The Mistery of Belicena Villca in Spain , in the former domains of the House of Tharsis , would more than comply with the goals proposed by Rodolfo and the Lords of the Dog , although it would retain up to the middle of the fourteenth century the secret of his lineage .
But not everything happened as Rodolfo expected : there was an exception , but , as I said at the beginning , this did not change the objectives of the Strategy . The problem was raised by Valentina , who was a gifted young woman but extremely passionate . Rodolfo had arranged with a Lord of Flanders , a supporter , both him and his family , of the Domini Canis , the marriage engagement between his son and Valentina : the fiancé , a Captain under the command of the Duke of Flanders , was certainly happy with the wedding . But not so Valentina . Why ?: Because what no one imagined in that Family Council , had happened in St . Félix de Caraman ; Valentina had fallen madly in love with Peter of Crete . Of course , there was something special about the Byzantine Knight since he had already been loved by another Lady of Tharsis , his late wife . But the passion that this time awoke in the Cold Heart of Valentina , overcame all the arguments of Rodolfo and all the reasoning or advice of the Men of Stone ; the lady did not listen to reasons : either she married Peter of Crete or the Strategy of the survival of the Lineage would not pass through her . And what did Peter of Crete say to all this ? No doubt he was also in love , but , he claimed , the oath contracted in front of his murdered family inhibited him to formalize another marriage : before he had to take revenge , somehow punish the cursed Golen . With that purpose he had gotten there and he was still waiting to be directed toward the den of the Demons . But his patience was wearing thin , and if he didn ' t get the adress required soon , he would depart alone , setting his course , as a wandering Knight , in the hands of God .
As you can see , the situation was tangled but not impossible to resolve . The dilemma that Peter of Crete might present , as to whether or not he would be worthy of marrying a Lady of Tharsis , was already elucidated from the outset with his previous marriage . His family belonged to the Byzantine nobility ; in the sharing out of an inheritance , he had been badly offended by the intrigues of certain relatives and , finally , he was forced to flee . One of the Lords of Tharsis met him in Constantinople and offered him that position in Spain . He was now thirty-eight years ; and I already exposed the circumstances of his widowhood . In principle , then , there was no insurmountable impediment to make Valentina ' s wish come true : everything boiled down to convincing the Knight of the importance of that union . But it would not be an easy task to achieve either , since explanations would have to be provided ; and many . A new Family Council finally decided to cancel the commitment to the Lord of Flanders and speak clearly with Peter of Crete .
He was told the truth . He was made to understand that the terrible power of the Golen could not be fought by any man if he had only blood and the sword : Wisdom was also necessary ; and he could find It within the Domini Canis , with whom he was offered to integrate . But they did not hide the mortal danger that would run if her wedding to Valentina de Tharsis was discovered : he would be aware , painfully aware , that in such a case his family might be exterminated again by the Golen . Peter of Crete thus understood that the greatest possible damage to the Enemy would be inflicted by the constitution of a family of the Tharsis blood to secretly perpetuate the heritage of the lineage . And so he did show himself willing to follow the plan of Rodolfo of Spain !
The presence of Peter of Crete was justified by the friendship he had with the Baron of Saint Félix , that is , with the " Roman Knight " who represented the Man of Stone , and later by the marriage with his " sister ", a young Castilian woman named Valentina . The couple spent much of their life secluded in the Castle , as well as the family of Arnaldo Tíber , without ever awakening the suspicions of the Enemy about their true origin . For the exploitation of the property , and to cover all possible suspicions among the villagers , the Castilians had the invaluable help of a family of villains who had been enfeoffed the farm . The Nogarets , as they were called , came from an ancient
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