Outside Alexandria, 1164

"Aye, we found him Lord Aristenos! Had to chase him down though, for an old man he can sure run fast."

Nikolaos nodded to the captain. "Thank you captain, please bring him into my command tent. That will be all." With a sharp salute, the captain left the tent, and he returned quickly with a man dressed in clerical robes, although not of Roman origin.

Looking up from his paperwork, Nikolaos finally stood up, and the priest suddenly fell out of his chair as he tried to look up at Nikolaos. Nikolaos was already on one knee offering his hand. "I am sorry, I do that sometimes, here." The priest muttered something to himself as he brushed away Nikolaos's hand and seated himself with a bit of difficulty on his chair. As Nikolaos returned to his desk, the priest coughed into his hand.

Nikolaos looked up sharply. "Yes?"
The priest looked over at Nikolaos haughtily, and spoke with a an Italian accent. "May I ask why I am being detained and why I was so rudely forced by Roman soldiers to come here? I have a sermon to conduct!"

Nikolaos looked back down at his papers, rifling through them as he scanned each. Silence suddenly pervaded the room, and it's heaviness seemed to squish the air out of the priest again. He coughed into his hand again. Nikolaos looked back up. "Have you caught cold? I can fetch my physician if you need him."

The priest gave Nikolaos a stern look, and his voice took on a condescending tone. "I said I had a sermon to conduct. There are several hundred people waiting for me!" Nikolaos returned to his paper flipping. The priest turned scarlet. "Now see here! You have not given me any explanation as to-"

Nikolaos held up his hand. "Please, Father, I am looking for you on the rosters here and I cannot find you. I find it very distracting when you talk, and I keep losing my place when you do. If you are not on the roster, I cannot legally allow you to conduct your sermons." The priest stood firm. "Roster? I have heard of no roster! The word of God does not require a roster, it does not require "legality" to be spoken for those wishing it, it is above mortal law, God is above mortal law, and you sir are-"

Nikolaos stood up. "Enough, please Father! I am a Roman senator, and as such I must set an example by following the law, as should you. It is Roman law that requires one to be placed in line for the roster, for assignment! It has been so for as long as I have known, and I was told this by one of the priests from Antiokeia."

The priest sniffed. "I do not answer to 'Roman law', and I most certainly do not answer to to anyone else other then God and the Pope!" Nikolaos did a quick double take at the priest. "Excuse me? Say that again?"

The priest smirked at the dumbfounded look on Nikolaos's face. "I answer to no one, other then God and the Pope. So your "Roman Law", so you can go and-"

Nikolaos sat back down and pulled out his quill. "CAPTAIN!" A burst of fabric and with lightning speed, the captain was within the tent. Nikolaos cocked an eyebrow. "Where you outside the tent this whole time?" The captain shrugged a bit. "Ehhh, yes M'lord. I mean no M'lord, but yes M'lord." Nikolaos shook his head and began writing a note. "Please escort the Catholic Priest to the-"

"I am a Cardinal from Rome, a member of the collegiate! Not some backwater priest!" Nikolaos sighed exasperatedly as he fetched another piece of paper and began writing a new. "Please escort the Italian Catholic Card-" The Cardinal yelled again. "I am Sicilian! Do not compare me to those godless Milanese or Venetians, God save those poor and unfortunate enough to be under their reign."

Nikolaos sighed, picked up another piece of paper and began writing. "Please escort the Sicilian Catholic Cardinal to the-" The Cardinal moved to speak again, but Nikolaos lifted up his hand. The Cardinal grew indignant, but each time he made to say something, Nikolaos's hand shot up. When it was clear Nikolaos had won, he continued. "-to the docks, for deportation."

The Cardinal stood up, his face livid. "Now see here! I come from Rome to spread the true faith! You have no right to send me away, you heretical fool! I do God's work, even if I have to deal with such atrocious accommodations" Nikolaos did not bother to look up. "Continue to insult me, and I will send you to Constantinople to stand trial for sedition. As it is now, I am being awfully nice to you. Captain?" Nikolaos held out the letter, but before he could reach it, the Cardinal grabbed it and tore it into shreds with a smug look on his face.

Nikolaos began to grow angry, standing up with a start to his full height. "There was no call for that! How dare you interfere, I was saving your neck from the chopping-" A look of shock crossed the Cardinal's face, and he suddenly dropped dead. A moment of awkward silence fell upon the captain and Nikolaos.

"He's dead, isn't he?"
"Aye M'lord," the captain said, kicking the slumped over cardinal with his boot. "Sure of it."
Another awkward pause followed as the captain kicked the cardinal's body again. Nikolaos coughed uncomfortably. "Send a letter to the Sicilians informing them that their Cardinal has, uh..." Nikolaos looks over at the captain questioningly, "Lost at sea?" The captain nodded. "Aye M'lord, that should do it."

Nikolaos sat back down in his chair, and began writing his note. The captain waited a minute before asking. "And the body M'lord?" Nikolaos looked up. "Ehhh...do what you see best captain." Nikolaos returned to his writing. As the captain left with the body, Nikolaos inwardly reminded himself he needed to go to mass one of these days.