264 The Holy Maiden of France

Time flew by once more; throughout the months, while Berengar was using the period of peace he had established in Austria to turn his Duchy into a significant power, France found itself engulfed in war. For decades the English had been attempting to invade the Kingdom of France in a bid for control of the French Throne. 

England has seized considerable gains within the past year, and with each passing day, more French land fell to the English invaders. When Aubry returned from the Byzantine Empire, he was sent off to war against the English by his father, King Gilles de Valois. 

At the moment, the effeminate Prince was clad from head to toe in steel plate armor, unlike in Austria where steel was a shared resource, in France, it was a rare commodity, and to outfit a man in a full suit of armor comprised of the material was a great expense.