July-August 1507

Châteaux Nemours

The hot summer air hung low around the Chateaux Nemours, clinging to the walls and the people within like a woolen cloak. As torches blazed into the night, a lone rider approached the gates. This rider had come a long way, slumped into his saddle by the weight of a day's ride. He was as tired as his mount, but the message he carried was of such importance that he had carried on regardless. Now, with the imposing stone walls of the castle at Nemours before him, his body ached for rest. He tapped the satchel that carried the note, confident that its recipient would grant him, at the very least, one restful evening. The posted guards were apprehensive at first. The kingdom lurched toward war, and with none expected to call upon the duke at such late an hour they held their weapons tightly. The messenger, a man named Iacopo, produced the message he carried. The guards had no trouble recognizing its seal and quickly ushered the tired rider through the gates. One of the guards ran to fetch his captain, who would pass message of the man's arrival to the duke himself.

Louis had been roused from his sleep, but the source of this message was well worth one interrupted night's sleep. The messenger delivered the parchment into his hands, and the duke examined the seal. It bore the unmistakable symbol of the Holy See, and the messenger was granted his comfortable night's rest. He ran his fingers over it, the Papal tiara and the crossed keys, and broke the seal. Before him was a letter in Latin, but its meaning became clear to him. The annulment of his marriage had been granted by the Pope, and he felt a weight pass from his shoulders. His marriage had been happy enough, but was fruitless. This opened up a new path, and his negotiations with the Duke of Bourbon could now be put into motion. He had not wanted it to come to this, he had prayed that another solution would present itself, but at long last the way was clear. The House of Armagnac and its future had a chance again.