Stories Thread

[Kagemusha]

Kantakouzinos residence the next evening after the banquet.

Ioannis returned home from Senate session in a good mood. Long gone were the agonizing thoughts of the morning, when he was expecting of being arrested or even deported.

The day had been eventful and in the end, after some more then comical events, the young Kantakouzinos had to leave the Senate session with almost hysterical laughter.

As Ioannis reached the Kantakouzinos residence, Naksos was waiting him already outside. With a meaningful expression on his face, the old man handed over a letter bearing a royal seal.Ioannis took the letter and without saying anything looked at Naksos, with inquiring expression on his face. The old man answered with a smile and nodding of his head.

As soon as Ioannis reached his bedroom he sat down and cut open the seal with a letter knife. His eyes moved along the first few lines and a large smile entered the face of young Kantakozinos. Towards the end of the letter, the smile dimmed and Ioannis raised his head few times, with pondering expression in his face. When he reached the end of the letter, Ioannis remained sitting still, watching as the flame of the large candle standing on his desk, created dancing shadows around his table. Slowly he pushed the letter aside, grabbed paper and started writing on it. Once he was finished, Ioannis took his seal from a draw of his desk, poured some wax on the envelop and pressed hard his seal to the wax, with smile, but also somewhat troubled expression on his face.

After few minutes of stillness, Ioannis said in a silent voice.

"Naksos, enter."

The older man who had already stood behind the heavy wooden door of Ioannis bedroom marched in and bowed to his master. Ioannis looked sharply in the eyes of the older man and said.

"Deliver this letter to the Princess and do not let it slip in wrong hands, even if you had to guard it with your life."

Bowing his head, Naksos took the letter and left the room, while the younger man remained still, watching the flame of the single candle, lighting the room.

[ULC]

Constantinople, Order of St. John's Chambers, 1081

Iakovos rubbed his eyes and shifted in his seat, setting the book he had been reading to one side. He turned to stare at the flickering flame before standing up and turning to the shelves of scrolls and books within the Order's library within the Senate. Iakovos sighed as he looked wonderingly at the marvel the written word was, how each parchment, each scroll, each page, was the past connecting with the present. Iakovos mused to himself how he spent more time in the library reading or writing then the chapel praying and reflecting.

Iakovos sighed to himself as he reached up and pulled a copy of the book he was reading from the shelf and opened it to the page he was reading. He was sure he had come across a discrepancy, and it would need to be corrected. After a moment, he found it. A sentence had been rearranged, and the one he was reading from was written in a form harder to understand. Closing the book, Iakovos returned to his desk and jotted down the book title and page, to remind himself to look for a third to see if he could not clear up the actual phrasing.

Returning the one upon his desk to the shelves, Iakovos extinguished the candle, and turned to go to his private chambers. As he walked, a chain with a locket clinked, and Iakovos instinctively reached for it. Upon it was written in German "Seek first to Understand, then to be Understood.". It was a parting gift from his father, the only thing he had of him, who had died when Iakovos was 9 at Manzikert, along with his two elder brothers, Aleksander and Ehrhart. His mother had tried to raise him afterwards on her own, but soon passed away of heartbreak not soon after.

He was taken to a monastery, where he truly learned of God, and where he developed his love of the written word. Iakovos had made his way to his chambers, brushing open the door and sweeping in only to collapse into his bed, tired from the days activities and the lack of sleep. Iakovos quickly drifted off into a deep slumber.

[The Lemongate]

(written with TheFlax)

The Merchant and the Princess

Anna had picked the early afternoon to visit Hagia Sophia in order to commune with the Lord, yet as she neared the Magnaura, she sensed something was wrong when she could not hear the usual heated debates coming from the building. She paused in front of the building, halting her escort, asking herself if she should peer into the building.

Her attention was suddenly caught by a clamor coming from within the Magnaura's courtyard. The seat of the Senate was rarely calm when the august body was in session, but the vociferous voice that was rising from the marble gateway leading to the Magnaura had nothing to do with bickering senators. It was rather an eclectic mix of high-pitched italian swears, some so obscure even a native speaker would have had trouble discerning their literal meaning, and boisterous oaths of revenge, most of them inhuman tortures having to do with the ingurgitation of substantial quantities of lard.

When the speaker finally exited the Senate courtyard, fearful guards respectfully keeping their distances, she could see the man was a strongly built Italian. His most prominent feature, his expansive belly, preceded him by several feet. He was dressed in the finest Italian silk clothes, although the choice of attire and color left much to be desired. In one hand he held a ridiculously large, feathered cappello hat with which he was threatening the guards following him.

As the gates were closed behind him, he bellowed :

"Pagliacci ignari! I will have you fattened with little German salsiccie until your tongues drop off! Scimmie! I will go to the highest authorities with this! The highest authorities! The Emperor himself will hear of this you can be sure! To treat Voluminoso Maiale with such indignity! I'm a prince I'll have you know! Un principe, voi imbeciles! When the consuls of Genoa learn of this! Mama mia!"

Anna could hardly contain a light laughter at grotesquely obese man's display. Nevertheless, she regained some measure of seriousness when he mentioned the emperor. If he had a complaint to make, it could be made it to her, no need to bother her father with such things.

Neither could this task be relegated to someone of lower rank if he was a prince. For diplomacy's sake, even Latin princes needed to be respected. Motioning her escort forward, Anna made her way to him. She addressed him in a soft and conciliatory voice.

"Good lord of Genoa. You wish address a complaint to the royal family?"

Voluminoso turned around with impressive speed and agility for such one of such enormous bulk. Of course, keeping his balance was something else altogether, but after nearly flattening one of the princess’ retinue, he managed to find a relatively firm footing. When he saw a lady of the highest nobility before his eyes, his years of classical education where etiquette and prestance were beaten into him with a stick (or sometimes a large trout) came rushing back to his mind. Grimacing for an instant at the thought of the trout, he quickly struck a pose and bowed, his flabby stomach scraping the ground.

"La maggior parte della altezza nobile, signora allineare, principessa generosa, I thank you for your concern! You are a true soul to take pity of a man in such extreme circumstances! Mama mia! Even in Italia the gentleladies are not so caring!

I am Voluminoso Maiale, of Genoa, merchant extraordinaire, richest man west of Constantinople e un vero Principe Italiano! I have just arrived in the city on my ship, il Carico di Lardo and I fear I got lost. Even my coach has abandoned me! So I entered this building here to seek some help, to talk to the proper authorities, but they treated me like una bestia senza valore! It is unimaginable! To treat so badly a man coming from the great city of Genoa! A man that has come to make connexions with the great people of the Greeks and Romans! I bring the best of wares! And money! I will buy entire city blocks! Make markets! And soldi! Soldi per tutto! Per tutto! For you, for me, for everybody!

And then I want to meet the Emperor! And his daughter! They say she is the most beautiful lady on the northern shores of the Mediterranean. A beauty like you la mia signora. I have brought gifts and presents for the royal family! My ship is full of them! But what am I to do, now lost in this huge city? And my coach, this idiota maledetto that has run away! I pray you can help me principessa generosa!"

Voluminoso was giving a truly a pathetic show. His beady little eyes seemed ready to burst in tears and his large, greasy shoulders were visibly sinking into his form. But worst above all, he seemed sincerely distraught at his situation. That any man be in such predicament would elicit sympathy, but that such an enormous buffoon be so assailed by misery could turn around even the hardest of hearts.

Anna usually despised Italian princes. They were more akin to rich merchants than anything else and Anna was tempted to abandon him to his fate. Yet something in his speech moved her. She pitied the man even though he was a Latin. He seemed genuinely in distress, of that she was sure. She hardly understood the barbaric tongue of the man and what she did understand of his disjointed Greek made little sense. He wanted to buy the city?

Nevertheless, he wanted to meet the emperor and her. Maybe she could spare her father the visit of this man by indulging him. Surely pointing him to lodging establishment and making him understand the emperor was too busy with the Magnaura would not be too hard. For all the pity she had for him, she would not tolerate wasting too much time with this bumbling fool. Speaking noticeably slower and very clearly, as if to an infant, Anna pointed to the building behind the man. Hopefully, he would understand, but Anna had her doubts.

"That is the Mag-nau-ra, the location where our representatives assemble to pass le-gis-la-tions. No one but those authorized to do so may enter. Now the emperor is bu-sy, but I, as his daughter and representative, might be able to alleviate your concerns. You were seeking lod-ging, yes?"

There was a pause in Voluminoso’s train of thought. His mind snapped. She had said it. She was her. Her. The woman he had come to see. The woman he had come to marry and bring back to his estate in Genoa. He felt great emotion to know that she had stopped to talk to him in his hour of need. He was overcome by a powerful feeling, something he had rarely felt before. His immense body quivered for an instant. Tender feelings flooded his mind, and for a fleeting moment, a damn broke deep inside of him and he was filled with bliss. But he was quickly called back to the grim realities of his situation, and a single thought now clearly formed in his mind:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

She was too THIN!

Totally unacceptable for a man of his prestigious situation to be married to a woman of this minuscule size, be she queen of half the world! No, no, no, no, no! He had to get out of this situation and fast! He felt that she could fall in love with his herculean physique at any time. He knew the sway he had over women. And yet, such a charming lady, and she was the fabled princess of the Greeks, their new Helen (well less plump of course, a shame). He could not simply push her back. He had to play the game.

"Cuore dorato, I cannot accept your help! You are a principessa, a Greek princess you see, and I am un grande e commerciante potente, il più ricco."

Voluminoso hoped he wasn’t being to hard on her. He added, with forced emphasis :

"But I will hold your smile in my heart, bella signora, it will warm me more then any hotel or senate ever could. I will hold dear this memory of the princess of the Greeks and send you the presents I have brought on board my ship! But I will be busy you understand, I’m an important man, demand and supply and bridging new markets. I might not be able to come see you, braciola di maiale adorabile, or your fine father."

As he was saying these words, his coach finally reappeared. It looked like it had been vandalized as a huge ax was stuck in a door and one wheel was missing, but it somehow managed to keep relatively straight. Voluminoso entered it as quickly as his adipous form would allow and waved at the princess as his coached dashed away :

"I know you would have me stay, but I must take my leave il mio piccolo criceto grasso. I will send you an orchestra to sing you the serenade!"

Feeling relieve that he had finally been able to put an end to this rather unfortunate conversation, he hoped he would be able to spend the rest of his trip to Constantinople without meeting her again, but he had an ominous feeling his fate might decide otherwise.

Anna was stunned at his tirade. She felt relief at the mention of not having enough time to see her, but why the sudden change of disposition? The moment she had revealed who she was, he had changed his attitude. One instant he wanted guidance and to explain his grievances, the next he wanted to never see again?

Was it something she said? Was he afraid of her? She silently hoped so, because she hardly wished to meet that man again. And yet she feared fortune would not show her that simple kindness...

[flyd]

Constantinople, 1081

A letter is personally delivered to Markianos Ampelas. Verified authentic by a method agreed upon.

This is a preliminary report based on the information collected so far.

The subject's claim to have Greek family is likely true. His main correspondence is with a man who he identifies as an uncle, though the identity of the man has not been independently verified yet. Other possible family members have been observed interacting with the subject, though their relations have not been discovered. In general, the subject and family act normal, given that they have not seen each other for many years, and there has been no evidence that this is a ruse or cover. That, combined with the fact that he has been admitted to the Senate (though the proof presented to the Senate is unknown), strongly indicates that the subject has Greek relatives as he claims.

However, the subject has been observed exhibiting several suspicious behaviors, which are summarized below. The first set of behaviors relates to his political allegiance, and the second to the religious.

The subject has several contacts whom he meets with regularly. These men are likely of Arabic descent, though that is based on appearance only, but all of my associates, some of whom are very widely traveled, agree on this point. Their meetings have been in public places, but difficult to approach. This possibly indicates that they wish the contents of their meetings to remain secret, even at the expense of the meetings themselves being publicly observable. However, that is not the only explanation, as they could simply be unskilled in choosing clandestine meeting places, or that they are unconcerned with being seen. Furthermore, these men act in a slightly subordinate manner towards him. If he was in the Mamluk army as he claims, these could be his former comrades, especially of lower rank. If he is a spy, then these men could form his spy ring, with him as the ring leader. They remain unidentified.

The subject was observed visiting the Hagia Sophia, but did not cross himself at the entrance. This is a possible indication of heathenism, but he may have been unaware of the custom if he spent many years among the Saracens. Still, unless he was taken at a very young age, it is something he would have been taught. He was probably forced to convert to Islam when captured, and his visit to the church may indicate a desire to convert back, although his reason for the visit has not been confirmed. Another small but potentially relevant observation was that the subject refuses to drink wine. Although there are those among us who do as well, this could be a possible indication of continued allegiance to Mohamed. However, since he was taken at a young age, he may simply be unacquainted with wine, and may yet be unaware of its benefits.

These comprise the observations collected thus far. The subject appears fully unaware of being observed, and observations and other activities will therefore continue at no reduced effort.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Facts straight from the horse's mouth... of a horse named AG, that is.

[TheFlax]

((Written in colloboration with AussieGiant))

Constantinople, 1081

I sometimes wonder what happened to the gods of old, those who shaped the world of my long passed ancestors and that have such a great importance in the ancient texts. I was taught by father Agathos and mother that when the Christ was born, they all died. Yet, how can we be truly sure? They might have been forgotten, simply left behind to the eroding winds of history. What of humans? What of me? In my time, many know my name and I was born with a clear destiny. Yet, once it is over and I am gone for good, will anyone remember who I was? In a millenia, will anyone wonder who I was, how I felt and what were my dreams? For, if gods can be vanquished by time, what hope have we of surviving the tides of time?

- Memoirs of Anna Komnenos

A small procession made its way through the streets of Konstantinopolis, the afternoon sun shining clearly above them. Leading the small group of mostly armed bodyguards, Anna Komnenos wore a simple white silk robe with gold filigree which was complemented by a veil of the same fabric and color. Since her visit to the Mavrozomis estate, she had forsworn the use of the traditional litter in favor of walking to her destination, especially for a visit to Hagia Sophia where she had to show humility before God.

In a short time, she found herself in front of the great church and signaled her retinue to wait for her, for surely no harm would come to her in this Holy place. Leaving them behind, she made her way to Hagia Sophia's entrance in bold strides and yet she faltered when she noticed two men also intent on entering the church. Her gaze quickly focused on the second man, the one who had attracted her attention. He seemed to stand out in the streets as much as she did, yet in his case, it was not because of who he was but more because of the way he was dressed.

Tall and sender, the young man was dressed unlike anyone Anna had ever encountered. Instead of the traditional chlamys or sagion, he wore a blue silk cloak of unknown design and embroidered with marking she could not recognize. Black bands of cloth on his upper arms also attracted her attention, displaying more puzzling markings.

Surely this was the Strator from the land of the Saracen of whom the rumormongers speak incessantly. Curious and seeing an opportunity, Anna raced ahead of two to block their path. Pointedly ignoring the older of the two men, she interpelled the object of her curiosity in a confident and somewhat haughty tone.

"I would speak to you... If you please." In reality, her demeanour indicated she would not give him any choice in the matter.

Her escort approached hastily until they were only at a few paces from her, their tension and nervosity palpable.

The older of the two men blanched white with shock at the words spoken towards the younger man, the shade of white paled even further when his faced registered who had spoken the words a few seconds later.

In contrast, the young Saracen officer paused deliberately in his stride and began to assess both the young woman in front of him, his uncle’s reaction and that of the guards closing in around the three of them.

In a slow and smooth motion he positioned himself between his uncle and the young woman and in an attempt to ease the guards apprehension, he opened the palms of his hands outwards and bowed deliberately with a practised motion.

"Assalaam Alaikum my lady, of course you may speak with me. What would you like to discuss?"

Clearly some of the attending guards knew Arabic as at least one tensed even further at the greeting.

Anna considered the foreign words spoken to her and noticed some of her guardians reacting visibly at them. Was it a threat? No, the tone was off. It seemed more like a greeting of somekind, yet she had no way of knowing if it was polite or not. Refusing to cede the initiative of the conversation, she pressed on heedless of true meaning of those two words.

"I have heard there is man in the Magnaura who comes to us from the south, from Egypt? It is said he is more Arab than Roman... Would you be this man?"

Her voice held no hint of accusation or reproach, only unbridled curiosity.

Glancing at the guards momentarily the young man could hear the sincerity of the question even though she did not answer as he was expecting. Clearly she was unware of the customs of Egypt.

"I can not be certain my lady, but I believe I was the only man dressed in the Senate session as you see now. Therefore it is safe to assume I am the person you are referring to.

Would you like to take tea and talk further or proceed into the Church?"

Anna was shocked, yet intrigued. No sane man would usually be so foreward with her and yet she did not find it wholly unpleasant. Yet, she was in public and had an appearance to maintain.

"Hagia Sophia can wait for me; we will talk further although I will abstain from consuming any tea. You may have some if you wish."

The last sentenced was voiced as if she was granting him a privilege. Motioning to an attendant to join her, she added a few words politely.

"You only need to ask and he will fetch it for you."

A glance at his uncle had the desired effect. The older man moved away and continued passed the circle of guards to hover near the massive doors of the Orthodox Church. The alarm etched in his uncles eyes was clearly seen by Apionnas yet the young man's calm deamenor never waivered.

Turning his gaze back to the woman in front of him he had to admit that with closer inspection she did seem more appealing that when he saw her on the steps of the Hippodrome.

Holding her gaze for a few moments longer than decorum permitted he finally bowed more fully.

"I've been remise my lady. My name is Apionnas Vringas, at least here in Byzantium."

Anna gave him a soft smile, discarting her attendant with a flick of her wrist.

"Apionnas..." She lingered on the word thoughtfully. "You have caused quite a stir with your uncommon attire. Some would brand you a traitor or an enemy, although I am sure you are trying to make some other point with this choice of clothing. I am not wrong, am I?

There were little expectations in her voice, only more curiosity.

Apionnas's raised eyebrow in response to her words, was more than enough for her to realise that there could possibly be more than one level of mean in the conversation they where having.

Again he held her gaze in his own for more than a few moments. It was not an uncomfortable silence as his slightly amused expression gave her more than enough to ponder while he chose his next words.

"Where I was raised this is a uniform and is regarded as a badge of rank and honour. Of course I am aware of where I am and much to my uncle's ire I've decided not to discard what I am and where I have come from.

Any person that so quickly assumes my allegiance is one way or another, based simply on how I look, is either a simpleton or easily influenced by superficial things."

Apionnas pauses to glance at the guards who are clearly close enough to hear everything being said. He continues;

"I doubt you are either. For example, the black bands around my arms indicate my name and rank inside the Mansuriyya regiment I served with.

You on the other hand seem to cause quite a stir by simply being in any particular place. My uncle says you are a princess and the daughter of the Basileus. How do you deal with being...how can I say...unique?"

She chuckled at the question. Had she not herself wondered the same thing many times? Nevertheless she replied without missing a beat.

"I mostly let others deal with my uniqueness, they usually worry about it enough for two." She spared a look to Apionnas's uncle, before producing another polite smile. "In the case of your uncle, he seems to be worrying enough for three."

Noticing a small crowd forming at a distance, but with its attention solely upon them, Anna spoke softly enough to reach only Apionnas's ear.

"It would seem this conversation has reached its end."

Then taking a more haughty tone all could hear, she added. "You may proceed into Hagia Sophia, Senator."

Smiling at the ruse the young Senator bowed and said loudly.

"Of course my Lady."

As he moved passed her he said more quietly.

"It has been a pleasure my lady. Assalaam Alaikum, may peace be upon you."

[TheFlax]

((Written in collaboration with Deguerra))

Byzantine Intrigues

Constantinople, 1081

Anna looked at her portable sundial, it was nearing the tenth hour, she would be late. She cursed inwardly Kalameteros who had dragged her across the city, to meet of all place, at the Golden Gates. Nevertheless, his offer had been too tempting to refuse, maybe a bit too much. Part of her expected some sort of trap, or at least that the Strator would use his advantage over a woman, be it a princess, alone in the streets at a late hour.

She would be the one with the advantage, she had been bred to always have the advantage, as her grandmother had taught her. She had sought Alexandros, Aleksandr in the tongue of his people, the man responsible for the security of the women's quarters in the Imperial Palace and had asked him a favor, the coins she had given him had sealed the deal. She had simply said she wanted to watch the sun set from the walls of the city. An odd request, but with the emperor busy, there was no one left to deny her.

Towering above Anna were his part of the bargain, four varangians who spoke only a few words of greek, enough to receive basic orders. A feet and more taller than her, these Rus carried their crude instruments of war with pride, large axes and in some case long blades. Their blazing red tunica, complemented with a dull colored chlamys, coupled with their unusual height contrasted vividly with the petite woman in light green and blue robe they flanked. Their hard faces, some carrying a few scars, had long unkept beards ranging from blond to a reddish hue which were surpassed in lenght by their straight hair of a similar color.

Arriving at the Golden Gate late by a few minutes, Anna had no doubt the impetious Strator would wait for her. She relished the thought of seeing his reaction at her unexpected escort.

Looking around, Anna saw nobody in sight but the guardsmen at the gate. She stood and waited with her escort, but nobody came. The occasional late pedestrian hurriedly scampered by in the distance, but at this late hour no respectable citizen would be seen walking the streets, much less leaving the city, so the area around the gate remained eerily quiet. Just as Anna was getting ready to return to the palace, a lone figure detached itself from the group of guardsmen underneath the gate.

The man that approached was no ordinary guard. His fine tunic and embroidered cloak named him an officer. His face was hard to make out in the shadows, but he was relatively young for any rank and had the dark hair complexion of a Greek. Eying the newcomer warily, Anna's Varangians formed a small semi-circle in front of her, but did not impede the man as he walked briskly towards the Princess.

Keeping a respectful distance the man spoke: "My Lady, I have been asked to give you the following message. Ioannis does not think it is safe to meet here and would have you follow me to a more appropriate place." He eyed the men to his side and licked his lips. "He did not mention an escort, but...as I do not think they will part from your side, they can come."

If this had suprised Anna, none present could tell, as her expression remained neutral. Nevertheless she boilded with rage, mostly at herself for being so smug. As if in chess, Ioannis had made a better opening move. In the end, it did not matter, she would be the one to call «checkmate», this was only a minor setback.

Aknowledging the officer, she spoke curtly.

"Lead on then."

As she followed him, her Rus escort fanned out around her, ever alert for the slightest sight of treachery. If anything went wrong, she was sure the young officer would be the first to die.

With no great hurry in his step, the officer started walking back into the city. North and east he led the, in the direction of the old city, but not along the main road, instead choosing smaller side alleys that kept them hidden from the few guards that patrolled at this hour.

At the Forum of the Bous, the offer took a sharp turn, and soon another. By now Anna was a little unsure of where they were, and what direction they headed in, until all of a sudden the magnificent Forum of Thedosius sprawled ahead of them, in the descending sun. Even at this time of the evening there were still people about here, but in contrast to his previous secrecy the young guard led them straight across it, entering a small park that branched off to the west. Anna knew this area reasonably well, it was one of the prettier parts of the city. The park was a small expanse of green, with trees and bushes lining the little paths. Above it, still visible in the evening sky, towered the Aqueduct of Valens.

--------------------------------------------------

Verina settled herself in a hedgerow under the great Aqueduct, her gray woolen cloak aiding her concealment in the underbrush. She had arrived sometime earlier before the meet, waiting to see if Ioannis Kalameteros would show himself. She thought herself quite clever in setting this up, if it was a trap she could flee before anyone would ever know she was here. Time passed incredibly slowly in moments like this one and part of her simply wanted to run away, back to the Palace. Greed and ambition overcame her fear, she would show this equally ambitious young noble she was not some weakling.

Suddenly everything went wrong. Anna appeared out of nowhere, even if she had not recognised her clothes, she could have told by the stuck up pose in which the young woman walked. Verina paled when she noticed an soldier, or an officer, and four tall and muscular men who dwarfed anyone in their presence. Varangians! Anna must have been expecting trouble... Anna must have been expecting to find her here!

Verina panicked and cursed the uncanny intelligence of her mistress. She scrurried out from her hiding place and ran to the Palace, hoping she would get there before Anna.

Ioannis Kalameteros cursed as he watched the events rapidly unfolding before him from his own hiding place. He had positioned himself a small way away from the main path, between a statue and one of the mighty stone pillars of the aqueduct, where the shadows were darkest, his concealment further enhanced by a dark cloak.

Shortly before the eleventh hour, he had seen a woman arrive, in plain but good dress and study the area a bit, before hiding herself in a bush not far from his own hiding place. He had been perplexed. A woman? He cursed himself now for his foolishness. Why not a woman, after all. In fact, a woman made a great deal more sense than a man. His mouth spouting words that would have made an innkeeper blush, he launched himself out of the shadows and after the fleeing woman.
She was no fool. She did not run straight towards wherever it was that she was going, but darted into a side alley here, around a corner there, until Ioannis was quite unsure he knew where they were. But he was gaining. She was agile, true, and running with the fear of the almighty in her, but her dress was not made for running. Slowly but surely he was gaining.

Then he rounded a corner after her and she was gone. Ioannis came to a stop, panting. He peered down the street, but there was nobody to be seen. A small alley to the side revealed nothing but darkness.

Still catching his breath he walked to the nearest wall and leaned against it, his thoughts racing. Who had she been? Would she make another attempt at contacting him?
Just as he was about to leave, a shape came bounding out of the small alley and ran straight into him still standing in the shadows. As both fell to the floor, he recognised her face. Before she had another chance to run, he seized her with one arm and pressed her against the wall, clamping her mouth shut with the other hand. She kicked ans struggled, landing a painful blow on his shin, but he held on for all he was worth. After what seemed an age she stopped, her eyes peering at him over his gloved hand with a look of fear and defiance.

He tried to make his voice as calm as possible: "I am Ioannis Kalameteros. You wanted to meet me."

She ceased her struggles the instant he gave his name, relief evident in her frightened eyes.

He took his hand away from her mouth but held her firmly pressed against the wall. "Good." He sighed. "I am sorry if I scared you, but I had to make sure it was not a trap." He gave a weak smile. "I am not so sure now it would not have been better just to risk it. That is quite a kick you have there. In any case, I believe you wanted to talk to me. Now if you promise me not to run, I will let you go." Slowly, he loosed his grip on her.

"Yes... yes my lord."

Taking a wary step back, Ioannis pulled a small bottle from his robe and took a long swig. Hesitating briefly, he offered it to the woman. "Do you have a name?"

As she is released, Verina reajusted her veil before indicating she did not wish any liquor. Hesitation gripped her at the mention of a name, but quickly she thought of another servant she did not like much. "Eudoxia is my name, lord. If I may be so bold, I take it you are interested in my offer?"

Unable and unwilling to bite back his sarcasm, Ioannis gave the woman a flat stare: "On the contrary, I hide in the shadows and preform cross-city sprints on a nightly basis, because I find it keeps my skin healthy." Were all servants this thick?

Ignoring the comment, Verina continued. "I cannot tarry late at this hour and all I can tell you is that I know most of the princesses secrets; be it the nature of her suitors and her relation to each of them or who she is in contact with and what information they give her. My price will be fifteen follis per piece of information and a garantee that when the princess discovers this, and she will, I will have a safe haven."

Ioannis leaned back and though for a brief moment before speaking: "I will give you thirty follis on the guarantee that this information goes to me and only me." Leaning in close to her face he continues "As for a safe haven, what makes you think you can trust me with that? Once the Princess finds out, what use are you to me?"

Her meek facade quickly shifted to a cold and calculating expression. "Consider this, lord" Placing a great deal of weight on the word. "She will want to know to whom I was speaking." She pretended an exagerated moan for an instant. "Oh, how long will I endure the torture they will put me through..."

Ioannis stepped back and laughed with something almost approaching warmth. "You are a worthy opponent Eudoxia, the Princess should be wary. Although you may not want to connect yourself to me, even under torture. I don't think the Princess likes me much." Giving a cheeky grin, he quickly became serious again. "So my condition is accepted. Thirty follis. Only to me?"

"It is, lord." She gave him a bow. "May I retire from your presence?"

He chuckled again. "I do not believe our current surroundings call for such formalities." He let his eyes wander meaningfully along the darkened alley. "In any case I am not much of a man for formalities. How will you contact me? And how will I contact you and pay you?"

"I will contact you the same way I did for this encounter and you will pay me when I give you the information, in person."

"Good. I like personal meetings. If I need to contact you, you will be told. I will not do so unless it is absolutely necessary. If you are found out, make your way to my House and identify yourself as Eudoxia. If that is impossible, there is an officer in the palace guard called Stephanos Koressio. Tell him who you are and he will bring you to me. I think that is all. Goodbye Eudoxia"

She gave him a curt bow and left, hastily making her way back to the Imperial Palace.

Ioannis breathed a sigh of relief. A remarkable woman in her own right. This had been a most interesting night.

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Having passed the Aqueduct, they finally halted and Anna let out an audible sight. Her features conveyed a profond annoyance at the situation, even through her veil. Eyeing the officer with disdain, she interpelled him.

"I have had enough of this silly game, have you thouroughly wasted my time or will Ioannis Kalameteros will finally grace me with his presence?"

As the officer turned around, Anna noticed the tight expression of anxiety in his face, and the way his eyes shift constantly, trying to peer into the shadows beyond the path, darting from place to place.

"Please my Lady, do not use names" he spoke, his voice almost a whisper. "This is no game. He should have been here my Lady. He said if he was not here then he was either being followed or dead. He said if he was not here I was to take you back to the palace and not leave your side until you had entered it. We should not remain standing my Lady, the streets are dangerous at night, even for guards." He lowered his voice again "Especially for us. Please let us go."

Anna did not care anymore if she lost her composure or not, she openly glared at the officer and her tone was fast passing from irritation to outrage.

"He will wish he were dead after this affront! And you! Be lucky you are entirely too forgettable for me to report you in all this. Now, get back to your post before I take further notice of you!"

Infuriated, she left for the Imperial Palace with her protectors in tow, vowing Ioannis would pay dearly for this.

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Verina found Anna pacing in her quarters, so furious she barely acknowledged her confidant. By that time, both women had changed their clothes and Verina looked the part of a bored servant. Moving closer to the younger woman, she used a soothing voice.

"What is wrong Anna? You look utterly distraught."

Anna nearly exploded. "Its that bastard..." she struggled with the name, nearly choking on it. "Kalameteros. He played me, now I owe a favor to Alexandros, and for what? For nothing! He made me waste my time, placed me in possible danger, abused...."

Verina had stopped listening and it took all of her self-control not to smile. That's it my dear, the harder you fall, the higher I will rise...

[Kagemusha]

Constantinopol, the last morning of the Senate sessions.

As the voting sessions were about to come to the end. The outcomes of the votes started to seem obvious to the various senators. After talks with several senators and listening carefully to the rumors, circulating the Senate, the outcomes of several votes became clear inside the head of Ioannis.

Ioannis had not heard about the princess after few days and his mood had become sour, as he thought that the reason was that interests of Anna were somewhere else. Aware of his duties, the young Kantakouzinos had been circulating the merchant quarters of Constantinopol all morning. Purchasing armor, weapons, horses and provisions for his few personal retainers. After just buying grain, enough to supply his small unit of mounted men for about a month. Ioannis decided to have a tea near the ports and sat down to a tea shop, which had nice view over the Golden Horn. The pears were full of men loading and unpacking goods to the ships that frequently sailed in and out of the docks.

As Ioannis was about to have a sip from his tea, a man approached him and passed quickly and unnoted a letter to Ioannis table, which Ioannis opened after viewing the familiar seal briefly, with small smile on his face. His facial expression turned first to show disappointment and after reading the whole letter, Ioannis stuffed the letter on his pocket and marched to a near by jewelry store, with an expression on his face, which shoved if he had became aware of his destiny without much control over it.

Around noon after returning from the market Ioannis wrote a letter himself and handed it to Naksos with a a small bag with it.Saying.

"Deliver these two items to the Princess so those will reach her after the Senate session is closed. Meantime call in my personal retainers. We have some planning and practicing to do."