Wenceslaus entered Aachen. Louis and Phillip had fled like cowards. He had taken Duke John of Normandy and Lord Kent of England captive. But the battle had been bloody and worse of all, his 3 sons had died. Wenceslaus felt an impotent rage at the turn in fortune. His eldest Premysl had one adult son : Ottokar from his late wife Elizabeth of Toss. Wenceslaus knew that he would have to be succeeded by Ottokar. He hoped the young scion of the Arpads would have his son's strength. But Ottokar was not always in the best of health. It was the reason why he was not in this campaign. Wenceslaus debated with himself as he rode through the streets how he should deal with this situation. And what he should do to the Duke, the heir to Phillip's throne? The Duke was a man of honour. He would be an invaluable ally as the new King of France (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_II_of...).
But Wenceslaus didn't see him willingly betraying his father. He could offer to ransom him for land and money. On the other hand, he could remove a great enemy here and now. With Phillip's heir gone, there was an opportunity for King Edward to continue his battle for France. He wanted to hurt Dauphin John, Duke of Normandy. After Sluys and Saint-Omer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_...) were decisive victories for England, Wenceslaus was prepare to recognise Edward as King of France and England. Instead a truce was held, thus the King's unpopular uncle Edmund was sent to help the French. Edmund had to fake his own death to give King Edward the motivation to murder his supposedly magical stepfather Roger Mortimer, Earl of March. But Lord Kent was not the issue as present. It was Duke John, whose fate King Wenceslaus had to decide.
John of Normandy chafed under his bonds. What right did the Bohemian King have to do this? "You are married to my granddaughter!" He turned to face the would-be Emperor. "My granddaughter is pregnant, back in Normandy! Your son will soon be born. Consider your own importance!" observed Wenceslaus. "I will not betray my father!" he responded. "And what about your wife, my granddaughter? What about my great-grandsons Charles and Louis? Do you not owe them your honour, love and protection? Phillip is called the Fortunate. He is indeed fortunate to have a second son in the Duke of Orleans. Because if you don't consider my offer, he will name Phillip of Orleans as the next King of France. Think about it, while I consider whether to ransom you!" replied Wenceslaus. "You will never be Emperor!" declared John. "And you will never be King of France if you keep speaking like this!" retorted Wenceslaus as he departed.
Wenceslaus left the room, debating how to proceed. The intransigence of John was infuriating. More to the point, he appeared to be an implacable enemy. Should he try to ransom the heir to the throne of France? He decided that it was probably best to get some assistance with this. He opened a guest room, where Lord Kent was held. Uncle of King Edward and son of two boys and one girl, he was a powerful, yet unwanted member of the Royal Family. How he was able to fake his death remained unknown, but somehow it had happened, allowing King Edward to overthrow Lord March, his mother's lover and resume personal rule of his Kingdom. Edmund Crouchback watched the Emperor with semi-opened eyes. He wasn't sure what to make of the elderly man.
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