"We need to talk, sit down, but give me Anna first..." (MC)
It was a form of a shield for me... if despair or madness would take Elisabeth's mind... then I was sure that the fact that I was holding Anna in my arms would protect me from a potential attack from my wife. Elisabeth was surprised and disturbed by the tone of my voice, but obediently obeyed my request.
"Try to remain calm, there is no good way to convey this... I received an information from Bohemia, but it still needs confirmation. Apparently Charles was ambushed by the imperial troops and died in battle..." (MC)
Elisabeth turned pale, her fingers tightened on the chair, there was no hysteria... she took it quite well.
"This is not all... rumors are circulating, I emphasize the word 'rumors' that your mother and siblings were taken prisoner. It is not known if this is true, and if it is true, we don't know who did it. I'm going to send people to check on the rumors, so be patient." (MC)
Elisabeth tried to get up from the chair, but her legs refused to obey her and she immediately sat down again... and then she passed out. Women and their emotions, no one can comprehend it.
"Your mother is such a drama queen... I said it was rumors, not that they were dead." (MC)
Anna was looking at me with her blue eyes and she seemed to be smiling. I called the servants to take care of Elisabeth, and I took Anna with me to my office.
"We'll give her a few more minutes, maybe when she wakes up, she'll be calmer... You do not want to sleep? I am not offering you anything to eat as your tavern is temporarily closed... or you help me prepare a propaganda campaign against the Emperor, no big deal a few caricatures... you didn't understand any of what I said." (MC)
I was going to carry out the propaganda campaign only after the 'miraculous' discovery of the letters... A few suggestions that the emperor is corrupt, that he is a Jewish henchman... a lie repeated 1000 times becomes the truth. Elisabeth spent the next two days in bed, she did not say much, but luckily the maternal instinct prevailed and despite her condition she took care of the children.
"Did you learn anything?" (Elisabeth)
Woman, a little patience... even God needed 6 days to create the world.
"Two days have passed, it's not enough time to get to Prague and come back with the information. As soon as I know something, I will inform you immediately." (MC)
"I thought maybe some messenger had arrived from Bohemia... Who knew about my mother's itinerary?" (Elisabeth)
"Me, her and probably no one else." (MC)
"Your secretary Wronski?" (Elisabeth)
Elisabeth does not even know how close she is to the truth, although Wroński was only a messenger, he did not know the contents of the letters.
"You suspect Wronski?... It's not possible, he knew your mother was going to Prague, but he didn't know the route and left Warsaw before your mother decided on the route." (MC)
"So who? Someone must have betrayed my mother..." (Elisabeth)
"We don't know what happened, but hypothetically... it could have been someone from Prague, from your brother's entourage, some spy, but it's just a guess... for now don't think about it, remember that you have to look after our children... and leave the rest to me." (MC)
The following days passed on to reassure Elisabeth that everything would be fine... a real happy ending. I don't know if she believed me or wanted to believe me, but the most important thing was that she was calmer.
(Moldavian Hospodar Mojżesz Mohyła / Boyar István Görgicze POV)
"Lord, the information from Prince Jazłowiecki turned out to be true. The Tatars fell into our trap, we did not spare anyone according to your order." (István Görgicze)
"What are our gains and losses?" (Hospodar Mohyła)
"Not everything is numbered, but what is certain is 3,000 horses, 200,000 gold and silver coins. There are also a lot of valuables, but we do not know their exact value. We lost several hundred people." (István Görgicze)
"Tatars had prisoners with them?" (Hospodar Mohyła)
"Only a few hundred, but by ambushing and attacking... we treated them like a hostile army." (István Görgicze)
"It is not a problem, Prince Jazłowiecki gave me a free hand in this matter, their fate is not... it was not important... 3000 horses and a lot of gold, it will allow us to strengthen militarily, especially since I have heard rumors, supposedly the adopted daughter of the Prince, is to marry the son of the ruler of Transylvania... I am afraid that difficult times may await us." (Hospodar Mohyła)
(End POV)
"I don't have good news... Your mother and siblings were kidnapped several kilometers outside Świdnica..." (MC)
"Are they alive? Who did it?" (Elisabeth)
"Who? I don't know, I know on whose orders... The Emperor used them to lure your brother into a trap. I also know where they are being held." (MC)
"We have to save them. Free them, buy them from captivity, write a letter to the Emperor... You fought for him, he surely will not refuse your request." (Elisabeth)
"I fought for his father, the former Emperor, and now I am your husband. If he had any sympathy for me, now he certainly does not have it anymore." (MC)
"We are to leave them there, it's my family..." (Elisabeth)
"No, now me and our children are your family and this is your priority. You ask me to come officially against the Emperor and meddle in matters that do not concern me, and may turn out to be disastrous for us in the future... but I am not a heartless monster and will do my best to help you, but know that your request goes beyond... I hope you are prepared for the consequences." (MC)