Fall of Constantinople

[edyzmedieval]

It is exactly what I am trying to focus more. I'm trying to flesh out the characters and the scenery around them so it gives a more realistic, compelling and immersive feeling to the entire experience of reading the book.

[edyzmedieval]

Hey everyone, I wanted to post up a note about the progress. I've started working on it again and ill hope that I can give a few chapters soon.
Its going pretty slow unfortunately, but I want it to be much better than it was.

[Monk]

Hey everyone, I wanted to post up a note about the progress. I've started working on it again and ill hope that I can give a few chapters soon.
Its going pretty slow unfortunately, but I want it to be much better than it was.

Good writing is not to be rushed Edyz so don't worry about taking your time. Good to hear you're back at work.

[Tantalaul]

Salut

Si mie mi-a placut Vintila Corbul
Traducerea a fost foarte buna
Multa bafta

[Monk]

Bumped from the depths by a mysterious poster.

Any word on thoughts of continuation edyz?

[edyzmedieval]

Yeap still workin on it Monk.
Don't worry, everything is going well. If everything does as planned, in the future, you might see it on the shelves of bookstores.

[edyzmedieval]

Guys, my first new chapter after a loong period. Please enjoy, and do not refrain from commenting!


Chapter XVI - The young man


Chances were bleak for the young boy, nothing seemed to go his way. Sitting on the bank of the Black Sea in southern Thrace, he was at the border between the Ottoman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. He hated the Turks. He hated them like no other can. He considered himself fully Greek, although he was of Vlach and Armenian descent, but that did not matter to him right now. Having fought out of an Ottoman prison, he was forced to hide in the forests and stay away from major roads and cities because of the fear of being caught and sent to prison again. Getting caught now would mean sudden death for him, so the bank of the Black Sea provided excellent cover but also relief for the fugitive.

He was young, but at 20 years he has seen many things. Way too many things. Tall and well built, scars were present all over his body, making him a mutilated but still attractive man. Born in a noble Greek family, the family lands were quickly absorbed by the ever expanding Ottoman Empire, causing him to lose everything and flee along with his family from the burning flames which torched his mansion. His parents were caught afterwards by the Ottoman militias, and subsequently executed, leaving him without any family or money to help him from now on. He was completely on his own now. But he managed to survive by foraging and with the help of the local villagers. There was no time to weep or to think.

A slight hush came to his ears. It slowly grew in intensity until he realised that it was the sound made by a group of ships which were heading towards the direction they were heading south of his position. Turning around as he watched the ships go by, a tiny speck at the horizon which he hasn't seen before told to him that those were the old walls around Constatinople, the long abandoned walls of Constantine. With eager spirits, he packed up his belongings, and quickly set foot for the city. He would look for his fortunes there. He was a skilled warrior, and the local gossip indicated that the Turks have set their sights on the city itself, so why shouldn't he fight for a living?

It didn't take much time for him to walk until his senses were fully alert. He followed the side roads, passed through forests, bushes and unused roads, careful to avoid the overcrowded and guarded passageways to Constantinople. However, the side roads were full of bandits and dubious people, and it not before long he encountered an entire group. The young man started to walk slowly, without making too much noise as he tried to approach the camp so he could take a peek at what the seven men were doing. To his amazement, they were not bandits looking for targets, they were soldiers in Ottoman uniforms, standing over a campfire, sharpening their swords and their hilt daggers. As he got closer, he took a good look at the small camp and its surroundings; in the middle there was a big camp fire and around it, sitting with their legs folded, were the soldiers burning fresh game on the fire. They were relaxed, making jokes and looked lively and undisturbed, without the slightest hint of suspecting any intruders in their camp. The Greek was no stranger to military uniforms and insignia, quickly identifying the camp members as part of the regular Ottoman army made my Murad, the Azebs. There was something very peculiar about their appearance, as they did not fit the typical picture of mustached Turks with turbans on their head, curved swords at the hilt and light armor. All of them had European facial characteristics and bright blonde hair, along with sharp steel swords of high quality.


“Germans, my dear friend Leandros” said a voice behind the young man.


Startled to hear the voice behind him, Leandros jumped up like a spring and quickly took out his fighting dagger in order to defend himself from the enemy. He was shocked however to see a good friend in front of his eyes. Before he could reply, his friend continued:


“ I managed to escape in the end from the mansion. I did not get caught by the Ottoman militias, and everywhere you went I followed you. I guess it paid results this time.”


Before Leandros could utter a reply, he continued:


“I know you are on your way to Constantinople. Watching those ships so attentively clearly showed me what you were about to do. But you found out by mistake what is going on in these lands. Turks are all over, pillaging and raiding towns, cities, our lands and we cannot do anything about it. And it is not only themselves, foreign mercenaries as you can see are helping them as well. I suggest leaving the place as fast as possible, until one of them hears our whispers. Come this way, I found a separate pathway which we could use to ”


The young man followed his friend without any complaints, leading him around the forest, full with weeds and brushwood, hurting his bare feet and legs. He could do little about it than just continue walking behind his friend, and not before long the two ended up again on a small beach on the shore of the Black Sea. The walls of Constantinople were getting closer and closer, but there was still a long and perilous way to go. Sensing danger, Leandros and his friend dug a small cave in the sand where they could hide and rest for the night, continuing their journey tomorrow morning. As the two men dug their temporary home, they could hear lots of marching footsteps from the nearby road, realising that the movement of troops inside Ottoman and Byzantine territory was heavy, and that war was imminent, unless diplomacy could avoid it. Still scared because of his friend, Leandros jumped at every close sound, preventing him from having a good night's sleep along with his friend.

The next morning found the two men sleeping soundly on the beach as troops continued to pass by unhindered. There was no Byzantine reply, there couldn't be any reply, as the last troops were fiercely guarding Mistra and Constantinople, the last two Byzantine posessions. It did not take long before Leandros' friend, Ioannos, woke up and started scouting the area for potential enemies, before waking his friend up. Seeing no peril around, apart from a couple of ships which were heading for Constantinople, he slowly approached his sleeping friend, careful as not to disturb him and provoke a rude awakening.


“Leandros, are you awake? Wake up my friend, it is time to leave...”


Leandros opened his eyes, sensing Ioannos near him but also something else. He woke up slowly, packed his belongings without saying a word to Ioannos, who was standing expectatively near him, and started looking around. It didn't take much time before even Ioannos realised what was going – a large contingent of troops was heading towards Constantinople, and they were all Turks.


“It is time to get out of here, my friend. We cannot stay here. Let us go now!” said Leandros.


Not waiting to be told a second time, Ioannos packed his own belongings and the two headed towards the city in order to escape from possible capture, and subsequently, torture at the hands of the Ottoman soldiers. The two walked carefully through the bushy forests, scraping their faces, hands and legs against the branches of the trees, until they got to an unused side road which lead to a nearby village. The two Greeks approached the village hidden, not wanting to be discovered, especially with Ottoman troops around, and to their amazement, they found it deserted and lifeless. Scanning around, both Ioannos and Leandros couldn't find any Ottoman troops, but the village didn't present any signs of looting.

Suddenly 3 arrows jolted in the wooden plank beside them, as the small contigent of soldiers the two friends have seen days ago was rushing towards them with their axes and swords at large, shouting battle cries and charging towards the two Greeks. Taken by surprise, but quickly recovering, Ioannos and Leandros started running towards the closest building which was an old blacksmith's house. In ruins, the forge was still in fairly good shape and the two found a couple of rusty swords and bent spears, good enough to put up a fight against the Ottoman soldiers. The forge was fairly large, with the big oven in the middle, so the two split up, one in each corner of the room, hidden from view as no light was coming in the room. Seeing that the fugitives entered the forge, the seven soldiers split up, 3 taking each side of the room whilst the captain entered from the front. Using torches, the soldiers scanned around but did not manage to find any trace of the fugitives. In the meantime, seeing the soldiers getting closer and closer to their hidden places, the two had their spears ready, two each, whilst grabbing the hilt of their swords, preparing for retaliation. Leandros suddenly leapt forward towards the captain from the right corner of the room, throwing his first spear which ended up cutting his throat and ricocheting into another's hip. Startled by the ambush prepared, the remaining five soldiers charged towards Leandros, only to be hit in the back by two well sent spears from Ioannos. Confused, the remaining soldiers split up and two of them went for Leandros whilst the last one charged towards Ioannos. However they were no match against the skill and prowess in swordsmanship of Leandros, being easily cut down, the first one with a strike at the ribs whilst the other had his head severed by the massive blow delivered. The last soldier, in despair, surrendered to the two Greeks, begging for mercy and forgiveness. The two friends quickly tied him and asked him a couple of questions about the whereabouts of the Ottoman army, without any satisfactory results. The soldiers were indeed German mercenaries, or Allamanoi as the Romans call them, fighting for the Ottoman army, but since their leader had been killed by one of the Ottoman generals for disobedience, they were left alone and thus they ended up as brigands raiding the unguarded parties which were going on the side roads. Satisfied with his answer, the two left him in the forge, still tied up and unable to move, and continued their journey towards the city. Leandros however was unable to cope with the pressure any more, and his friend's efforts to calm him down were futile.


“That's it! I'm rushing to the capital now to join the army! I cannot stand those Turkish scumbags to pillage the land of my nation and get away with it! Are you with me, Ioannos?” screamed an angry Leandros.


“My friend there is no need for further violence. I was a soldier myself, a very good one, but I always wanted peace, I wanted the nations to coexist. “


“Until one of the nations dies, there can not be peace. One cannot live while the other lives. So, are you ready to join me?”


“I waver, but since you are so determined my friend, I shall join you.” replied Ioannos calmly.


“Very well. It is time we move on, I do not wish to have any similar experiences soon, or at least until we get to the city.”


Night was approaching fast but it did not bother the two friends as their forced march continued without a stop. They were both hardened, professional warriors, and realised the importance to get protection as soon as possible before something could happen to them.