((Written in collaboration with Elite Ferret, Zim, Deguerra and PrivateerKev))
Athens, November 1094
Without any announcements or notice, a young woman entered the halls of House Asteri in a confident stride. She wore a veil, as was custom for high ranking women, yet her somber clothing of alternating shades of greys was more akin to a servant's garb than that of a noblewoman.
She addressed all present in the room with an imperious tone. "Take me to Kosmas Mavrozomis."
Hypatios was startled by her sudden entrance. Having only just returned from Rhodes he had not washed and so was embarrassed by her presence.
"My lady," he bowed deeply, so deep in fact that he stumbled and struggled to regain his balance, flushing in the process.
"Kosmas is in his private chambers at this moment, would you like me to fetch him here or will you go to him?"
A lot of the words failed to flow from his mouth freely which, as well as making him hard to understand, further added to his embarrassment.
If the princess was amused at the man's bumbling demeanor, she hid it well.
"Compose yourself and then take me to Comes Mavrozomis." She replied in a stern voice, reminiscent of a tutor berating his student for some mistake.
Hypatios expression instantly hardened.
"My lady, I understand that you are of high birth but you must also understand that I am no slave. You happen to be speaking to one of the leading nobles of this House and a personal friend to Kosmas. You may one day find me to be in a more powerful position than your father, so I discourage you from insulting me, and I know that was an insult, your subtlety cannot fool me."
The sudden change in the man was staggering, a moment ago he could barely utter a whisper yet now he spoke firmly and fluently. He smiled,
"Kosmas' chambers are this way, on the other side of the estate. I can fetch a carriage if your pampered feet cannot handle such peasant's work."
The last comment was muttered, though still audible, and thick with sarcasm and scorn. Though he did now fear whether he would seem too aggressive and pompous, despite the advice a 'wise man' had given him on how to win a woman's heart.
Anna's stern expression changed to one of exasperation.
"I need not insult those who make fools of themselves. I advise you to keep your snide comments to yourself and change your attitude, you may fall upon someone far less forgiving than I someday."
As Anna finished her admonition, foot steps could be heard approaching. Kosmas, dressed casually and bearing an easy smile, entered the room and bowed to her.
"Princess Anna, after so many unpleasant surprises these past few days it is wonderful to encounter the other kind. I trust my man Hypatios was acquainting you with the amenities of our House's headquarters?" Kosmas' facial features bore no sign that he had noticed the tension in the room but the way his eyes narrow slightly in thought as he glanced from Hypatios to the Princess suggested otherwise.
Hints of a genuine smile could be seen through Anna's veil.
"Comes Mavrozomis. It is good to see you again, I have travelled to Athens solely to meet you. I hope I shall not be disappointed. May we speak in private?"
Kosmas' smile broadened as it was met by Anna's.
"Of course. There is a room nearby where we may speak alone, right this way."
Kosmas led Anna to a small room some distance away from the Main Hall. There were a few well worn books and scrolls on a large table in the center. Close inspection revealed these to be religious texts, including a copy of the New Testament, the Septuagint, and a number of Monk's Lives. The only striking decoration in the room was a large tapestry on one wall taken up only by a giant Chi Rho symbol in white on a black background.
Kosmas quickly glanced over the room, letting his eyes rest on the tapestry a moment, before turning back to Anna.
"No one will intrude on us here. I take it from your request for privacy that there is something of importance to discuss?"
Anna nodded. "I need a ship and it is said that for now you have many under your command. I need to get to Antioch."
Kosmas' eyes narrowed for the second time that night, as if considering options. "It is true that through the kindness of the Basileus I have had access to many ships, but I am guessing that a crude transport ship would not be adequate to your needs. I own a personal ship with amenities more suiting one of your stature. If it pleases you, I can transport you and your retinue to Antioch."
Anna undid part of her veil to show a warm smile. "That is most kind of you." She turned her back to him and moved to a window. "Although, I should mention I am traveling alone. I am ready to leave whenever you can get your ship ready."
Kosmas paused a moment before bowing and speaking. "It just so happens that Comes Makedonios recently invited me to Antioch. My ship is already just about outfitted for the journey, with no more than a single day needed to finish stocking up on provisions. You will take my cabin of course, although I fear even it is not as luxurious as becomes a daughter of the Basileus. I will sleep with the crew. Is there anything you would like my servants to pick up in town tomorrow to make the trip more pleasant for you?"
She turned back to Kosmas, her head lowered, not daring looking upon him. Her voice was hesitant, as if she was struggling to say the words.
"I was hoping to get to get to Antioch inconspicuously. I... I would require some clothing more fitting... your servant."
The last words seemed especially hard for her.
Kosmas' eyes widened briefly in shock. I wonder what manner of trouble I'm letting myself get into? Recovering quickly, Kosmas smiled again, and bowed to Anna once more. "It shall be as you request. There is a servant on the grounds about your size, so procuring such clothing for you on the pretense of buying it for her should be done easily enough without arousing suspicion. The sleeping arrangement on the ship will be somewhat awkward if you are to pose as my servant, but we will figure something out. In the meantime, do you have a place to stay the night while the ship is outfitted? If not we can try to arrange something here that will not attract notice."
Not daring to face Kosmas, out of shame, she replied meekly. "I'm afraid I'll have to impose, having nowhere else to stay."
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A ship docked in Athens, November 1094
A sharp knock is heard on the cabin door, and without waiting for an answer, Ioannis Kalameteros entered the cabin. He had changed in the years since their last meeting. His body looked thinner, weaker; his face more gaunt. His arms still seemed slightly out of proportion, but they no longer conveyed the same strength they once did, as Ioannis had to steady himself on the doorframe. He seemed tired and much older, but the cold fire in his eyes was still the same.
Ioannis only heard a sharp gasp of surprise and caught a hint of bare flesh as Anna quickly wrapped the bed's blanket around herself in an effort to maintain her modesty. Servant's clothes laid haphazard throughout the room. For once she found herself at a loss for words, she couldn't even manage angry rebuke and her gaping mouth stayed silent. Her wide eyes fixed Ioannis in horror and shock, akin to a wild animal backed into a corner.
Taken aback for only an instant, Ioannis studied Anna with a teasing smile for slightly longer than he should. The dream of half the Strators in the Senate come true. Much prettier without all that decoration, and without the usual royal haughtiness. He turned around, averting his eyes. "Forgive my intrusion Princess, but I heard you were leaving in a hurry. It appears you have convinced Kosmas to take you to Antioch. I can spare myself the question of why, but what exactly do you think you will accomplish there?"
At his inquiries, Anna regained some of her senses. Her expression turned cold and her eyes narrowed. "Out!" she commanded in a firm and sharp voice.
Ioannis turned around. He gave the pile of servants clothes on the ground a brief, meaningful look and turned his eyes ruthlessly back on her. "I do not think you are in a position to give orders, Princess," he emphasized the last word, "I can only hope that you are going to Antioch for a very good reason. If you were found out... Well, obviously I need not tell you." He gestured to the clothes at her feet.
Covered only by a blanket, Anna managed nonetheless to keep her dignity. "Ioannis. Leave the room for an instant and when you return you will find me as compliant as someone in those clothes should be."
One last time he studied her face, trying to control a rising temper, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly with the effort. It really is a rather pretty face. "Do not try obsequious servitude with me, Anna. I want none of it, and I wouldn't believe it from you if you were scrubbing my boots." A pretty face, red with embarrassment. Deciding he had been cruel long enough, he turned around again and exited the cabin, closing the door behind him.
A few minutes later, the cabin's door was silently pushed slightly ajar from the inside, inviting Ioannis back inside.When he did, he found the room had sparsely changed, save for Anna standing at a respectful distance and fully dressed as a servant.
If anything, Ioannis' mocking smile was greater at the servant's attire than the blanket. "So, Anna", he recommenced in a low voice, "just what do you intend to do in Antioch?"
She kept her eyes lowered, as if in the presence of an august being. It was hard to say if she was truly submissive or simply hiding her features from the man who confronted her. "I simply wish to speak to Makedonios, nothing more."
Ioannis' face twisted, his rage pouring out of him as he stepped in closer to her. "I told you not to try your tricks with me! Either you are actually so stupid as to blindly run to that... that man without thinking, in which case you are no more smart than a flittery little girl, or you are lying to me. I am not sure which is worse, but at least if you are lying that shows you still have your wits about you." He noticeably calmed, but continued to glare at her.
Anna remained a tower of calm, unaffected by Ioannis' outburst."If you wish to read me as you would a book, you must first learn the language in which I am written."
He gave a short laugh, his features almost seeming to strain at the effort of not frowning. "Very poetic. I'm afraid I'm not much good with literature. I do know quite a bit about people." His face grew calm again, his expression turned blank. "Whatever you plan on Antioch, is there a way I can help?"
She finally met his gaze with her own, hints of a smile visible on her features. "Do you know who wants me dead?"
Considering briefly, he answered "I do not." He shrugged, "I have my suspicions, but nothing of substance."
Anna nodded thoughtfully. "For my part, I intend to strike back. Let us simply say Makedonios will be instrumental in what I plan." She smiled. "See? That wasn't so hard."
He gave her a genuine smile: "Speak for yourself. If I can be of further assitance..." He left the words hanging in the room.
The silence persisted for some time as she scrutinized Ioannis, her eyes searching his soul. "You truly do not know anything about the attacks on my person?" She placed an emphasis on the plurality of attacks, paying a close attention to his reaction. "Or perhaps, you know something about who would hire my staff to spy on me?"
He studied her for a long time, silently. Finally he sighed. "Pay people to spy on you? Anyone would." He smiled. "I did. I know little of Verina's attack on you, but if she was paid to kill you, it was not by me."
Ioannis' words left Anna dazed and stripped her of her ability of speech for a second time.
He gave a slight smile at her startlement. "While we're being honest, why don't you tell me what your intentions are for Makedonios?"
Her pale face flushed at his question as she struggled to maintain a steady voice. "I had hoped he would lend me use of an estate owned by the Order, but now... Now you have changed my priorities Kalameteros." She spat the name like a curse. "I will try my best to make your life as miserable as I can."
Again he studied her silently. Eventually he gave a quick, mirthless laugh. "Not much one for honesty, then. As for your pathetic threats. You are in my city, surrounded by men loyal to my House, going on a voyage you wish to keep a secret to meet a man you should probably not be seen meeting, dressed as a servant. I could kill you right now. And you threaten me? You have courage, I'll give you that."
Anna gave her best smirk. "You sad little fool, do you truly think I move throughout the Empire without my father's knowledge? Although, if you wish to seal your fate and that of your House with my death, I can hardly stop you."
"Yes. It just so happens I think your father has no idea where you are. Not that it matters. As I said, if I had wanted you dead, I could have paid for it years ago. I have no quarrel with you. I only seek to understand yours with me."
Incredulity crept on her feature, while her voice remained cold and barren of emotions. "Every action you take had some unforeseen consequence. My foolish confidante tried to kill me because I happened upon her little scheme." She shook her head in disbelief. "While others are content to attempt to influence me, you go too far. You go where you should not, you tread on my life without regard to anything other than your own selfish interests and then you ask what you have done to attract my ire? I tire of your mockery, you know very well your crimes against my person."
Ioannis started shaking his head before she was even finished. "You are so much more naive than I thought. You are a Princess of the Roman Empire. People will tread on your life, and they will try to kill you, and you will get caught up in the schemings not only of a family and a court, but of an entire Empire. I have committed no crime but seeking information, and had it not been me on bribing your servant, it would have been another. One, I might add who would not be so honest about their intentions as I. So, if I may give you some advice, get thee to a nunnery, or get used to it. You may not like me for it, Princess, but I never asked you to like me. What I asked for was a business partner. Sadly, it seems my faith in your wits and intelligence was misplaced. As for your threats, do your worst. I have lost everything I held dear in this world a long time ago. Now if you will excuse me, I have wasted my time with you quite long enough."
Anna stood expressionless as she watched him leave. The exchange had left her unsure about many things, save one. Her resentment for Ioannis Kalameteros had just reached unprecedented heights.
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Antioch, December 1094
A servant entered Makedonios' room. A woman dressed in plain whites and grays, her bowed head and simple linen cap covering her features. She glided without a sound to his side and whispered in his ear.
"Makedonios..."
With the reflexes of a soldier, he reached under his pillow for his dagger and pulled it out while sitting up. When he saw her face, he recognized it instantly and dropped the knife on the floor.
"Anna!"
He quickly composed himself and remembered that formalities were required.
"Forgive me for being so informal your Highness. But you startled me. What are you doing here?"
As he sat up, Anna saw that he had changed a little. He was past 30 now. A decade of pneumonia had wracked his body and left him gaunt. His right shoulder was heavily bandaged. At least now he was out of the tent and in a proper room. But his eyes were still the same. She could tell the passion in them, for both his holy mission and for her, had not gone out despite the trials he had endured.
The room was simple and spartan despite being in one of the better buildings in Antioch. A table by the bed was piled with the books Anna had sent him. Many bookmarks could be seen sticking out from them. And a stack of letters threatened to fall over onto the floor.
She took of the cap which held her hair and at last, Makedonios could take in her features fully. This time, her face was worn without any cosmetics and its flaws were revealed. Her cheeks were pale, as her face, lacking the proper red tint required for beauty and her hair was a tangled mess held by a simple wooden comb. She easily looked the part of a servant.
"I needed to see you again Makedonios, with all that has happened I needed to speak to someone I could trust." She smiled. "Considering what I am wearing and the fact I am not even supposed to be here, you can drop the formalities."
Makedonios sat back for a moment in shock as he took in her full features for the first time. She looks even better without the makeup, he thought. After staring for an awkward second, he spoke.
"I'm sorry but you do not stop being who you are all because your dressed different your Highness. While it is good to see you again, I apologize that you have to see me in such a poor condition. But I am honored by your kind words. Please, let me know what has been going on and if it is in my power to help, I will."
Anna kneeled at the side of his and looked up to him. "I fear I may first have to impart troubling news. Ioannis Kalameteros intercepted me as I came here. I know not if he will reveal my coming here to anyone, but he harangued me and threatened to kill me. In the past I have overlooked his impertinence, yet he has gone too far this time."
At first he was troubled by the fact that someone of royalty had placed themselves lower than him, so as to make him look down on them. But he quickly forgot about that when he heard the word 'kill'. His eyes narrowed and his features hardened.
"I have long grown tired of that man. If it wasn't for my friendship with Kosmas, I would have already gone to the Emperor with the evidence I have of his meddling in your affairs. But this is too far. I'll have to think of how to make him hurt without causing too much harm to his House. And if I can't think of a way to do that, then I'll just think of a way to make him hurt."
Anna had never seen Makedonios like this. He had the steely cold resolve of a soldier who just learned that the woman he was falling for had been seriously threatened. Finally, he asked, "Tell me, what exactly happened."
At those words, she proceeded to recount her latest encounter with Ioannis Kalameteros in great detail, striving to omit nothing. At first she had thought of embellishing the tale, but she soon realized it was damning enough as it was.
Makedonios shook his head. "That man truly has no morals, standards, or values. I guess being trapped on that island has warped his mind even more. You might consider going to your father with this news. With enough pressure, Kosmas will be forced to eject Ioannis or suffer his whole House being alienated in the Senate."
With his usually stone face etched with emotion he said, "I'm glad you're ok. With the two attempts on your life, and this new threat, I worry about you. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you."
Anna shook her head lightly. "I cannot go to my father, unless I reveal I traveled here." Her pleasant features grew harder. "Ioannis would not dare harm me, do not worry, he is not that much of a fool. There is no need to harm his House, I only wish to see him suffer as I did whenever he insinuated himself in my life."
He nodded. "Well it's something to keep in mind. I'm sorry if I seem overbearing but I have grown... protective of you. My feelings for you have grown a great deal. Regardless of what your father decides with the issue of who you will marry, I suspect I will always feel this way."
She replied in a tender voice. "I have worried about you too." Then rose and sat beside him on the bed. "I also have a favor to ask you. You mentioned the Order having land in Konstantinopolis and I would require a building, preferably out of the way. Can you accommodate me?"
He smiled and enjoyed her closeness. "Of course. Since we require all members to turn over their belongings upon joining the Order, we have acquired a large amount of land all over the Empire. I can provide you with a building that fits your needs."
"I can also guarantee your privacy and security there. While the land owned by the Order is a matter of public record, they won't know which one your in. Plus, the number of properties in the city under our control is numerous. People would have difficulty watching them all. And no one but me will know which one your occupying. As for security, I can detail men I trust to guard the building who won't talk or ask questions."
"Now, you said Ioannis intercepted you on the way here so discussing him was not the reason you originally came. And you could have asked about the building in a letter. What brought you to take such risks in traveling here? Is there something else you want or need to discuss?"
Anna rose and turned to stand before him. "Actually, I simply wanted to see you and since the building is crucial for what I plan, I did not wish to risk a letter. Now that I am here, is there anything you wish to say before I leave?"
Oh only about a million things, but they can wait for when circumstances are happier, he thought. While he wished to find excuses to postpone her leaving, he knew she had to get back.
"It was good to see you your Highness. It means a lot to me that you came all this way just to talk to me in person. Just please be careful and do not hesitate to write to me if you need anything or want to talk. I'm sorry I could not show you around the city. Perhaps next time when I feel better."
Anna placed the crude cap on her head once more. "May God watch over you Makedonios so that I may have the pleasure of your company, sooner rather than later. Farewell." Promptly, she turned and left the room in hurried steps.
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