----------------------------------- July, 1960 - Lisbon, Portugal ----------------------------------- Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza, barely avoided getting his face smashed into the windshield as his staff car screeched to a halt outside the Assembly of the Republic. He burst from the car, leaving his hat and jacket on the rear seat as he ran up the long flight of stairs that led to the marble archways sheltering the interior door. Other figures were similarly rushing toward the entrance and he waved his identification in the face of a confused and terrified looking young policeman who sought to maintain some sort of order. He burst through the doors and into the main hall which was a thunderous noise of shouting and waving arms. He took a moment to find his bearings and then hurried over to his chair, set aside much like the British Monarchs as a place of honour where he might sit and be addressed by the assembly if they so chose. He sank into the red cushions just as the President began to bang his gavel loudly for several seconds to bring some order. "Fellow Members of Parliament! I have news. Our Navy has surrendered without a shot being fired. Spanish Marines came ashore and moved quickly to secure our seaward batteries. Spanish troops have also disarmed our police at the border and are moving rapidly down the highways and into Portugal." The noise rose into a crescendo again and then began to die as a rumbling sound began to shake the building. Some ran to the windows and pointed upward but Duarte didn't need to look to know that the Spanish airforce was preforming another flyby. Those who had run to the windows now returned to their seats and sat silently, stunned looks on their faces. Others continued to shout but one by one they began to fall silent until the whole room was as quiet as a tomb save for the roar of the aircraft above. "I thought they gave us twenty four hours." One MP finally said as she stood and glanced around, the droning of aircraft engines fading into the distance. "It seems that the new Viceroy preferred to work quickly." Retorted another. "Like it or not Ladies and Gentlemen, Portugal is at war." "War?" A third sneered. "There won't be a war. Our army is a facade, our Navy already gone, and our airforce is still flying the same planes it had during the Great War. If we resist it will be a massacre. Thousands of our soldiers will die and for what? To save face?" There was a chorus of agreement from scattered MP's. The speaker plowed on. "The British will not be coming. They have their own problems. France is a Communist mire, and you can be sure the Germans hold us no love after we sided with their enemies during the Great War. We all knew this might happen one day. We are on our own." There was another round of nods and Duarte could see the defeat in the faces before him. He suspected they might have been more willing to resist if the Spanish Air Armada had not passed overhead and, as if reading his thoughts, the great roar came again, louder this time. The building actually shaking as plaster tumbled from the high ceiling, falling amongst the MP's below, many of whom shouted in panic, one or two in pain. "Could we negotiate?" Asked an MP from the north of Portugal. He was a big man and showed scars on his face that suggested he had once been a soldier. "No." Duarte cut in this time and all eyes turned to him. "Delgado was clear that our surrender is to be unconditional. The Spanish Navy sits now unchallenged off our coast, their airforce mocks us with its very presence. This war was lost before it even began. I am aware that I am not a Member of this honourable Parliament but I, for one, would be heart broken to have the young soldiers of this nation be thrown away in a fight we cannot win." The words were not his, but rather those of his beloved daughter, Mariana, who had accosted him before he could leave the Palace. She had been calm as she took his shoulders and stared into his eyes. "Pappa," She had said with as much passion as she had ever shown. "You cannot let them fight. To many will die. The Spanish will show no mercy. Delgado is not a sane man." He reflected on what it waste it was she had not been born a man. She might have made a wonderful leader one day but now she would inherit nothing. Portugal would be no more. He wanted to weep. With nothing else to say he sat and seemed to crumple in his chair in front of the shocked assembly. The President nodded slowly and then turned to the sea of desperate faces. In the distance the sound of huge guns opening fire echoed through the city. Everyone waited for explosions but none came. Warning shots. A demand for an answer. "I vote for an immediate surrender. I will not have the deaths of thousands of our people on my hands." The heavyset MP spoke again. "His Grace is correct. We cannot win this war. To try and fight would be symbolic in name only. And it may make the Spanish vengeful. Delgado is not, I think, a forgiving man." Another chorus of "Ayes" went around the room and the Duke took note of those people, seeing for the first time how, though they looked scared, they were far from surprised at the events. Suspicions began to form in his mind even as the President called for a vote. Had they been bought? How far did reach of Delgado extend? Had Spanish gold bought him a bloodless victory over Portugal? "Then it is agreed." The President's voice broke in on his thoughts. "We will surrender immediately. Inform the armed forces. You Grace," He turned to Duarte. "Perhaps you would be kind enough to contact Delgado and inform him at once?" ----------------------------------- July, 1960 - Madrid, Spain ----------------------------------- Delgado put down the phone receiver and let a genuine smile spread across his face. Portugal had capitulated, as he had known they would have to. The unification of Portugal and Spain had been a project he had worked on for the last five years. The idea had not been his own but he had taken it on with his usual tenacity and, with the assistance of highly placed Portuguese asset, he had quietly bought the most outspoken Members of the Portuguese parliament. They had worked tirelessly to prevent modernization of the armed forces, insisting on public works projects instead. It had been quietly, and very well done. Delgado had to admire the deft hand on the Portuguese side of the border who had so cunningly manipulated those same MP's into believing that a brighter future lay ahead of them if they aligned more closely with Spain. "Lieutenant!" He barked the words, barely concealing the glee he was feeling. The door was snatched open at once and his attache stepped into the room, clicked his heels, and saluted. "Assemble the General Staff. Oh, and find the King, he has a part to play in this still." The soldier saluted and vanished out the door which closed with a bang. He hurried down the marble hallway and out into the main plaza where a deafening crescendo of bells was clamouring across the city. The news was only an hour old and already the streets were thronged with people celebrating a victory in a war they didn't even know had been declared. All they knew was what the newspapers, given a choice between cooperation or closure, were printing. The Spanish Kingdom was on the rise again. Portugal was rejoining the Empire. There was nowhere to go but up. Simple, easy to remember, and most of all, hopeful. Spain had enjoyed a long period of economic success and growth, now she was going to rebuild the glory of old. He hurried down the long steps to a waiting staff car and leapt into the back, shouting for the driver to take him to headquarters. ----------------------------------- July, 1960 - Lisbon, Portugal ----------------------------------- "I am to marry?!" Mariana's voice rose slightly as she stared at her father. "To the Spanish King?" Duarte looked miserable as he nodded. The message had come from Delgado the same evening as the surrender had been confirmed. Already Spanish marines were moving in to seize strategic buildings and locations. Lisbon was an occupied city. "Yes... Delgado told me that if we want our family to remain in Portugal then you will marry the King." "But that would make me Queen of Portugal and Spain!" Mariana sounded excited at the prospect. "Oh father, that sounds so much better than Princess!" Duarte had to admit she was right. It was possible she didn't understand that the Spanish King was little more than a figurehead now. But then it didn't really matter in the end. Portugal hadn't treated them much better. He acknowledged Delgado's clever move however. Mariana was well loved by the people. She was beautiful, charismatic, intelligent, kind, everything that the common people hoped for in a Queen. By coupling her with Juan Carlos, who was as handsome as Mariana was beautiful, Delgado would be able to give people on both sides of the border a common love. "At least he is handsome." Mariana was muttering as she looked at a newspaper clipping with a picture of Juan Carlos I smiling out at her. "So many of our ancestors married old frauds." Duarte wanted to say something else but Mariana had already turned her back on him and was wandering out of the room toward a balcony. She stepped out into the hot afternoon sun and looked out over Lisbon. She could see the Spanish Armada lying at anchor in the outer harbour, their big guns trained on the city. The streets were empty save for roving patrols of Spanish marines. She could sense the anxiety, could see faces glancing out of windows, and she knew that her people were terrified. Then an idea struck her. The Spanish were sure to have a parade through the city. It would be very un-Spanish for them to not have one. They did love a show after all. Maybe this wedding could happen the same day! It would create the illusion of it being a celebration of her as Queen. She hurried back inside, past her father who was now sitting slumped in an armchair, gently swirling his drink around in one hand while he stared at the wall. She picked up the phone, dialled a number and spoke quickly to the person who answered. "Will there be a parade. Yes? Good. I want to be married before it. Thank you." She set down the phone and glanced back out at the terrified capital. Good things could yet come of this.