Chapter 4

Rome, Papal States. March 1067

Pope Alexander II was sitting on his throne when the Archbishop of Canterbury walked in. It was now mid-March, and Alexander was getting more anxious about the situation in Britain with each passing day. Marion was gaining more power over the church and entrenching her ideas deeper into English society. If the church were ever to regain its power and influence in Britain, it would have to do it quickly. After the required greetings, they got down to business.

“So, tell me, Ealdred, what is the state of the English Church?”

“The people are beginning to question the church’s message. Every week I get a message from another parish priest saying a parishioner stood up to them and called his teachings into question. The bible translation that Marion had done is causing problems all over England. Before leaving, I heard of small “independent” churches sprouting up. These “churches” won’t take their direction from the mother church. I sent a complaint to the queen, but I doubt she will do anything to stop them from spreading since she is encouraging them.”

“What do you mean “encouraging them”?

“She has no love for the church, her husband hates the church with a passion I have never seen, and her lover is another story.”

“What is this about her lover being another woman?”

“Colonel Gabriella Smiten, the head of the Household Guard and, by all accounts, shares Marion and Luke’s bed every night. She is not a woman you want angry with you because she is extraordinarily dangerous.”

“Come on, Ealdred, how dangerous can a woman be?”

“She flipped Harold Godwinson over her and took his sword when he threatened Marion after Hardrada’s defeat last year. You also have to remember that a third of the English Army is made up of women.”

“Camp whores don’t count.”

“These are not camp whores; they are front-line combat troops and commanders. Some of the best commanders in the English Army are women.”

“Whose dumb idea was it to have women in the army in the first place.”

“Marion’s husband, General Luke MacDougall.”

“What do we know about him?”

“He is a very dangerous man who hates nobility and the church; bigger than Goliath and stronger than a bull. Nobody seems to know where he comes from, but it’s rumored that he might be from another world. Other rumors say he is the Anti-Christ, while others still say he is Christ. There is also his sorcery to deal with; many of the new devices made in England started as his designs. The first time he appeared was when he saved Marion and her sister, Cecilia, from an ambush a few years ago. Marion might be the Queen of England, but she doesn’t do anything without Luke’s approval.”

“So, the key to stopping Marion seems to be getting rid of her husband?”

“Yes, to a point. Luke has taken on a mistress, so convincing him to commit adultery is out of the picture. His mistress is the chief doctor in Marion’s court and shares a bed with Luke, Marion, and Gabriella. I believe killing Luke would be counterproductive because I think Marion to kick the church out of England. If she doesn’t, the people might because he is extremely popular with the masses.”

“So, the best way to crush the English would be to kill all four?”

“Yes, your eminence. I believe that to be the only way forward unless you want to try and negotiate with Marion.”

“Negotiate with Satan, you mean. Evil things are happening in England, Earlred, and must be stamped out. Your mission is to push the fact that Marion’s court is the messengers of Satan, and anyone who allies themselves with her is associating with Satan. They will all be put to the torch to rid them of their evil spirits.”

“Yes, your eminence. What about the plebians? Marion has the support of the lower classes.”

“Once Marion and her ilk are gone, the lower classes will see the error of their ways and return to the church.”

“And if Marion gets word of your orders, your representatives might burn.”

“Then see, she doesn’t find out until it’s too late.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury bowed his head and left the chamber. ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid,’ he thought as he left. He had seen Marion’s power firsthand and knew she wouldn’t go quietly. The army wasn’t centered around one commander like regular armies of the day because, in the English Army, the command structure was decentralized, so killing one or two commanders wouldn’t disrupt the army. Earlred knew that if word of Alexander’s orders reached Marion, she wouldn’t stop until the church ceased to exist.

After Ealdred left, Alexander started rubbing his forehead. Marion was becoming a significant problem for him, and he got a headache whenever he thought about her. Seeing his liege in pain, Alexander’s assistant, Sextus, came in. He had been employed by Pope Alexander from the first day Alexander became the Pope and was fiercely loyal to Alexander.

“Bad news, your eminence?”

“Very bad, Sextus. That damn English queen will be a bigger problem than I thought; she has even managed to turn the Archbishop of Canterbury.”

“WHAT?!?!”

Alexander looked up and smiled sadly at his servant.

“Yes. Satan has gotten to the Archbishop of Canterbury. When I laid out what needed to be done, Ealdred balked at them. I think he even fantasizes about Marion. When he talked about her, his eyes became unfocused.”

“So, what will be the next step, your eminence?”

“First, Ealdred needs to be replaced as Archbishop of Canterbury with someone incorruptible. Second, letters needed to be sent to every ruler in Europe. Marion will not go quietly; Ealdred pointed that out. The problem is that it will take a year or more to gather forces for a major assault, giving Marion time to build her forces. Maybe, in the meantime, we can get some English nobles to rebel and disrupt Marion. If she kills a few, then no significant loss. There will be that many less to give us problems later on.”

“So, who do you see as the next English Archbishop?”

“Well, nobody from Britain. I think Hugues de Montfaucon of France will do. He should be able to contain that damned queen. Write the letter Sextus and bring it to me for sealing.”

After Sextus left, Alexander went back to thinking. This time, he was seriously thinking about what would happen if Marion succeeded and her ideas spread through Europe. Alexander was in a cold sweat when the thoughts ended; the thought of Marion thriving scared him. He ordered a bottle of his strongest wine for dinner and went to bed after drinking the whole thing, where he had nightmares all night.

While Alexander was getting drunk, Ealdred was getting out of Rome. He knew by not condemning Marion, he had signed his resignation. The last thing he wanted was to get caught still in Rome without church protection. This was a serious departure from back home, where he would have been safe walking down the road, even without church protection. Ealdred had even skipped his donkey for this trip, having bought a horse before going to Rome. Now he was glad he did as he raced to the port of Ostia, where he would board the first ship on his journey back to England.

Another problem for the pope was the great Mediterranean maritime powers of Genoa and Venice balked at sending their naval strength as far as Britain. They would have to traverse the Strait of Gibraltar, which was under Muslim control, before their ships could brave the open Atlantic Ocean, which their ships were not designed to sail on.

Paris, France. March 1067

In Paris, King Philip of France was still in a wait-and-see mode. He had seized William’s lands in Normandy and was still wrestling to get them under his control. French agents had visited the courts of Scotland and Wales. Scotland was determined to be a waste of time and money since Marion’s army had already conquered almost the entire country. All they had to do was to suppress the rebellious highlanders.

French agents in Wales found more success. The nobles there were worried about English expansion and determined that the English would overrun them if they didn’t strike first. Many Welsh nobles were also contemptuous of the new English queen, believing that women could not successfully govern a country. They wanted to be first in line to pick over the pieces of England once the central government failed. French agents came to agreements with several nobles. France would subsidize a combined Welsh Army if the Welsh attacked England before Christmas 1067.