Yiğit stared across the busy square to the immense building of the Sophia and wondered at the skills of these arrogant people. Despite his anger, shame and the overriding hate he now felt, he grudgingly admitted to himself that they certainly knew how to build great palaces.
A man walked by and stared curiously at the Turkish delegation. He was dress like most Greeks on the street, but his cloak, which was of white wool, carried a red cross sewn onto it. To Yiğit it was just another of those Christian emblems that these people wore. What caught the Turk’s attention was the intensity of the look from the other man, who was accompanied by a pretty young girl with a slightly large nose who carried with her several of those books he had heard about.
They paused and the two men stared at each other for a few long moments, taking each other’s measure. Then the escort arrived and Yiğit turned away, but not before he had noted the strong features of the man and the scar running down his jaw. The eyes that had made contact were direct and hard. It only lasted a moment or two; then the girl pulled on the man’s sleeve and they walked off to join the throng on the Mese. But it left Yiğit wondering about the encounter.
*****
Talon walked along the Mese with Theodora in a thoughtful frame of mind. He had just spent the day with her at the Magnaura, where he had listened to a lecture on mathematics followed by another on some obscure philosophical point that completely eluded him. However, when Theodora took him to see the medical facility he was impressed. It compared very favorably with the Bimaristans in Isfahan and Cairo. He wondered, not for the first time, at the utter disinterest of the infamous leeches of the western nations in the medical knowledge available here and in the Arab world. It was not as though they did not have the opportunity to learn from either the Byzantines or the Arabs, as both were in close proximity to the Kingdom of Jerusalem and both had a profound knowledge of medicine.
There had even been a discussion about dissection and examination of cadavers, which he knew even the Arabs and Persians could not do, at least not legally. He was very impressed with the fact that the physicians in this city knew all about Avicenna and notable figures like Ibn Hubal, who wrote impressive books on the subject of medicine, in fact a copy of the Arabic work had been on display at one of the libraries among the multitude of Greek books on the same subjects.
It was while they were crossing the large square in front of the Palace entrance that he had seen the Turkish delegation exiting the gates and had paused to look at these wild looking men who seemed completely out of place among the more refined population of Greeks. He paused to stare at them, taking in the clothing and their features. The Turks had not been very popular in Persia the last time he had been there.
The man who appeared to be their leader must have felt that he was being observed, for he turned to stare back. Talon could see he was angry about something, as the glare from his light brown eyes was fierce and hostile. Talon noted a scar that travelled down his brow and continued down his upper cheekbone. Then he felt a tug on his sleeve and walked on with Theodora, who was chattering about the lecture, oblivious of the exchange between the two men.
Theodora interrupted his thoughts. “Talon! I’ve been talking for some minutes now and you have not said a thing. What happened back there? Did you see something?”
“I was looking at those Turks just outside the palace. That man looked very angry for some reason. How is it that you have Turks in the city? I thought they were the enemy of Byzantium.”
Theodora frowned, as was her manner when irritated by something that she considered elementary. “Talon, it has been the policy of our emperors to allow emissaries of all people to come to this city. Some come to make trade while others come to plead a cause of some sort, and others to negotiate with our empire. Is that so difficult to understand? These men probably had an audience with the Emperor, that is my guess.”
Talon smiled, nodded and asked, “Do you believe in fate, Theo?”
“I believe in God and his saints and if he ordains a thing then that is to be my fate. Why do you ask such a question, Talon?”
“Because I’ve just had a sense that that man and I are fated to meet again,” he said.
She stared at him and glanced back at the Turkish delegation. “Are you superstitious then, Talon? I would not have thought so.”
“I am a soldier; we are all superstitious, Theo.”
*****
Two days after the game of tzykanion, word came from Alexios to the Templars that they were to attend the Emperor the following day. This time, they were to go to the Palace of Blachernae, which was at the western end of the city on the shores of the Golden Horn. Only the knights were to be present at the meeting, by command of the Emperor. The distance they had to travel would require horses, which Alexios said he would provide if they would meet him at the Forum of Constantine.
Sir Guy had spent some time with his counterparts Alexios Bryennios and John Komateros and told Talon that the negotiations for the hand of the princess were making progress, but the final word had to come from the Emperor and nothing was going to hurry the Greeks along.
“I suspect that they’ve learned much from the Persians about negotiating, or perhaps it is the other way around,” he remarked with a shrug. “They study every advantage and then move a piece on the board…slowly. I shall no doubt have to take inadequate answers back to our king.”
“But they have not said ‘no’ to either of the requests, Sir?”
“True, and I should consider that progress I suppose,” Sir Guy answered; he sounded somewhat resigned.
“I think it is telling that the Emperor does not want our monks present, Sir Guy.”
“Indeed it is, Talon. It would be naïve of me to suppose his spies do not know why they are here. Besides, Jonathan probably disgusted them by wiping his snotty nose on his sleeve at the last audience, and Martin tripped over the hem of his habit on the way out!”
Talon stifled a snort of laughter. Sir Guy clearly found the monk Jonathan irritating in the extreme.
They walked all the way up the hill to the Forum of Constantine where Alexios greeted them. He was mounted and had a small escort of his own cavalry with him. He smiled a crooked smile as Talon walked up to him and they clasped hands.“So how are you today Talon?” Alexios asked with a grin. Alexios’ eye was puffed up black and blue and he moved stiffly.
Talon grinned and winced. He felt battered and would have preferred not to be visiting the Emperor in his present condition. There was a huge welt on his back and he was still bruised all over from the battle two days previously. He had planned on visiting the baths and trying out the recommended services of a masseuse that day. For Dmitri had insisted with a leer that these were among the best in the city.
Sir Guy, on the other hand, looked rested and ready to continue the discussions. They moved off, cantering along the crowded avenue and shops that lined the entire length of the vast street right up to the Forum of Theodosius. From there the road angled southward to the Forum of the Ox, but they turned right on the northerly route of the Mese, finally arriving at the great entrance to the Cistern of Aetus.
“This is only one of the great water reservoirs within the city walls. They have allowed us to survive very long sieges,” Alexios informed them as they trotted their horses past the huge pillars at the entrance to the cistern. Then he led the way down the paved road northwest by an array of churches with the familiar domed roofs, topped with crosses, beyond which were the roofs of the several palaces of Blachernae. The two riders in front called out to the pedestrians to clear a passage and any of them who were too slow were shoved out of the way.
Alexios pointed to a building and said, “This is the palace of the Porphyrogennitos.”
What significance is that?” Talon asked.
“It is where the Imperial children are born. The babes are said to be born “to the purple” for only they may wear clothing that is dyed with the royal purple. All our emperors an
d ladies of the Imperial house are born there and much value is placed upon that. Foreign princes want to marry princesses born to the purple as it brings them much prestige.”
They were by now entering an area of vast gardens and wooded avenues which surrounded the palace of Blachernae. The panorama of the busy waters of the Golden Horn was spectacular. They did not have much time to dwell on the view, however, as they had arrived at the main courtyard of the palace. Here they were met by a small group of men dressed in rich costumes topped with huge, unwieldy looking hats of different shapes, from incongruously tall to extremely wide. Talon noted the familiar crest of the double-headed eagle with the small crown between the heads and the crossed keys carved into a large stone plaque over the gateway.
He wondered why this place was so remote from the Great Palace, but as everyone was preoccupied with preparing for the audience he did not ask, but followed Sir Guy and the reception committee through the great gates into the hall where they were told to wait and hand over their weapons to the attending Varangian officer.
As they stood on the polished marble flagstones staring at the statues and the gold and silver leaf frescoes and murals on every inch of the walls, Talon remarked to himself that this palace was much quieter than the bustling Great Palace they had previously visited.
There was a hushed atmosphere in this building where people went about their business quietly, with only murmured conversations in corners. The army of eunuchs was much reduced. He noted, however, that in all the strategic places, such as entrances to private chambers, the huge Norse warriors stood as impassive but imposing sentries.
In some distant chamber of the palace a voice was raised in song and they all listened as the crystal clear tones soared and dropped and climbed yet again before eventually fading away into silence. He realized that it could only belong to one of the castrati, boys who had been castrated to ensure that their voices remained pure. Yet another item to ponder in this multi-faceted civilization.
They waited for about an hour, during which Alexios and Talon told Sir Guy of their part in the game and the infighting that had gone on. Sir Guy was amused that Prince Isaac had been thwarted so badly by Talon but did not comment. There was still the aftermath of that game to deal with. The Emperor might not have been very pleased.
After what felt like an interminable wait a bejeweled eunuch silently entered the room and glided along the polished floor toward them. Talon wished he could afford a fraction of the expensive, shimmering silk clothing the man wore, and he smiled to himself as he looked at the belt. Henry could buy his own ship with he jewels laid into the silver and gold filigree on that item—or retire.
The eunuch bowed and asked them to follow him. They complied in silence and walked along corridors that were as elaborately decorated as the anteroom. Talon by now had become somewhat inured to the rich display of wealth, the statues of marble inlaid with gold, and frescoes of silver and jewels, but he still found himself gawking like some country bumpkin at some new creation that they passed.
Then they arrived at the main entrance to the Emperor’s chambers. The two Varangian guards came to attention and another, an officer, opened the door quietly.
The Parakoimomemos, the Chief Minister, was there to greet them at the door; they were told that they need not go through the normal procedures of crawling, but they were expected to advance to the throne and bow very deeply, then wait until spoken to.
They were announced by the accompanying eunuch, who moved ahead of them down the rich carpeted floor to face the throne where the Emperor and Empress sat. This was quite different from the crowded hall where they had first met the Emperor. Here were just a few advisors and the Emperor himself, seated on a throne that, while not as magnificent as the one in the main reception chamber of the Great Palace, was nonetheless worth a king’s ransom. The arms and back were intricately carved ivory set into dark wood that had been polished to a fine sheen. The empress, clad in shimmering golden splendor, sat by his side on an equally priceless throne.
Both Sir Guy and Talon stopped ten paces before the throne and both went down on one knee, heads bowed. They waited.
Manuel spoke, but this time in French. “Welcome, Sir Guy of the Templars. I welcome too Sir Talon, who has, so it seems, made a name for himself on the field of tzykanion.” His tone was dry.
Both Templars looked up and saw the Emperor smiling. Talon almost sighed out loud with relief. He had fully expected to be chastised and that would not have boded well for their mission.
“Sire, I beg the forgiveness of Your Highness. We deeply regret the accident to your kinsman by my unworthy knight. If there is anything we the Templars can do by way of atonement I beg you to name it.” Sir Guy sounded contrite and very sincere. He had warned Talon that if a punishment were to be meted out then Talon would have to face it, unless it was too severe in which case he, Sir Guy, would ensure that he got out of the city safely.
However the Emperor raised his hand and said, “One of my relatives, Basil the First, was a great player and was rarely defeated on the field. Alexander died of exhaustion from the game. We Komnenos are not afraid to go onto the field of battle, whether it be tzykanion or even your sport of jousting, and least of all against our enemies. My older brother knew the risks and feared not to take them.”
“I pray that your brother has a speedy recovery, Your Highness.”
The Emperor shrugged. “ He will recover. Your man played well for someone who was newly come to the game and we commend him. As for punishment, there will be none. However, we request that when you leave our shores to take your answers back to your king that Sir Talon remain here with us and learn more of our ways. I hear that he has proven to be a keen student of our language and culture, so we would see more of him.”
Talon sent an astonished look at Sir Guy and gave the briefest nod. Sir Guy looked back up to the Emperor from his still kneeling position and said, “We are deeply flattered that Your Highness has taken such an interest in our knight. We would be honored for him to remain here in your magnificent city and learn from your people.”
“Then it is settled,” Manuel said, and indicated that they could stand. As they stood the Emperor continued, “As to the question of a crusade being permitted to come through our lands, there will be conditions that must be agreed to or there can be no crusade.”
Sir Guy nodded and replied, “My Liege, I am aware of the concern of the people and Yourself regarding the behavior of the armies we expect to muster and march across your territories. What may we do to relieve this concern?”
Manuel steepled his fingers and looked at him. “There shall be a payment made before the armies come even close to our borders, Sir Guy. I expect the Templars to fund this side of the agreement. The payment will be held in safe keeping as a means to ensure that any damages incurred will be recompensed. We cannot live on promises from princes or kings from those countries when we know full well they do not possess the coin to pay any reparations. You will be permitted to work out the details with my officers after this meeting.
“We, for our own part undertake several commitments.We will allow the armies to come through, provided they pay their way and do not cause harm. Their unruly behavior and acts of vandalism have not been forgotten by our people. It will not be tolerated again. We will commit to assisting them to cross over the Bosporus, but they cannot stay outside our gates for any length of time.” His voice was firm.
“As a further sign of our commitment we intend to mount a campaign against the Turks in the very near future. They have broken treaties of long standing with us and the Sultan Arslan is trying to extend his territories at our expense. We will drive him back to the Toros mountains, which will leave the path clear for the Latin armies to follow unimpeded right down to Syria, where you will be able to retake the lands lost in Antioch.”
There was a long silence while Sir Guy digested this information. Then he replied, “Your Majesty, I am sure my leaders will be
pleased to hear of your agreement in principle to the request I came here to present to you. I will make it my business to return to the king of Jerusalem at the earliest opportunity and make known to him the terms, and then we will be in communication with the Pope, as it is he who will then inform the kings of the west of those conditions.”
Manuel nodded. “There will be documents prepared with the conditions so written. See to it,” he ordered his chamberlain, who bowed acknowledgement.
“On the more delicate subject proposed by your king we will continue the negotiations, and you, Sir Guy, have our permission to do so with our officers Alexios Bryennios and John Komateros with whom you may meet at the Great Palace in the next few days. You may take back with you the understanding that we are interested and wish to continue the discussion.”
Sir Guy bowed low and said, “Your Majesty, I am deeply honored to hear your words and I shall make haste to carry them back to my king, who I am sure will be delighted to hear this wonderful news. I wish to assure you of the respect and honor we, the Order of Templars, hold for your person. May God protect you.”
Manuel nodded and motioned that the interview was over. Both knights bowed themselves to the door, which opened to allow them to exit.
*****
Several hours later Sir Guy and Talon were seated at the inn with their sergeants and Henry, eating a hearty meal of roasted pork and duck garnished with herbs and covered in a rich gravy of oil and meat juices. The bread on the table was crusty and warm from the kiln.
Jonathan and Martin sat with them, but Jonathan was sulking. He was clearly upset at not having been a party to the audience. Martin kept silent while Sir Guy passed along information that he knew would go straight to the Bishop once Jonathan arrived back in Acre, so he chose his words carefully.
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