The Emperor’s Inquisition finally crossed the Swabian border.

A heavy, slow-moving beast of churchmen and law, guarded by the two hundred heavy horse pledged by the Duke of Württemberg.

The whole realm held its breath, looking for the terrible lord of the forges to be crushed beneath the weight of the Emperor’s writ.

They did not look for Konrad von Frundsberg to meet them not with fire and iron... but in a vast, new-built hall, ringed by the wealthiest merchants and the greatest lords of the Swabian lands.

In the days that followed, a madness of bargaining took hold. The younger lords and the merchant guilds hungered for the right to buy the weapons, wholly blind to the dark shadow of the Inquisition.

They saw, as Konrad did, that the true shield was not a high wall, but a heavy purse.

Several days later, the hall was taken down, the lords had mostly ridden away, and the keep returned to its cold, ordered toil.

Yet, one heavy matter remained unsettled.

Lord Heinrich of Bavaria, Lady Katarina’s uncle and the chief captain of the Duchy, tarried.

He was a seasoned, hard-bitten warlord, bearing deep scars from the Italian Wars, and he was now locked in a fierce parley with Konrad in the hall.

Katarina sat near, watching the talk with a mix of dread and keen thought... She knew her uncle was a man hard to sway.

"The showing of your guns was a fearful truth, Lord Konrad." Heinrich yielded, his voice a rough rumble. "The grooved barrels hold a deadly edge. But you ask the Duchy of Bavaria to openly flout the Emperor’s writ. You ask us to risk war with the crown to shield your fires."

Konrad sat at the head of the table,. He was reading a tally of iron yields from Master Dieter, scarce looking at the mighty Bavarian captain.

"I ask not for your shield, Lord Heinrich," Konrad corrected. "I offer a joining of our strength... The Inquisition clings to old, dying laws. They cannot tear down a forge that binds the wealth of the realm... most of all if that forge stands beside the swords of Bavaria."

"Bavarian swords are what the Emperor will strike if we stand beside a named warlock!" Heinrich snapped, leaning forward. "The Swabian League may be scattered, but they hold friends in Vienna. If we back you, we draw the Emperor’s eye."

"The Emperor’s eye is already upon you." Konrad stated, finally looking up from the tally. "Bavaria is rich and strong. The Emperor seeks to gather all rule and wealth to his own throne. My craft merely hastens the clash that must come... I offer you the iron to break him."

"..." Heinrich frowned, his face twisting in deep thought.

He was a man of the sword, not the courts. He knew the terrible worth of the guns, but he also knew the fearful wrath of the Emperor.

"What is the bargain, Lord Konrad?" Heinrich demanded. "Beyond the wheel-locks we already hold."

Konrad laid the tally on the table. "I offer the first and greatest share of the new long-arms, and the heavy guns now taking shape in the fires. Further, I will send cunning men to order your fields and stores, matching the swiftness I have brought to these lands."

He paused, letting the weight of the offer settle. He was offering to turn all Bavaria into an engine of war and wealth!

"For this," Konrad went on, "I require a great host of Bavarian swords to stand at my borders at once... Not to cross blades with the Inquisition, but to draw a line in the earth. I also require your voices in the Emperor’s Diet to fiercely fight the lawfulness of this march, crying that there is no true proof of witchcraft."

Heinrich stared at the young lord.

It was a vast wager... It asked Bavaria to bind its fate to a man who had shown a terrible willingness to use bloody ruin to win his aims.

"You ask us to bare our teeth at the Emperor, and fight your battles in the courts," Heinrich summed up, "It is a fearful risk. The guns are mighty, but are they worth civil war?"

"Forgive the breaking of your council, my Lords."

A soft voice broke the parley.

Lady Isolde stepped into the hall. She moved with a careful grace, her eyes set on Konrad, wholly ignoring the great Bavarian captain. She held a small, leather-bound book.

"Lady Isolde." Konrad marked her. "Speak."

Isolde stepped closer to the table, "I have read the true tidings of the Inquisition’s march, my Lord. The two hundred heavy horse sent by the Duke of Württemberg are starving. The serfs, fearful of the slaughter at Rothenburg, have fled the roads. The horsemen are halted near the borders, finding no hay or grain for their beasts."

"This...?" Heinrich’s eyes widened. "The Württemberg horse is halted? Is this a true word?"

"The word is true, Lord Heinrich." Isolde confirmed, glancing briefly at the Bavarian before returning her eyes to Konrad. "Further, the churchmen are angry at the slow march. The lords of the host are quarreling amongst themselves."

Konrad nodded. The snare was tightening exactly as he had foreseen.

"The Inquisition is hungry and divided," Konrad stated, turning back to Heinrich. "Their swords are dulled by their own folly... If Bavaria draws the line now, the Emperor must parley, for he cannot strike."

He leaned forward, pressing the advantage. "The risk is small, Lord Heinrich. The prize is absolute might and wealth for the Duchy of Bavaria."

Heinrich looked from the tidings in Isolde’s hands to the judging eyes of the young lord.

"..."

"I will send swift riders to Munich tonight. The Bavarian swords will stand at your borders within three days. And our voices in the Diet will cry foul."

"A true reckoning." Konrad agreed, returning to his iron tallies. "See that your swords are seen... The Inquisition must know the truth of the realm before they try the pass."

Heinrich offered a stiff bow and left the hall, likely eager to pen hisfateful orders.

Katarina tarried a moment, her eyes fixed on Konrad, before she too took her leave.

Konrad was left alone with Isolde in the quiet of the hall. "Your spies serve well, Lady Isolde." Konrad noted.

"I draw breath only to serve your will, my Lord." Isolde offered a low curtsy.

"There is another matter..." Konrad stated, laying his quill down. "During the fair, several lesser Swabian lords, who once drank with my uncle Lothar, came to me with... strange offers."

Isolde’s head snapped up, "They sought terms with you? After their treason at Rothenburg?"

"They seek the winning side," Konrad corrected. "Yet, their offers spoke of binding our houses by marriage, to buy the secret of the grooved barrels."

He paused, watching her closely.

"They offered their daughters to my bed." Konrad explained. "To buy their way into the forge."

"..." Isolde’s face turned white, and her hands clenched into tight fists.

The thought of another woman taking a lawful, sworn place beside Konrad, while she remained a bound thrall of secrets, woke a fierce rage within her.

She had cast away her pride, her name, and her kin to serve him. She would not be cast aside for the whelp of some greedy, turncoat lord!

"You... you cannot take their offers, my Lord!" Isolde breathed, her voice shaking.

Konrad watched her distress. "The worth of a marriage pact is great... It buys lasting fealty and opens new roads."

"They are faithless cowards!" Isolde burst out, stepping toward the table, "They will turn their cloaks the moment the winds change! They do not grasp your grand design. They only hunger for your guns!"

She moved closer, her dark eyes burning with a desperate fire. "I am your creature... I know their weak places. I know their dark secrets. I can hold them in check with fear and blackmail, far better than any sworn vow before a priest!"

"Your ways are sharp, Lady Isolde," Konrad acknowledged quietly. "Yet, the need for trueborn blood to hold these lands unbroken remains a heavy truth."

Isolde stopped, her breath catching.

She knew the truth of his words perfectly. A trueborn heir needed a lawful, sworn wife.

She stared at Konrad. She had to secure her place... She had to crush any chance of another woman claiming the seat of his lawful bride!

"I... I can bear that blood, my Lord..." Isolde whispered, her voice barely a breath.

"Speak plainly, Lady Isolde." Konrad raised an eyebrow, a flicker of true surprise breaking his cold mask.

Isolde took a shaky breath, her face flushing, but she did not look away.

"I will send word to my uncle, the Duke, that we were secretly wed by a hedge priest before the fighting began! It will make my place here lawful, and it will spark a great uproar in the courts that will further tangle the Inquisition’s march. And... and if I bear a son, it will lock your hold on these lands and silence the greedy lords offering their daughters."

It was a cunning ruthless stroke... It silenced the clamor for marriage pacts and forged a lasting, lawful shield for her place in the keep.

The lie was tangled and held great peril in the courts. Yet, the prize - a lasting, highly cunning master of spies who owed her very life and name to him - was vast.

"The forging of a false marriage requires great care and secrecy." Konrad stated slowly. "And the bearing of an heir brings heavy burdens and long waiting..."

"I will bear all burdens, my Lord." Isolde replied, her voice growing steady, "I will guard your blood, just as I guard your secrets!"

Konrad looked at the beautiful woman standing before him.

"Very well, Lady Isolde." Konrad decided, picking up his quill. "We play the gambit... Pen the letter to your uncle at once. The tale must be set in stone before the Bavarian swords arrive."