"And what about your brothers, Charibert, Gontran, Chilperic and Sigebert? Will they leave your father's kingdom to you alone?" "I shall have all my brothers killed." "Clovis, your grandfather, as well as his sons, all rid themselves of their nearest relatives in the same fashion. You would be proceeding according to the traditions of your house." "Answer, count; will you pledge yourself by a sacred oath to combat on my side at the head of your men? If you will, then, by an equal oath, I shall pledge myself to make you duke of whatever province you may choose, and to relinquish to you the goods, treasures, slaves and domains of the richest seigneurs who may have sided with my father against me." "What you demand of me, if I understand you rightly, is that I pledge myself, in my own name and the name of my leudes and pursuivants, to _obey your mouth_, as we express it in Germany?" "Yes, that is my demand." "But what fate do you reserve for your father?" "His own bodyguard came near cutting him to pieces just before the war with the Saxons. Are you aware of that?" "Such a rumor did reach us." "Well, then, my plan is to have my brothers killed; to declare that my father died in the war with the Saxons; and then to pronounce myself King of Gaul in his place." "But when he returns from Saxony with his army, what will you do then?" "I shall take the field against him at the head of my leudes, and I shall kill him--just as he killed his nephews." "I am thinking of what may happen to me. If in the war with your father you go down, and I am found mixed up in the affair--it will go ill with me. I would then be stripped as a traitor of all the lands that I hold in _benefice_, only my salic lands would be left to me." "Do you expect to win in a game without taking any risks?" "I would much prefer that! But listen, Chram. Let the counts and dukes of Poitou, Limousin and Anjou take your side against your father, then I and my leudes will _obey your mouth_. But I shall not openly declare myself in your favor until the others shall have first taken up arms openly." "You wish to play a safe game." "Yes, I wish to risk little and gain much--I sincerely admit it." "Very well--then let us exchange pledges." "Wait a moment, King; we shall swear upon a sacred relic." "What are you doing? Why open that coffer? Leave the lid up so that I may see your treasures. By my royal hair, I never in my life have seen a more magnificent Bible case than this!" exclaimed Chram as Neroweg lifted the precious Bible case from the coffer. "It is all gold, rubies, pearls and carbuncles. From what pillage did you get that?" "In a city of Touraine. The gospels within are all written out in gold letters." "The case is superb. I am dazzled by it." "King, we shall take our pledge upon these gospels."