((Coop story with AussieGiant, YourLordAndConqueror and Deguerra))

Constantinople, 1105

The afternoon sun was still high as Anna was waiting for Apionnas Vringas in an out of the way building. She paced impatiently in room near the entrance, finally only stopping a moment to undo a white silk veil completing a then robe of varying pastels overlaying a warm tunica embroidered with purple and gold threads.

A clearing of a voice was the first startling moment that Anna realized she was not alone. Turning rapidly, her eyes widened at the sight of Arab clothing but she quickly realized who it was.

He was dressed seriously. The blue Saracen Mansuriyyan officers cloak covering his faded crimson brigantine jacket. Twin scimitars at his side. His eyes blue and sharp a constant contrast to his dark burnt skin.

Bowing, he straightened.

"Assalaam Alaikum my lady, sorry for the deception. I'm a little concerned. Should I be?"

As soon as Anna composed herself, she replied.

"Possibly." She pulled out a scroll. "Have a look at this." Handing it to him, she continued. "This was in my things after I found my room in Antioch ransacked."

He scanned the scroll quickly. The familiar raised eyebrow the only obvious reaction to what he was reading.

"I'm unaware of this Aleksander ek Kallipoleos. Should I know who this is? What and where are these letters and contract he speaks of?"

Anna shook her head. "No. The letters and contracts were proof of his family's involvement in a plot to kill me, it was all a ploy, of course, to occupy me while he want through my letters and notes. I cannot suffer such an insult to pass without retaliation, I hope you understand this."

Folding his arms across his chest Apionnas studied the woman before him. After a moment he said in a steady voice.

"Are you saying that the very family that you are supporting in Antioch tried to kill you? Surely this is something for the Grand Master to deal with if true? I understand retaliation, but what do you have in mind?"

She held out a hand for the scroll. "The talk of a plot against me was simply a distraction, nonetheless I do not appreciate being played. I will attempt at another meeting and if successful, I need you to capture the man who will present himself there."

Again another moment passed as Apionnas' steady gaze appraised the Princess.

"As you wish. I have just one question. What is the information this man seeks?" It was clear the answer was important.

Anna turned her gaze away from Apionnas, obviously troubled. "I know not. He did not seem to want anything in particular, I suppose any of my secrets would have satisfied him."

"So a family member of Iakovos ek Kallipoleos identifies himself clearly as the person who ransacked your apartment, he then states that he did this because you would never tell him the information he seeks and finally states that he hopes you would not hurt Iakovos.

What is the reaction that will provide the most benefit for you? I am certainly prepared to help, but a disturbing yet harmless act could escalate here if we are not careful. What is your plan?"

Her stern expression and years of training kept at bay her growing rage, for now. "I want to make it clear that I will tolerate being spied upon and that no one will rummage through my room without consequences. There can be only escalation if there is a conflict, I intend to make sure that such a conflict will be prevented... permanently, if you get my meaning." Calming herself visibly, she continued. "Now, it is simple. I will lure a man to a location I will give you once the meeting is set, you need only set a trap for him. I want him alive though."

Apionnas noticed the imperceptible signs of annoyance from the princess. Satisfied that this was no flippant wish of a compulsive woman he bowed deeply.

"By your command. I will take the person alive.”

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The next day, by way of Balatro, Anna had set up a meeting in one of the back alleys of the capital and in her most discrete clothes she had rushed there as twilight fell on the great city. Two sturdy and well armed guards accompanied her in the dimly lit streets until she reached the designated alley, which she entered alone, leaving them to stand watch at the entrance. She took a few careful steps in darkness and scanned her surroundings for any signs of the person she had come to meet.

A voice crept from the darkness. "So you came, interesting. I know few with such bravery, or foolishness, in them." A shadow moved from the darkness, tall imposing, and hooded. The only thing that stood out was the slight clink of mail. "To business I suppose?"

Anna's voice was surprisingly confident. "Yes, to business."

From a recess in the alley another figure emerged. Anna's guards also detected movement from outside the alley.

The hooded figure, turned sharply, keeping Anna within eye shot but focusing on the intruder. "Declare yourself!"

A calm and icy reply was combined by the hands of the shrouded figure falling to the pommels of his twin scimitars.

"I might ask you the same question. The answers are irrelevant. Yield now!"

The hooded figure flexed his hands, and two knives appeared in them, whether they could be thrown or not, one could not tell. "What is this? Treachery? I have no quarrel with either of you, and nor will I yield to useless threats."

The scrap and glint of Damascus steel reflected in the light. The twin scimitars now held low and ready.

"You have trifled with the wrong woman my friend. It is you that have been playing games and it is you who need to face reality."

At that moment four additional figures appeared at the end of the alley. The way is now blocked, the odds now dire.

"I say again friend, yield. I can assure you your life is not under threat."

The hooded man chuckled under his breath. "I am to believe that once I lay down my arms I will not be shoved into one of the Empire's dungeons to be forgotten? That is a quite a boast. And you confuse me with playing games. Games are reserved for mere children." The hooded man's hands tightened upon the knives, but then let them fall to the floor.

The twin scimitars remain drawn. The fact that the man has dropped his weapons does not seem to convince the shrouded figure.

With a nod of his head his men approached the figure.

"Take his weapons, search him and hold him."

The hooded man submitted to the search. four knives, two daggers, and three vials of a clear fluid, along with a few sheets of paper were found on him.

Anna, now once more flanked by her two guards, led them back to the unremarkable building where she had met Apionnas earlier. Leaving the guards at the entrance, she brought the others to a secluded room where two men were already waiting.

The more immediately obvious of the two lent against the far wall in an uncomfortable manner. He was a terrific sight to behold. Despite a dark complexion that identified him as Mediterranean, he was taller than most Greeks and had a head shaved save for a topknot of black hair. A brutal scar ran down the side of his face, disappearing underneath a patch where is left eye should have been. In its place, the patch itself contained a crudely drawn eye, painted in vibrant red. Across his back he had strapped a large western two-handed sword.

As they entered he gave the newcomers a grimace and burst out.

"Took you damn time didn't you. We were getting bloody worried that something had gone Q&%@$ wrong!"

"I thought I told you to watch your tongue!"

The other man stepped from the shadows. Unlike the first he was no imposing sight. He was of slender stature with arms that seem to large for the rest of his body. His face looked gaunt and tired, contrasting only with his intense eyes. A mere two weeks ago, his appearance would have elicited no comment in the streets of Konstantinopolis and his name would most likely have been greeted with a questioning "Who?". That was the way he liked it. Ever since his recent marriage to the Basileos' daughter, he detested his brief flash of fame, and hoped it would all be forgotten soon. His face impassive, he turned to the man holding the prisoner and gestured towards a chair.

"Put him over there."

With a nod of his head Apionnas's men place him in the indicated chair with some force. With a second nod of his head they retired into the next room.

Moving to a corner of the room to better observe proceedings Apionnas nodded at the intense figure.

"My Lord, congratulations by the way. I never got a chance to say that in the great hall."

The hooded man seems to cock an eyebrow, even from under the dark recess of his hood. "Do I know you? Oh, yes, Ioannis Kalameteros, husband to Anna Komnenos, leader of House Asteri? And you, you're Apionnas, the Emperor's lapdog? What an interesting collusion we have here..."

"Thank you Apionnas". Ioannis walked over to the hodded man, looked at him silently for a moment and then took a chair opposite him, and studied his face for a while, before beginning to speak.

"I don't know who you are. I don't care who you are. I don't know what you do for a living and I don't care what you do for a living. But, it would seem my lovely wife has been receiving rather unwanted attention from either yourself or those you work for."

At this Ioannis lent in closer. "I don't much like it when people threaten my wife." He shrugged. "But that is for another time. For now, my wife has questions and she wants answers. I want answers."

He sat back again and studied the other man some more.

"I suppose at this time it is appropriate to show my willingness to hurt you by some sort of show of force. I would like to avoid that, but even if you have hopes concerning my squeamishness, I am sure you will not feel the same way about them."

He gestured towards Apionnas and the tall man.

"Just do not waste my time. It is late and I would much rather be in bed. Answer my questions, and I promise you you will not be harmed. But if you screw around with me, if you make me feel like you are not being honest with me, if you make me feel ridiculous...then I swear by god you will not leave this place alive."

He gave a forced, thin smile.

"Now. Can we get down to business?"

The hooded man laughs weakly. "I would not think I have much of a choice, so ask your questions. I ask only that my identity be not revealed, otherwise, you will get nothing from me. My life ends when it is known."

"Save the drama for a better audience. I've told you already I don't care who you are and I don't think my wife cares any more than I do.

What is of interest is what you are. Despite the theatrics, I cannot assume you are a spy because spies don't usually let themselves be caught quite so easily.

So tell us, oh mysterious one, who do you work for, and what exactly is it that you do? What was your purpose this night?"

The hooded man's body seemed to smile. "To the point, I like you. I work for an Organization, lead by a dead man, and I think that is all you need to know. As for myself, I am a simple saboteur, and my mission tonight was simply to make contact with Anna if she should request the services of our our Organization."

Ioannis brought his face very close to the hooded man's.

"Oh you think do you? I don't recall asking you to think. I think, however, that I need to know much more. Let me give you a little advice on publicity, a specialty of mine. When attempting to offer your services, ransacking rooms and making threats is generally not the way to success. Such behavior is liable to leave lasting doubts about your motives with those to whom you are offering your services. To the point, then, seeing as you like being to the point, I would suggest you expand on your necromantic organization or you will be joining its leader very shorty."

The hooded man was unfazed. "You will have to excuse that rather rash action on our part, it was both an error in judgment and mixed signals from one of our operatives, who has been dealt with."

The hooded man took a deep breath, and prepared himself for something he has known would come.

"Maybe you do not see it, so let me explain to you. If I tell you anything, then the Organization will see to it that I die, and even if I do tell you something, I am sure you will kill me. I have absolutely no incentive to tell you anything, for I will gain nothing in doing so."

"Rash? Error in judgment? I'll say. So, you are prepared to die, oh hooded one? Then why bother with the theatrics of your identity? Why tell us what you have so far?

Ask yourself again, if you truly have nothing to live for. No goals, no family, no hopes and aspirations?

And are you truly ready to die? To face your creator? To face what comes before death? Tell me, mystery man, have you ever drowned before?"

The hooded man seemed frozen, his tone flat, his voice a whisper. "You put in me in quite a position Ioannis. Your arrogance puts me off from telling you anything, as does your foolishness. Kill me, see where it gets you, see what dead men tell. I live to serve the purpose set out by the Organization, and to tell you that would betray it: this I cannot do. So drown me, and suffer what ever consequences may befall you."

The hooded man smiled and pulled back his hood to reveal close cut brown hair, a scar across his face running from above his right eye, across the bridge of his nose, and ending under his left eye. His eyes were a near colorless blue, and they stared deep and penetrating, giving the impression he saw through his interlocutor to something else.

"I fear neither pain nor death Ioannis, for such fears where washed away long ago when I joined the Organization as a child. I was born Ignatios Angelus, I will die Ignatios Angelus."

Ignatios chuckled to himself. "I would be careful about your daughter, Helena, I am sure the organization will want to replace me with something of suitable value. Oh, and do be careful that you do not break those vials of mine, two are acid, and two are liquid fire. Wouldn't want this whole place to burn down around you, now would you?"

While Anna had remained inscrutable during the interrogation, the mentioning of her newborn daughter broke all the self-control she had left. Her voice was hard and charged with emotion. "You can't be serious? You people would go so far as to threaten an innocent child for your own twisted agenda? You sicken me! What had I ever done to you people to be dragged into this? I never asked to have anything to do with you lot and yet your "organization" barged into MY life and into MY family's life! You had no right! So keep your threats wretched creature, I want nothing more to do with you or your people." Her voice faded to a barely audible whisper accompanied by a quiet sob, she seemed spent and on the verge of collapse. "I simply want to live in peace, is that too much to ask?"

Ignatios turned to Anna, his eyes took a more sympathetic light, along with his voice. "Your highness, maybe you will never understand us, and I doubt you ever will, but what happened to you on that fateful night was in fact a rogue element, something we had suspected, but never realized to the degree Symeon would pursue his ambitions. As for your child, I make no threat, I give only warning. It would be foolish of me to die before the Lord in such a vile manner. I would not be here, where I am now, if it were not for Symeon, who even now eludes us."

Ignatios's gaze turned blank. "We all want peace, and we each seek it in our own way. If you would but allow me to kill Symeon...then maybe I can die in peace, knowing that both the Organization will only be in debt to you, and a dangerous element, a very danger to the empire, is extinguished...

Ioannis walked over to his wife. He hesitated, briefly placed a comforting hand on her arm and then returned to the seated man. He looked at him in silence for a while, then smiled.

"It was you who brought up death. I never intended to kill you. But it seems you are a hard man, prepared to die for his beliefs. Good. I'm a reasonable man. You have given your assurances that the threats on my wife were unintentional and will be punished. I can accept that. You must forgive me if I get angry, but when my family is at stake...Now I am quite prepared to do as you say, to let you go and find this...Symeon. But I must know more of this...Aleksander character first."

Ignatios's gaze turned back to Ioannis. "He is an associate of mine, from long ago. I have no idea why Symeon would use Aleksander's name, except to implicate his brother, for reasons I cannot fathom. In the short time I new him though, Aleksander might have been considered...a radical, in many, if not to many, ways."

Ioannis sighed audbily and then yawned. "Well, this has been a complete waste of our time. Tell your organisation we are not interested, and we do not care to ever hear from them again. We are not interested in anything you have to offer. Primos. Show our guest the door."

With that, the big man detached himself from the wall, took the seated man carefully but firmly by the shoulder and directed him towards the door.

Ignatios chuckled as he was being lead away. "I can do no such thing Ioannis, in fact, I will never see another Organization member ever again. They will make sure I cannot find them, ever, so there will be no way to let them know of your wishes..through me at least."

Ioannis and Anna walked through another door without acknowledging the other man.