Tyranny of Steel

Berengar sat within the confines of the Granadan Royal Palace in a meeting with both Hasan and his older sister Yasmin; by their side was the commander of the Byzantine expeditionary force, which was none of the then Strategos Palladius. For the first time in history, the representatives of what would later become known as the Triple Alliance had gathered in a single room.

Their purpose was simple, to discuss the matters pertaining to the ongoing war in Iberia, as well as the request by the King of Aragon to cease hostilities against his realm. However, despite his willingness to end the war, Felipe had made some serious demands in order to ensure his surrender. With this in mind, Yasmin began to read the letter written by the Aragonese King, which outlined the conditions that must be agreed to for his Kingdom to surrender without incident.

”First and foremost, the Kingdoms of Austria and Bohemia must withdraw their forces from the borders of Aragon and Castile. They must also agree not to intervene in any conflict between the Emirate of Granada and the Kingdoms of Aragon and Castile within the next ten years.

As for the Second stipulation, the Kingdom of Austria and its allies must not interfere with the Castilian succession crisis that resulted from King Berengar ’s actions in Toledo. Any foreign intervention in this dispute is explicitly forbidden, whether that be espionage or direct military action.

Thirdly, Austria and its allies must agree to lift their blockade over the Kingdoms of Aragon and Castile and allow open access to trade across the Iberian Peninsula. If any of these conditions are violated, then the treaty will be null and void, and the fighting shall resume. ”

Berengar sat back and frowned as he listened to the conditions presented within the letter, though on the surface they may seem like conditions similar to that of white peace, in reality, they heavily favored the Crown of Aragon. As such, he was quick to voice his discontent on the matter to those around him.

”It is obvious that Felipe intends to buy time so that he may unify the Castilian and Aragonese Crowns. After he does this, he will draft a larger army and supply a higher percentage of them with both Arkebuse firearms and cannons. Once this is achieved, they will pose a bigger threat to Granada. ”