Stories Thread

[AussieGiant]

Cairo, 1125

The blue robed Amir looked down at the figure on the floor.

He was a mess to say the least. Two soliders were binding his wounds while a doctor supervised their work.

"Will he live?" The Amir's question was without emotion.

The doctor glanced up. "Yes, he has a strong will and does not want to pass from this world just yet."

The Amir grunted a response.

The torn figure below began whispering something over and over again. He could just hear the words.

"shukran....shukran...shukran"

Nodding the Amir said quietly to no one; "Aafwaan, my boy. Aafwaan."

[Smowz]

Anatolia 1226

A cold wind bits through the air as Nevoulas ek Philadelphuis rides through the mountains in central Anatolia. He walks proudly with his long serving bodyguards along a well mark road, recalling the rough trails he had to come scurrying up the other way in his youth.

The last ten years had been long and uneventful, however as expected Nevoulas' short time in the Capitol had been far from it. He shakes his head at his own confusion of the debacle and often baffling practices of his fellows who practice politics in the main cities. Now, Nevoulas is happier riding through the country even if it is somewhat risky.

There was some concern amongst his elite bodyguard at the journey from Smyrna in the west the lack of any known villages or watchtowers along the route had concerned them and rightly so - there was still the threat of large Turkish Jihad armies lurking on the peninsula.

Upon cresting another the endless hills, Nevoulas eyes narrows as he sees a large army to the North. Shouting back at his troops he urges them to prepare themselves to flee - his small bodygaurd would be no match for an organizing many man Jihad. Steeling himself he turns to a to take a look at the army and try to decipher its size and direction.

Nevoulas hidden away on Rhodes for some time is unfamilar with the current set-ups in the Turkish army but he cannot believe what he is seeing - the set-up seems western in structure - almost Northern European. He gasps - surely, the Turks cannot have extended their realm that far. He had heard of ludicrious ambitions that the seljuks might travel north and around the Black sea but he could not have imagined.

Shaking, he considers the alternatives and suddenly it becomes clear - he had heard of the crusading movement declared from the Catholic pope. Eben further he discussed the rumours that some of the crusades had made it as far as Roman soil. This could perhaps be such an army - doubts form in his mind perhaps it is a trick by the Turks?

Wishing to inspect for himself - Nevoulas determines that he himself will go for a closer look instructing his army to continue on the road to Iconium, Nevoulas strikes out toward the great army.

Riding up to the army confirmed with some relief to Nevoulas that this was indeed a western crusade and not a Turkish Jihad as he first feared. Dismounting and calmly approaching them Nevoulas was greeted hostilely, these barbarians spoke Latin with fierce almost indecipherable dialect. He made out the words Alexandria and Levant quite clearly and despite trying to explain the more striking threats of the Turks conversation seemed to reach an impasse.

Resigned but relieved Nevoulas rode out to rejoin his bodygaurd, further down the road looking forward to meeting up with his friend Zigavinos in Iconium.

[ULC]

Adana, 1125

Iakovos dreamed peacefully in his bed, his wounds finally starting to heal. He dreamed he was in a field of flowers, his mother, father, and eldest brother there, waiting for him, happy to see him. The air smelled sweet and was pleasantly cool...it was so inviting...Iakovos thought he might just stay forever.

Evdaemon despised working like this. Poison was for the coward, an honest man used cold steel and iron! He shook his head as he watched Iakovos fade from the world as the fast acting poison silently and painlessly killed him, as ordered by his lord. Evdaemon turned to leave, only to meet the terrible gaze of Lady Veronica. He clutched his throat, now torn open by Veronica's lightning quick attack. Evdaemon sank to his knees gasping for breathe as blood poured out past his fingers. He gazed desperately at the blood as it dripped from his hands and pooled upon the stone floor. He felt the impulse to reach down and try to gather it all back up, felt as his body screamed for air. His world slowly blackened as his vision faded. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable, as if thousands were staring at him and laughing maniacally...and the laughter would never end.

Veronica felt her anger boil over as she used her concealed dagger to slice open Evdaemon's throat. As the pitiful man died a most slow and painful death, Veronica rushed to Iakovos's side. Her rage turned into sorrow as she felt his fading puls in her hands. "Please, Ike, not you...please, stay with me...you did not deserve this, please, oh please...stay with me...". Veronica held onto Iakovos, tears streaming down her cheeks, praying Ike would come back to her. She held him for the most of the night, held him even after the physicians were called, held him even after the last bit of life faded away from Iakovos. Veronica looked down, her eyes now red and her face stained from tears, at Iakovos, who seemed at peace. She smiled sadly at him, brushing his hair out of his eyes, and whispered softly to him, "I will always love you my Ike...now and forever...".

[Privateerkev]

Antioch 1126:

Makedonios sat in bed surrounded by correspondence, paperwork, and troop orders. An aide pushed a cart into the room with more paperwork. The job was one gigantic exercise in writing. Writing letters. Writing troop orders. Writing construction approvals. Writing, writing, writing.

Sometimes he wondered if his hand would be raw from holding the pen so much. But, when your stuck sick in bed, you have nothing but time. Odd that his illness could make him uniquely suited to the job of Megas.

Pausing to sip some tea, Mak saw an aide come in with yet another letter. Wondering who this letter was from, the Grandmaster noticed the aide was wearing Iakovos's livery. Curious, he undid the seal and looked at the letter.

Guards rushed in when they heard the tea cup shatter on the floor. With swords drawn, they entered to see their lord doubled over on the bed as if in pain.

The rushed to him. "My lord, are you ok?"

Makedonios roared, "LEAVE!!!!!!"

Despite not knowing why, the men were too well trained to disobey. They ran out of the room and closed the door. On the other side, they could hear muffled sobs.

[Privateerkev]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

This story was a co-op between TheFlax, YLC, and myself.

Constantinople 1126:

Makedonios took a break from the Senate to go to his Chambers. Walking down a hallway, he saw the small library the Order kept to help them do Senate business. As he often did when he saw the library, he thought of Iakovos. The man had been a driving force towards developing the Order's libraries and Makedonios could almost picture the man sitting in a chair with some book or another on his lap.

When ever he thought of Iakovos, he thought back to the past. He tried to think of things he should have noticed. Warning signs he should have picked up on. There was something that happened before the 1125 Senate Session and it was just coming to him now.

Antioch 1124:

A small family makes it's way through the streets of Antiokheia. A man in the colors of the Order of St. John, a woman of raven hair in modest dress, and two children, a boy and girl, the boy holding on to his mothers hand and quiet, the young girl bright eyed and eager.

"Chara, please, don't touch!"
The little girl looks up at her father with pleading eyes.The mother looks at him warmly. "It is only an apple Iakovos, let her have it." Iakovos looks down at Chara with a defeated smile, and reaches into his coin purse to give the vendor the required amount. The mother looks down at the boy with a smile. "Demetrios, do you want one too?" Demetrios looks up at his mother. "I guess so..." Without missing a beat, Chara slides up and out of her dress pops another apple. "Here ya Demy!"

Iakovos seems shocked. "Chara! I told you...oh, Veronica, she listens to you so much better then me." Veronica knelt down and brushed away Chara's long brown hair as Iakovos apologetically handed over yet more coins to the agitated vendor. "Chara, what have we discussed about taking things that don't belong to you?" Chara seems dismayed. "But All I did was get one for Demy because he never asks." Veronica shakes her head. "You still shouldn't take without asking Chara, it is not polite." Chara looks defeated, but while Veronica is not looking, Demetrios gives Chara a wink and a smile.

Taking both children in hand, Veronica and Iakovos make there way to Makedonios usual spot.

Makedonios sat at his normal table in the market sipping mint tea. The day was beautiful. Warmth from the sun helped him feel a little better physically. The pneumonia was a constant companion now. He wondered if he would ever be well again. But for the moment, sipping on the sweet bitter tea with the sun shining made him happy.

He saw a familiar figure walking up to him with his family in tow. Makedonios smiled and offered the family a seat at his table.

"Sergeant Iakovos! Good to see you on this fine day." He nods to Veronica. "M'lady, good to see you again as well." He kneels in front of the children and smiles warmly at them. "And who might these two be?"

Chara runs forward and bows before Makedonios. "I'm Chara m'lord! And that over there is Demy, he's my brother. He's really quite and doesn't talk much, and he's afraid of everything." Demy seems to want to say something, but instead he closes his mouth and stands in the shadow of Veronica. "It's okay Demetrios, that is the Grandmaster of the Order of St. John."

Makedonios was fast approaching forty these days and his face was lined. His lines wrinkled as he smiled big to Chara while sitting on his haunches.

"Hi Chara! It's very nice to meet you! I see you have an apple. And thank you for telling me about your brother. But lets see if we can get him to talk."

The Grandmaster turned to the small boy and smiled even wider. "Hi Demy! How are you? It's ok. You don't have to be afraid. Your parents are here and will keep you safe. You have to learn to act even when your scared. One day you'll have to do things without mom and dad. And it will be scary. But you'll have to it anyways." Having talked enough, Makedonios waited to see if Demy would say anything.

With a little urging, Demetrios stepped forward. "I'm not afraid...I'm just as brave as my dad...I'm going to be a knight one day, just like my dad."

Chara giggled. "Sure Demy...and I'll squish all the spiders for you."

Makedonios kept his smile.

"Well everyone gets scared sometimes. Even Knights of the Order of St. John. I still have nightmares, do you know that? I have them about the day I got this..." With that, he points at the scar on his face.

"Everybody gets scared. And if they don't then they are either crazy or lying. What matters is what you do while your scared."

Chara looks back at Makedonios. "Well, I'm never scared. Nothing scares me at all, except mommy when I pilfer something..." Chara blushes as Veronica gives her a look. Veronica looks at Makedonios with an defeated smile. "She seems to have a knack for theft we are trying to get out of her, but so far it seems irrepressible., and all she does is get better at it. Demy here though has already started to show a scholarly streak. We hope he may start attending schooling here at Antiokheia soon."

It is Demetrios's turn to blush. He seems ready to hide back in his mothers shadow, but hesitates. "Grandmaster, you think a Knight can be smart and strong?"

Makedonios looks up at Iakovos as he answers the young boy.

"Well your father sure managed."

He looks back at Demy. "I'm sure you'll follow in his footsteps. I can already tell that you make him proud."

He turns to Chara with a mock-serious look on his face. "And you know stealing is not nice. You hurt who ever you steal from, you know that?"

Chara looks dismayed. "I don't hear them say ow...but if you say so." Chara pulls out another stolen apple she had hidden and hands it over to Makedonios. "Can you return that to the guy daddy paid so he can stop saying ow?"

Demetrios on the other hand brightens considerably from Makedonios's words. "Really? Dad says he's gonna teach me how to fight when I get to be seven...can you teach me to?" Veronica sighs at Demetrios enthusiasm. "Forgive him Grandmaster, he has grown enamored with the stories we read to them at night, and Demetrios here has taken a liking to Belisarius...and Ike has a tendency to compare you with him as well."

Makedonios said gently to Chara, "well if your daddy paid the man, then you having this does not hurt him."

He turned to Demy, "Do not worry, your training will come in time. You have a couple good teachers here already. I do not know what I could teach you that they can't but I will try."

The Grandmaster's thighs were hurting from being in a squatting position for so long so he stood up. He replied to Veronica lightheartedly.

"Comparing me to Belisarius eh? Well, the part about lacking support from the Emperor is certainly accurate. Don't know about the rest." With that, he chuckled. He then waved to the table.

"Please come and sit. I told the others that we would be here. If any of them wish to join us, they should be here soon."

Cutting a swat through the marketplace throng, a large group of armed men bearing the livery of House Asteri made their way toward Makedonios. As they approached, they fanned out, surrounding the small group and letting way for the wife of Ioannis Kalameteros. As usual, she was dressed in an exquisite ornate tunica, her hair covered by a heavily embroidered palla of matching pastels. As her gaze drifted to Makedonios, Anna’s cold expression was replaced by a warm smile, highlighted by the light rouge on her pale cheeks.

“Grandmaster, it is, as always, a pleasure.” She nodded curtly to Iakovos and Veronica.

Makedonios nodded to the Princess.

"As always, the pleasure is all mine. I'm glad you were able to make it. Please, join us for some tea."

He gestured towards the table and waited for Iakovos to introduce his family.

Iakovos smiles warmly and bows, while Veronica raises an eyebrow. Iakovos gestures to Chara and Demetrios. "These are the children, Chara and Demetrios. Chara, Demetrios, say hello to Princess Anna."

Chara seems taken by Anna at first glance. "Wow, thats a nice dress you have, mommy doesn't have one like that. Do you like apples? What's your favorite color?"

Demetrios hung back though, eyeing the guards around Anna.

Anna pursed her lips in mute dissaproval, before answering in a gentle tone.

"I fail to see the relevance of your questions, but I will indulge you. I do not dislike apples, or any fruit for that matter. As for a specific color, I must admit it depends on varying factors."

Satisfied she had given pointless answers to irrelevant questions, she continued.

"If you truly appreciate my tunica, perhaps you should visit our great capital, where you will be able to find the finest tailors in the Empire." Anna appraised Veronica's clothing before adding, "Your mother verily should consider it."

Turning her gaze on Demetrios, the Princess gave him a reassuring smile.

"Worry not, the presence of these men is merely a formality my husband insists upon, there is no need to be shy."

Chara's faces became a picture of puzzlement. "So your favorite color is 'factors'?" Demetrios giggled but stifled it before whispering something to Chara. Chara suddenly blushed, before bowing and taking a step back and muttering. "Oops" to herself.

Demetrios smiled back at Anna. "But why do you need so many? The Order will protect you here. You don't have to worry at all."

Iakovos took a seat next to Makedonios while watching the kids, while Veronica bowed slightly to Anna. "Thank you for the suggestion, but as a wife of an Order member, I prefer to keep inexpensive tastes."

Anna nodded slightly toward Veronica before answering the little boy.

"One rarely errs by being overly cautious in such matters."

Makedonios simply sipped his tea and enjoyed watching the interaction of the Princess and the children.

Demetrios seemed to only catch half of what Anna was saying, but at least got the spirit of it.

"So, your h-u-s-b-a-n-d worries about you? Like mommy does me and Chara?

Meanwhile Iakovos motions to Makedonios, mouthing silently "We need to talk."

Constantinople 1126:

Makedonios was still standing there outside the library. He now remembered that day well. Iakovos had come to him and needed to talk. But with everyone around, Makedonios had simply brushed it off and said they could talk later. But the Senate Session had become busy with the election. And when Ike was attacked, Mak forgot about the fact that they were supposed to have a conversation earlier.

With a shake of his head, Makedonios avoided the library and continued walking down the hall.

[OverKnight]

The lead in to the story.

Constantinople, 1128

The sound of hundreds of men marching rang throughout the city. Much of the Imperial Army had left its barracks in various quarters of the capital and began to converge on the Patriarchal Palace. The citizens of Constantinople, having heard dark rumors from the Senate, quickly cleared the streets.

The army established a cordon around the residence of the Patriarch as the Basileus approach on horse. Mounted Varangians were with him, as well as the Patriarchal Represenative, bound to an ass and still spluttering his outrage.

Aleksios and his bodyguard dismounted at the gates of the palace. The Basileus grimly nodded as he surveyed the situation. He signaled one of his men and the Represenative's fetters were cut. The man dropped from his mount into the dust cursing.

"What treachery is this!? You dare move against his Holiness? Is there no heresy to which you will not sink?"

Aleksios glanced back at him, "I seek to speak with Nicholas. I've heard he is notoriously hard to see in person. You, his lickspittle, will arrange an audience with him now. That or my soldiers will."

The Represenative glanced around nervously, "But. . ."

Aleksios interrupted, "You have ten minutes to do this, at that time I'll be coming in, with Nicholas's leave or no."

Harald roughly pushed the Represenative toward the gates. Panicked the man began to run to the palace.

Aleksios spoke again, quietly, "Give his Holiness my regards."

[woad&fangs]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

co-op with Ibn-Khaldun

Alexandria 1128

After a long march across the Nile delta, Laskaris finally approaches the eastern gate of Alexandria. Soldiers are lined up all atop the battlements. Their armour shining in the hot noon sun. Glaring down from the wall is Solomon, his crimson cloak blowing in the breeze.

“Ah, Laskaris! I see you’ve finally grown a spine and have come to face me in battle!”

"Open the gate, you baboon. I am here with the orders of Megas. Me and my men are here to garrison the city and to keep public order in check. And because you can't do the job then Methodios' have pointed me as the governor of Alexandria."

Efstathios smiles when saying the last sentence..

"And now open the gate!" he yells.

“Garrison the city! Governor! No, never! This is just another one of your plots. Well I’ve heard enough of your lies! This ends now!!”

Solomon attaches a rope to the battlements and repels down the wall in dramatic fashion. Once at the bottom he unsheathes his sword and charges, yelling "Sol-O-Mon!!!". He only takes a few steps before realizing that something is wrong. Looking around, he realizes that not a single person followed him.

A soldier on the wall yells down, “According to the charter, we can’t leave the city without Methodios’ permission. Sorry.”

Noticing the gleeful look in the eyes of Laskaris’ soldiers, Solomon makes a hasty retreat back to the rope and scurries up the wall as fast as he can. Still panting from the exertion, he yells down to Laskaris, “Fine, gasp but I still don’t have to gasp let you in!!! gasp”

The previously mentioned soldier coughs loudly. “What is it now?” Solomon demands impatiently. The soldier replies, “According to the charter you have to let him into the settlement.”

“What!!! There has to be some loophole you oaf. Find me a #%@# loophole!!!”

“Sorry sir, but I’m afraid that you’ll have to let him in. On the bright side, the extra soldiers will help...”

Solomon cuts him off, “Fine!!! Let him in. But I know he’s here to cause trouble, regardless of what he says. Make sure to keep a close eye on him.”

Unable to control his rage any longer, he storms off yelling obscenities about charters and regulations.

Efstathios and his men laugh when they see Solomon leave.

"This will be interesting," he says smiling to one of his bodyguards.

"Forward men!" he says to his men and rides in front of the army towards the city.

Reluctantly, the soldiers inside the walls open the gate and let Laskaris’ army in. The men who crusaded with Solomon look nervously around at each other. They know that this can’t end well...