibilla did not recognize the girl or understand the reason for her grievance. However, she could not speak a single word in her defence as she had long since been gagged and could only curse the little nun with her gaze. 

Not long after, the sounds of violence settled and the banners of the Reich flew high above the French Palace. Within minutes, the Frankish revolutionaries reappeared with the King's two other siblings in tow, who they forced to kneel in the dirt. The Royal Family of France had fallen into captivity, and the remainder of the great noble houses within the Kingdom who had yet to be trampled into dirt would soon face their maker. 

Aelisia sighed heavily, her growing bosom heaving as the last remainder of vengeance disappeared within her frail heart. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, her mother's killer would face justice. In the coming weeks, the Kingdom of France would stabilize as the last remnant of nobility were dragged from their homes and executed, leaving only the peasant class to reforge the destiny of their people. 

---

Weeks passed following after the day that Aubry fell into the hands of the Rebels, and during this time the Kaiser was invited to the city of Paris by the leaders of the Frankish revolution. Berengar spared no effort and arrived in the city within the confines of his armored car. 

Aside from a column of armored cars and trucks which housed the members of his Leibgarde, Berengar was well and truly alone in this visit to the neighboring Kingdom. There was only one reason the Frankish Revolutionaries would ask for his presence, and that was because they wanted him to be the judge who would decide the fate of the previous monarchy. 

The uniforms that these elite members of the Reichsgarde wore were not the typical ceremonial at garb that they normally dressed in. Instead, these men were equipped with all black uniforms, with matching Stahlhelms and greatcoats. On the left arm was a black, white, and gold armband which housed the von Kufstein coat of arms in the center. 

On their collars were a pair of tabs. The right side contained a white odal rune, while the left side contained a rank insignia. If someone from Berengar's past life were to gaze upon these distinctive uniforms, they would immediately associate them with the Schutzstaffel. Which is precisely what Berengar had modelled them after. 

As the members of his Leibgarde opened up the door to his armored car, Berengar gracefully stepped out and revealed his figure to the French Public.  The contrast between the medieval people of France and the modern attire of the Germans was truly a sight to behold as the Kaiser approached the town square, where Aubry and his family members were currently bound in chains and awaiting their sentence on a center stage. 

As Berengar entered the scene, the members of the Frankish Revolution who had gathered to witness their previous monarch's execution raised their arms in the typical salute that the German Army so commonly used and shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Hail to the Kaiser!"

Berengar waved to the men before approaching the leaders of the revolution, who stood by, waiting for the Kaiser's judgement. He proceeded to shake hands with every leader before announcing his judgement to the public.

"Long ago, you and I shared a common heritage. Through blood and culture, we were the same. However, due to the influence of the Church, the nobles of your realm have changed into something unrecognizable by the German people. Two years ago, during the height of your crisis, these men and women came together and declared their intention to go back to their roots, to become Germans once again.

At first I laughed. The very idea that the people of France could reforge the bonds that have long since been severed was truly a joke in my eyes. Yet your determination has enlightened me. Today, all of you have proven you have what it takes to re-enter the German world. From this day forward, the Kingdom of France, and its degenerate culture, is hereby annihilated from this world in perpetuity. 

I announce here today that you all are now Franks, and I welcome your realm into the Reich as the Kingdom of Frankia. The Monarch who presides over you shall be a member of my own dynasty. As for these sinners who have led you all to ruin, there is only one price that must be paid for the devastation they have caused: Death! Bring out the guillotine!"

With these words spoken, the Leibgarde reached into one of the trucks they brought with them, and carried out a guillotine which they carefully placed on the stand. The Franks gazed upon this cruel device with fascination as they chanted repeatedly in the German tongue.

"Death!"

Berengar's cruel gaze fell upon the members of the French Royal family as a sadistic grin curled upon his lips. Among the vicious cheers of the crowd, he posed the question that he had been waiting to say for a very long time.

"Now... Who shall we start with?"

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