damage done, for the costly glassware belonged to the Templars, not Philippe.
THE CITADEL’S GREAT HALL was crowded with men. Conrad’s face was stony, his body rigid with rage, but he showed no hesitation, striding toward the dais with a firm step, his head high. As he knelt before Richard, a murmur swept the hall, for few had ever expected to see the proud Marquis of Montferrat abase himself in public. Henri watched with a frown, wishing it had not come to this. He knew Richard was taking satisfaction from Conrad’s submission, but as badly as he took losing, he was usually a gracious winner, and his demeanor was regal this day, his expression impossible to read. The de Lusignans were not as diplomatic; Guy and his brothers and his nephew Hugh had gathered by the dais, openly exulting in their enemy’s humiliation. Henri found their gloating distasteful. He respected Joffroi and Amaury de Lusignan, even if he did not like them, for they were good soldiers and not as lacking in common sense as Guy. He did not fault Guy’s courage, but courage alone did not make a man fit to rule, and in his opinion, Guy could not be forgiven for the debacle at Ḥaṭṭīn.
“I want to talk to you.” Balian d’Ibelin materialized at his side and jerked his head toward a side door. Following after him, Henri emerged into a courtyard aglow with sunlight, the morning already promising blazing heat. He perched on the edge of the fountain, but Balian was pacing, unable to keep still. Henri had known few men as easygoing as Balian; he could not remember ever seeing his friend truly angry. He was certainly angry now, though, all but giving off sparks, a banked fire suddenly roaring into full blaze.
“I want you to tell me why,” he said, and even his usual lazy drawl was gone, his words sharp enough to cut.
“The de Lusignans are Richard’s vassals back in Poitou. He felt obligated to—”
“Ballocks! We both know he supported Guy because the French king supported Conrad. Just as we know Philippe backed Conrad because he was sure Richard would back Guy. No wonder it took them so long to reach Outremer, given how many old grievances they were dragging along. My question was for you, Henri. Why did you switch sides? When you arrived last year, you allied yourself with Conrad, not Guy. What changed your mind?”
“Richard.”
Balian studied him. “The money he gave you?”
That brought Henri to his feet; Balian might be a friend but that did not mean he could offer insults with impunity. “You know me better than that, or at least I thought you did. My honor is not for sale. Richard wants Guy as king, not Conrad, and I want what Richard does. It is as simple as that. Nor am I the only one to have a change of heart. The Knights Hospitaller did, too, and for the same reason. Richard is the man with the best chance of defeating Saladin and recapturing the Holy City. Can you deny it?”
“No. He may well retake Jerusalem. But what happens then? He goes home. So do you, Henri. So do all of you, leaving us to hold on to what you’ve won. Now you tell me this. Who has the best chance of that? Conrad? Or the hero of Ḥaṭṭīn?”
Henri’s defensiveness ebbed away. “We forget sometimes,” he conceded, “that Outremer is more than the Holy Land. For you, it is home. I’ll admit Conrad would make a better king than Guy. But I’ve already tried to persuade Richard of that, tried and failed. What more would you have me do?”
“On the morrow, Conrad and Guy are to argue their claims before the two kings and the high court of Outremer. Conrad fears that he will not get a fair hearing and Richard may even seek to take Tyre away from him. Men respect you, Henri. God knows why, but they do,” Balian added, with a glimmer of his usual humor. “Conrad needs someone to speak up for him. I am asking you to be that man.”
Henri started to say that Philippe would surely do so, if only to thwart Richard. Yet who’d listen to him now that he’d besmirched his honor? “I doubt that they’ll heed me,” he said at last. “But I will do what I can.” And Balian had to be content with that, a reluctant promise from a man young enough to have been his son.
GUY HAD ARGUED