The Pearl of Great Price Part II

Chapter 43: Strain

War is hell. There is no peace, no fortune, and no glory in a battle worth all the blood it costs. War is death and destruction. It demands a sacrifice of people with their time, talent, and sometimes their lives. As Charles sees it, this particular war is a quarrel between two men too cowardly to sit at negotiating tables to iron out their differences. The biggest coward of all is the King whom he serves, wanting to regain fortune.

This siege at Bolonge had been funded by dukes who dutifully fell into line behind the King. They began arming their men at their own expense. Henry mollified Parliament by allowing the Crown to contribute funds from selling and renting royal lands. He even signed another agreement with the Holy Roman Emperor to become allies against France. The secretive pact stated a joint goal of taking Paris with the help of the English army striking through Picardy and the Emperor's military coming in from the Netherlands. They pledged troops of forty thousand men each.

The news about the kingdom was that King Henry, himself, would be going with the main force to France. He ordered Charles to prepare for their departure. The Princes of Wales assembled arms, horses, foodstuffs, a mobile kitchen, and countless support staff on the southern coast of England. The waiting ships greeted Henry, Charles, and Edward. The massive fanfare of departure buoyed the King's spirits, especially since his new wife was there to see him off, unlike his son-in-law.

Set in stubbornness and bitterness, Mary refused to journey to see her husband off to war. She wished him well in a letter before he departed in Cardiff. Charles knew him leaving for war would be difficult for her to comprehend, but he never imagined how angry she would be. Hers is not a fit of temperamental anger like her father or late aunt.

No. Mary's is cold anger that sits and simmers and stews until it explodes. Unfortunately, her wrath is directed at the King and himself for agreeing to aid in the war. But what did she expect him to do? Refuse His Majesty? To do so would be foolish and risk the King's wrath on himself and his family. Kinship doesn't apply to matters of state, which Mary doesn't fully understand. She has yet to grasp her father's way of dealing with people and problems. So, Charles smiled and waved, like the excellent Prince and soldier he is, to all the people there to see them off. All the while, he felt miserable inside for a lack of familial support. But he does have her letter in his pocket, which he patted.

Once the boats set sail and reached Calais harbor, fleet gunners fired salvo after salvo to announce the King's arrival. The gunners were answered by cannons on the walls of the town. The people in Dover could hear this show of "man-made" thunder, which was twenty-five miles away. It was a vain, frivolous display of theatrics that suited Henry's fancy perfectly. In fact, the King had dressed himself in clothes of spun gold decorated with a ruby red cross over his armor. On his head sat a decorated hat with a crimson satin band. That, too, was a gaudy display the likes of which only Henry could pull off.

The King paraded through the town of Calais with Charles and Edward at his side. And the people were amazed and wondered at his appearance. They stayed in Calais for almost two weeks until an outbreak of the Plague showed up. Then the men moved on with taking Boulogne, where the King threw himself into the siege. He ordered new earthworks to be built and lectured his officers daily on the finer points of military procedure. And within days, the gunnery began to inflict severe damage on Boulogne's castle walls.

But as with any best-laid plan, something always happens to foil the plot. This time it was inclement weather. Violent thunderstorms immobilized the siege, forcing everyone to protect the food, equipment, and tents. Days of downpours turned pathways into rivers of mud which eliminated offensive action. Instead, it enforced boredom and dreariness. Tempers flared, and morale sagged, especially from Charles.