King Emmanuel of Asturias

Iberia... it was a region, a peninsula. It held three Kingdoms. The Kingdom of Lisbon to the west, the Kingdom of Aragon to the east and the Kingdom of Asturias situated smack dab in the middle. But it was the largest of the three and quite formidable. After all, it had the famed Miguel de Tarnossa as one of its heroes and commanders.

Like any other king, King Emmanuel desired to make his country bigger. It would be through conquest that he would achieve this. However Lisbon was a long time ally of the Kingdom of Driton. Lisbon would be easy pickings but Driton was a formidable opponent. It may not have a fearsome army but it's navy gave it a strong edge against competitors and enemies. If they could not be invaded, they could not truly be beaten. Driton had guaranteed Lisbon's independence so Lisbon was out of the question until Driton was no longer in the equation.

That left Aragon. Aragon was a little tricky. With its territory located in both the Iberian peninsula and the Italian peninsula, it was difficult to quickly rein them into submission. Combined with their capable army and adequate navy, it would be quite the war. Emmanuel wanted to create a united Iberia. He knew that at the moment it was an impossible dream.

King Emmanuel of Asturias was a tall man of 35 years who has had his fair share of battles in his youth serving under his uncle's army, the previous King of Asturias who died without an heir. Black of hair and dark of eyes, Emmanuel shared this trait with all his sons. A fairly religious man who kept to one woman but had sired nine children.

Miguel de Tarnossa was a good friend of his. A loyal and pious man. They had fought together against the Moors. He had sent Miguel to try and woo Duchess Eliza but failed. Instead the Duchess spread her legs for that new King of Ostgrenze. Not that he held a grudge against him. Emmanuel respected him at the very least.

This day, Emmanuel sat together with his family. They had just finished saying grace and were dining their dinner. Emmanuel was a man who valued family and made it a strict rule that all members must be present for dinner. Emmanuel was happily eating in silence with his family when a messenger arrived with a letter.

"I am truly sorry, my King. But my liege, King Franz Karl of Sudreich had given me strict orders to deliver this letter to you and you only." Emmanuel's widened.

King Franz Karl of Sudreich, High Lord of the Confederation was notorious among all Iberians. When barbarians from the east came and attacked his lands, the then Prince Franz Karl retaliated swiftly and brutally. The things he had his men do their prisoners went above and beyond proportional retribution. Granted the barbarians burnt villages, killed their men and **** their women but what he did was way too much.

But what had truly made him a name of infamy to the Iberians was how he dealt with the Aragonese army that tried to invade the Confederation in order to annex the northern Italian States. The King of Aragon at the time had only sent a moderately sized expeditionary **** to first try and determine the willingness of the Confederation to fight back. He got his answer real quick. It brought shivers up and down Emmanuel’s spine just thinking about it. Just as it had most of the people in Iberia. There are those who decried Franz Karl’s action as brutal and unnecessarily cruel. He was even threatened with excommunication. But those voices of excommunication were soon silenced by their sudden disappearances. There are rumors that Franz Karl had had them all assassinated and kept their tongues perversed in a jar hidden somewhere in his personal closet as trophies.

Still his methods were proven useful. Sudreich and the Confederation as a whole has not been invaded by any army since. There has not had a barbarian raid in the southern Almain states in years. The fallen Kingdom of Hangurry had been liberated from barbarian rule and Franz Karl was their de facto king. Nobody in the Confederation would dare speak of it nor would anybody speak badly of Franz Karl for it. Emmanuel's sister is the current wife of Franz Karl's eldest son who would soon inherit his father's throne.

There were already talks between him and Franz Karl about a marriage between one of his younger daughters to one of his younger sons. It would solidify relations even further but nothing had been final.

Franz Karl was not a man to be trifled with and make an enemy out of. Sometimes it was hard to say no to him. Sudreich did not excell militarily but it was in control of states that provided excellent numbers and capable generals. So what could Franz Karl possibly want?

Emmanuel read the letter and soon after he burned it using one of his candles. "My love," spoke his wife, "what was it? What does King Franz Karl want that is so urgent?"

"Nothing to concern about, my lovely wife." That was his wife of telling her it would be something they'll discuss in private.

Queen Arianna, wife of King Emmanuel and sister of Queen Alana. Both girls came from a powerful noble family and were considered to have been blessed by God to have both daughters marry two Kings. But while Arianna had birthed quite the brood, the same could not be said for Alana. Arianna often worried for her sister. She was nearly out of time to have children and she did not want her sister to die childless.

"Continue eating all of you." Emmanuel told his children. King Franz Karl knew how to make things interesting. The question was, would Emmanuel want anything to do with it?