Chapter 126 – The Boy and the Crown
Damascus, August 25th, 1180
The white marble colonnade of Qasr al-Ablaq, once a palace of the Seljuk atabegs, now served as the royal residence of Baldwin IV in Damascus. Beneath its latticed windows and beneath banners fluttering with the Cross of Jerusalem, a small party rode in from the north gate. The summer heat hung heavily, but the watch on the battlements rang bells as the procession passed under the newly repaired gatehouse.
The guards announced the boy’s arrival as trumpets rang out in the courtyard.
"Raymond of Antioch, heir of Bohemond, son of Orgueilleuse d’Harenc," intoned the chamberlain. "By right of blood and oath, come to submit himself to the regency of His Majesty, King Baldwin of Jerusalem."
The boy could not have been more than ten—thin, sharp-featured, with restless grey eyes and a narrow frame. He dismounted with practiced care, his shoulders squared, trying to appear older. Behind him rode a few loyal knights of Antioch, older men with weather-worn faces and cautious glances, remnants of a broken court still loyal to Bohemond’s line.
Baldwin IV waited for him within the audience chamber. Light filtered through stained glass panels, glinting off the silver-chased armor Baldwin still wore—despite his illness, the King rarely appeared in court without full regalia now. A cloth mask covered the lower half of his face, but his eyes were sharp as ever.
At his side stood Balian of Ibelin, silent and composed, dressed in dark silk robes and bearing the sword of his office. A quiet strength.
Raymond approached the throne and bowed stiffly. "Your Majesty."
"You are welcome to Damascus, young Raymond," Baldwin said, his voice muffled but steady. "You’ve come far. Your father died with courage. May his name endure."
"Thank you, sire," the boy said. "I am told I belong to you now."