The vaulted hall of King Robert's palace in Paris was heavy with murmurs when the Duke of Normandy's reply was read aloud.
The words were precise, deliberate, couched not in defiance but in the careful language of feudal law.
Robert of Normandy professed his loyalty to the crown, acknowledged the Pope's summons, and lamented that he had "but sufficient men to guard the coasts of Normandy, as the kings of France entrusted to my fathers and to me." He offered prayers for Christendom's cause but withheld his swords.
The parchment was set aside, its seal broken, and silence fell.
The King's gaze swept across his gathered magnates, counts of Blois, Anjou, Vermandois, and others, each whispering into the ear of a neighbor, weighing words not yet spoken.
At last, Count Odo of Champagne leaned forward.
