It was the palace garden of Regensburg that the troops of Lothair sought rest before heading up north for their homeland in Saxony for burial.
Time passed, and the loss of an overlord no longer created significant unrest within Adalbert’s heart. However, it remained part of his habit to appear mournful in his expression.
“My condolences for your duke, our emperor.” Theodoric broke the silence, glancing towards his right. A fair-haired boy of about fourteen years of age, he possessed a treble voice that was undergoing the challenges of pubescence.
Adalbert shook his head. His tenor voice was a testimony to his faintly older appearance. “He rested in peace and triumph.
“Yes, very triumphant. In exchange for the votes,” Theodoric suppressed his chortle, but he sounded gleeful nonetheless. “Now I have you. Adalbert, can I call you Adal?”
"Under the same duke, I must clarify.” The other responded in an uninteresting tone. “You appear excited, too agitated even."
"The thought of some kind of partnership with the Saxons have seldom occurred to me.” The younger replied, “and I began considering the possibilities a few years before.”
"I would not expect myself to partner with the obstreperous brat who revolted against my Heinrich during his early years, either.” The Saxon responded quickly.
"Don't say that." The younger gave a poised grin. “He is not only yours. He has been mine as well. And you have revolted too, during the controversy with the old man at Holy See.”
“Rascal, then. In any case, it was certainly the promise that your lord is to inherit me.”
"Right, and I will take your hands. Have you thought of it that way, Adal?” He sheepishly began using the abbreviation without the other’s approval. “Two people of the same status in a union – that is quite similar to the institution of marriage.”
"We are boys. And there are women."
"Too few of them. Besides, your long hair. It suffices as a girl, Adelaide-“
The Saxon took it as an insult and drew his sword; the younger retreated, breaking out in laughter. “You cannot handle jokes and metaphors about impossible situations, can you? Marriage is just a political union and partnership. What else can it be?”
There was truth in his words. Intuition instructed Adalbert to play along with an impassive expression. "Very well then.” He returned his sword. “Should we post a wedding notice on the door of a church somewhere?"
"We do need to go through archbishop of Mainz, in a month or two?" He was amused at the coincidence of events.
"Right- and people will come forth with reasons that prohibit the marriage."
"Do they dare, against you?"
Adalbert decided not to address it. “This idea of yours imply that England, Denmark, and Norway are….”
"There is no marriage of three.” He rejected the idea easily. “However, I do think that it is a decent joke, prank, or whatever you might call it. We can pull it off in front of Heinrich and see how it goes.” The church tower of the cathedral was distinguishable among the houses and buildings in the town. “Hypocrisies are everywhere. They are well hidden yet obvious in front of us."
Maybe the rebellious brat grew up slightly for the past two centuries, or he was pretending to be mature, Adalbert did not have the slightest idea. He had not had much favourable opinion of the younger other than his strength. The delight perpetuating in his expression might be one the very few factor that he began to consider a powerful future together.
“Apologies. Let us see then.” He extended Theodoric his right hand.
“It should not be difficult to obtain investiture,” the younger took his hand without hesitation. “As brothers. As friends.”
Civilisation begins when a strong person claims a piece of land as their property out of nowhere, and people are stupid enough to believe in it.
The tradition of marriage between beings begins when two beings under personal union entertain the idea out of nowhere, and others are stupid enough to believe in it.
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Medieval gayness:
There wasn't homosexuality - that's a modern invention! There were only extremely intense and sacred friendship (which we totally see as romantically gay nowadays), and extremely intense and sinful sodomy.
Gay people, especially nobles, tend to escape from marriages by becoming monks. Monastery was the hotbed for gay stuff.
Richard of England was so gay.
There were laws against sodomy, but that doesn't mean it was enforced. How many of you got charged drinking underage?
