Remember, no one can teach you how to behave in any situation. Only your feelings and intuition can tell you how to act. Don’t be afraid of that. You have inherited these innate qualities from me, your father, your grandparents, and your ancestors. You are of royal blood. We gave you an excellent education. You already have everything in you that you can use in any situation. However, your father and I may not always be by your side and cannot always help you with our advice. But you don't need us. Listen to your heart, and it will tell you the right path.”

The duchess continued: “We are sending you to the Duchy of Burgundy to your and Afonso's beloved aunt, the Duchess Isabella of Burgundy. She has invited us to her son Charles’ fifth wedding anniversary, but we have decided to send just the two of you. You will have plenty of time to spend together while sailing on the ship, and then you will have a journey in a carriage to Burgundy. We will inform her in advance so she can create the right conditions for you to make your feelings emerge and flourish. The rest will be up to you.”

“How interesting and romantic this whole thing is, Momma,” the infanta replied. “I am grateful for your concern and trust in me. I am also grateful for your advice. And, from the bottom of my heart, I agree to all your instructions and will do my best to make everything come true.”

“That's wonderful, my child,” the duchess said. “I am sure you will do well with our blessing and the Almighty's help. Now, let me leave you. And remember, Isabella, our conversation must remain a secret. Do not tell anyone – not your brothers, sisters, friends, or future children. It is our secret. We will formally inform Afonso and everyone about your upcoming journey tomorrow after matins at the family breakfast.”

The duchess stood up, approached her daughter, took her by the elbows, and said goodbye. “From today, sweetheart, a new chapter in your story begins, and remember, you are the sculptor of your fate. Bless you, and God be with you.”

After kissing her, the duchess headed for the door and added: “I will go prepare for this God-blessed voyage.”

The next day, after matins, the royal family gathered as usual in the breakfast hall. As planned, Duke Pedro announced the invitation his sister gave to them to go to the Duchy of Burgundy.

“The Royal Council has approved this trip,” he said reassuringly. “It is essential for our nation to maintain kinship ties with the rulers of those nations who will be happy to lend a hand in times of need. In the same way, friendly relations between countries lead to better trade relations, which improves the country’s welfare.

“However, the present political situation in our country is precarious,” the duke explained. “So we have decided to remain here. In our place, we have chosen Afonso and Isabella to represent us. They will stay with my sister for a few weeks, and will return to the palace after this celebration. You will have a wonderful voyage by ship. Your aunt will also take you to some fabulously beautiful places in Burgundy. You have been within the walls of this palace for a long time, and we hope that this journey will enable you to see the world in more varied and vivid colors.

“What do you say, Afonso and Isabella?”

“I've always dreamed of traveling to different countries,” Afonso exclaimed excitedly. “Even in my dreams, I often see myself as either a sailor or a noble knight performing valiant feats. I am very grateful to you, uncle, and to you, aunt, for your care. You always think of things to do for me to make me feel more satisfied.”

“I am delighted to have such a wonderful journey and will be glad to visit my aunt,” said Isabella meekly. “Thank you, father and mother. I am used to being near you, so it is frightening to know that you will be far away from me.”

“Isabella!” exclaimed the duchess. “You will not be alone. By stating his innermost dreams, Afonso has revealed that he is like a valiant knight in the depths of his heart. He will always care for you and not let anyone hurt you on water or land. Isn't that so, Afonso?”

“Oh, Isabella,” said Afonso.

His voice had pathos in it.

“You don't have to worry about your safety. You have nothing to fear. I am perfectly capable of handling a weapon. Please, uncle, let me take with me not an instructional sword but a real one so I can protect the infanta from ill-wishers.”

“Of course, Afonso,” Pedro answered assuringly. “It is always prudent to take the best weapons on long journeys. You can choose any weapon from the king's arsenal.

“And, for you, my Isabella,” Pedro continued, “I will also be reassured. I will remember that next to you is the son of a hero of Portugal, my brother, King Edward I, who showed himself as an incomparable navigator and an unsurpassed hero in the African wars. Afonso’s son is his blood, so he sees what is destined to happen to him even in his dreams.”

The duchess joined the conversation. “Your cousin, my dear Isabella, is as noble and brave as his father. We would not send you if we were not sure that you would be in safe hands.”

“Thank you, uncle and aunt, for your kind, faithful words about my father and me,” said Afonso proudly, with a twinkle in his eye.

After breakfast, Fernando, overjoyed to hear of Afonso's departure from the palace, went to his room in high spirits. He loved and respected his brother and had always trusted him, but deep down, he still feared that Afonso might become his potential love rival.

“Now, no one can stop me from winning Isabel's heart,” he thought as he walked to the table after he entered his room.

He carefully took the poems he had written the night before and reread them, kissing the place where the name “Isabel”’ was written. He took a quill and wrote on the back, “From your admirer.” Then he carefully rolled up the parchment with the verses, tied it with a scarlet string, and lightly applied floral oil to the edges of the parchment. He then headed to the part of the palace where Isabel's room was.

As he walked down the corridor that led to her room, Fernando slowed his pace. His heart was pounding. When he was sure the corridor was empty, he walked to Isabel’s door, tied the parchment to the doorknob, knocked on the door, and ran back down the corridor. He hid behind a column and listened. Soon, he heard the door open. Now Fernando could not only hear his heart beating, but he could feel an intense throbbing in his temples. Fernando heard the sound of the door closing, and he breathed a sigh of relief, satisfied with the thought that everything had gone as planned.

“Will she understand that the poems are from me?” Fernando thought as he went back to his room. “She couldn't help feeling that I was madly in love with her, although I tried not to show it outwardly,” he reasoned. “And how would she feel about that if she understood that?”

He entered his room, approached the mirror, imagined her in front of him, and said, “Isabel, may I reveal my feelings for you? When I saw you for the first time, my heart immediately told me that destiny had sent you to me. I fell in love with you at first sight. I dream of you day and night.

“So let me offer you my hand and heart,” he continued. “Let me become your suitor. If you are unsure of your feelings, I beg you not to refuse my request. Let me prove how strong my love is. I am sure you will experience the same feelings for me as I have for you in time.”

As he walked over to the bed, he lay down and imagined Isabel untying the parchment string and reading his poems. Then his head began to fill with other things, and his thoughts sweetly stirred until he dozed off, nestled against the pillow.

The ship on which Prince Afonso and infanta Isabella were to set out on their first sea voyage was outfitted in a matter of days.

In the palace, everything went on as usual. The duke and duchess began to feel anxious two weeks later, waiting to hear from their daughter, and dreaming and praying that their plans would come true.

Finally, the duchess received the long-awaited letter from Isabel, which said the following:

Hello, Momma.

For several days now, we have been sailing, admiring the vastness of the sea, the sea creatures and fish, the sea birds, and the beauties of the lands we observe as we sail along the coasts of many countries.

I am very grateful to you, Momma, for your instructions, and I always try to follow them when I have the opportunity. Afonso, unfortunately, is not affected by my passion. He spends more time on deck than in the cabin with me, admiring nature and talking at length with the ship's captain, listening to his tales of military adventures in which he once participated. He also engages tirelessly in sword fighting with the attendant you sent with us.

While trying to set his heart on fire, I suddenly discovered that I had fallen madly in love with him, and I no longer feel the same way about him as I had. I saw him as a real gentleman, and I couldn't think of anything or anyone but him. And this feeling has become painful because he does not see me as a senhorita.

The ship's captain said we would be docking at our destination tomorrow morning. As you instructed, I will give this letter to our escort. My only hope now is in my Aunt Isabella of Burgundy, whom you asked for help with our plans. I pray to the Almighty for help for our whole family and me.

Your devoted daughter,

Infanta Isabella.

Two months later, a second message was delivered to the palace. The Duchess of Burgundy sent her trusted man on a merchant ship to Portugal. As was commanded, he handed the letter to Duke Pedro and told him: “Your Highness! I am sailing back to the Duchy of Burgundy on one of the merchant ships in three days. If your Highness wishes to send Her Serene Highness a message, you may do so through me.” Pedro thanked the messenger and said he would give him a letter on the day he sailed.

After the messenger left, Pedro immediately sent a servant to fetch Duchess Isabella.

As soon as Isabella entered the duke's study, she immediately guessed from her husband's enthusiastic face that news had come from Burgundy.

She hurriedly approached his desk, and as she sat down, she noticed a rolled-up parchment with a wax seal in Pedro's hands.

“Oh, my darling! Oh, my Pedro! Oh, what I see!” Isabella began to exclaim in ecstatic laughter. “How kind of you not to have torn the wax and instead waited for me so we could hear the long-awaited news together. The letter, of course, was not sent by our daughter,” the duchess concluded with a sad note in her voice. “I see the seal of Burgundy stamped on the wax seal.”

“You are very observant, my keen Isabella,” Pedro remarked, tearing the sealing wax carefully from the parchment.

Unrolling the parchment, he began to read:

My dear brother, Pedro,

Forgive me for taking so long to send word. I did not want to disturb you until the ice between Afonso and Isabella broke.

As you asked me to, I created the most favorable conditions for my dear nephew and niece. They traveled together to the most romantic parts of Burgundy, riding through our forests and taking part in forest hunts. One day, at my instruction, the guards on the hunt fell behind the prince and infanta by staging a wild boar chase. This took place by the lake, where a chic, well-protected hut had been set up beforehand. As planned, the prince and infanta had to spend the night there. In the morning, my servants found them in the hut asleep in each other's arms. From that day on, it was obvious that an affair had begun between them.

And today, Isabella and Afonso confessed at our family breakfast that Afonso had given his heart to Isabella and proposed to her. Isabella accepted his proposal. I immediately hastened to inform you of this joyful news. So, my dear brother, your joke about handing me Cupid's arrow was not groundless. Strange as it may seem, the arrows of Cupid have not rusted in the hands of your half-century-old sister.

In a week, we will be celebrating my son Charles’ anniversary. And the day after the celebration, I will send Afonso and Isabella home. Charles has become very close to his cousins and has asked them to send him an invitation to their engagement.

A big kiss to all my sweet nephews and my admiration to your wonderful wife, Isabella, for giving her boundless affection and love to her children and the children of my late brother, Edward.

Your faithful and loving sister,

Isabella of Burgundy

“How kind of your sister to say thank you,” said the duchess, wiping tears from her eyes with a silk handkerchief. “I am so touched by her kindness and grateful for what she has done for us. We will surely have to invite your sister's entire family to Isabella and Afonso's engagement celebration.”

“That's right,” answered Pedro. “I intended to send our reply tomorrow. Along with deep gratitude to my sister, we should also invite my sister and her husband, Duke Philip the Good,³⁴, and their entire family to the engagement ceremony. We need to have the ceremony immediately before Eleanor finds other ways to contact her sons.

“Tomorrow, I will call a royal council,” he continued. “After Afonso and Isabella return, we will decide which day will be appropriate to notify everyone of the engagement and have the Duke and Duchess of Burgundy and other distinguished guests arrive so we can have the ceremony as soon as possible.”

The news of the imminent engagement of Prince Afonso and infanta Isabella quickly spread throughout the palace. The court became unusually animated. All the courtiers were instructed to prepare for the celebration. Isabel Zarco also received an assignment directly from the duchess. She was to speed up Fernando's training so he, as Afonso's brother, would not fail at the ball, which was to be scheduled immediately after the betrothal ceremony.

The dance schedule was, therefore, changed, and Fernando was now required to attend daily classes in the morning and evening. This news made Fernando extremely happy. For now, he could be near Isabel daily. During the last few months, his inspiration had not ceased. Every evening, he wrote love poems. And, every week, he delivered his poetic creations the way he had the first time.

One day, after several days of intense dance classes, Fernando noticed that Isabel had a strange, pensive expression. Toward the end of the class, he asked, “Isabel, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, infante Fernando,” Isabel replied with perplexity. “You don't have to ask for my permission. Ask me if you need to ask something, and I am always ready to answer you.”

“Thank you, Isabel,” replied the infante. “I just wondered if it would be polite to ask such a question. You don’t look the same today as you usually do. I thought you might be overworked because of the frequent sessions with me. Tell me, and I will ask the duchess to reduce the number of lessons.”

“Oh, no, not at all, Your Highness!” Isabel answered anxiously. “You needn't ask the duchess to do that. She has not required me to give you extra lessons. I told her to add the extra lessons so we could finish what I had planned. And I don’t feel overworked at all. I think you have the wrong impression of the situation, infante Fernando. But thank you for your concern and attention,” Isabel said, curtsying gratefully.

“Isabel,” Fernando answered with inspiration. “It would be a great honor for me if I could somehow do you some favor. After all, I am so …” Fernando suddenly stammered and could not continue his thought.

“May I ask you something, infante Fernando?” Isabel asked, wanting to lead the conversation out of its impasse.

“I'm all ears, Isabel,” Fernando replied with a sigh of relief.

“One of your cousins told me you are multitalented and even write poetry. Is this true?”

“It must have been my cousin, Philippa, who told you that,” Fernando answered. “She always blurts out all my secrets.”

Suddenly, it occurred to Fernando that Isabel might be trying to find out who the author was of the poems she often found on her door. “Now, at last, the moment had come for me to reveal myself to Isabel,” Fernando thought. “And if I finally do it, I will be the happiest creature in the world if Isabel accepts my love.”

“Isabel!” Fernando began, preparing to voice out those speeches he had repeatedly rehearsed in front of the mirror. But, instead, he began to talk about something else. “Philippa is so imaginative. I told her I tried to write poetry. But it didn't work out. That was a long time ago.”