|Morning of February 26th - 1249 - Sea near Constantinople - Attila|
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This dialogue, though entirely pointless, gives an idea of the overall mood of the situation.
After all the chaos in Cyprus, I could finally relax and enjoy the journey without worries.
I was only cautious about the few Cypriot rowers we had to take on board, though I didn't want to. They were indispensable for piloting a ship. Rasha and I decided to make it clear to them from the start who was in charge, one way or another.
The result is that now the crew does immediately what I want, and they don't even dare to argue.
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I turned in silence to the point indicated by Rasha, and there I saw it.
A shining city bathed in sunlight, with a massive port and mighty walls.
We had finally reached our destination: Constantinople.
Morning of February 26th - 1249 - Port of Constantinople - Attila|
Once we disembarked, I addressed the rest of the crew:<
I tossed them some coins and left with Rasha.
The city was beautiful, and it's incredible how meticulously they've represented these cities in the game.
Damascus was also well-crafted. It felt like being in Rome but by the sea, with parks and gardens intricately woven into the city through a dense network of streets and establishments.
A true masterpiece of urban planning, if I'm not mistaken, the Emperor's residence right now is the Palace of Blachernae, which, if I recall correctly, is nearby.
But no! How lucky can I get!
Talking to a few citizens, I soon learned that what's nearby is not the "Palace of Blachernae" but the "Palace of Boukoleon," the old imperial family residence.
So this wretched palace I'm searching for is conveniently located on the opposite side of the city. And Constantinople is a vast city, so I'll have to restrain myself from cursing throughout the journey.
Rasha and I stopped here and there to rest from this exhausting yet beautiful walk, visiting some "taverns" since "bars" didn't exist in this era.
Morning of February 26 - 1249 - In front of the Blachernae Palace, Constantinople - Attila|
We walked until we reached the gate of this wretched palace. However, it wasn't as unpleasant as the one in Cyprus; in fact, it was grand, efficient, and beautiful. But I suppose it's well-known that the Byzantines were skilled in the art department.
In front of the gate stood the classic pair of guards, as suspicious as they come. They looked at me as if I were the most suspicious being in the world, and their gaze conveyed a strange sensation as if they were disgusted with me. Well, my attire wasn't in the best condition (perhaps neither was my smell).
I told them:<>
Despite hearing my words, the guards didn't budge an inch. In fact, they remained as still as stone statues. Perhaps, in their eyes, I was not credible.
Even Rasha attempted to say something: <
Again, no one responded. It was time to resort to more forceful measures: "Very well, let's do this. Since you don't want to cooperate, if I find an alternative way to inform Emperor John of my arrival, and he allows me in, then I'll simply take my sword and cut one of you two's throats. What do you say?>>
Again, no movement, they were indeed well-trained. But they were playing with the wrong person.
So, I began to look around to assess the area. Fortunately, a servant was walking on the low walls of this palace. I decided to call out to him, but he, with a cold gaze, turned and continued on his way after a few seconds.
It took a whole hour before another staff member passed by him, and this time it was a young servant. When I called out to her, she approached (still staying on the walls) to inquire about the reason.
I asked her if she could somehow inform the Emperor of my presence and if we could take a bath afterwards, given that we had just completed a long journey. Although she hesitated, she was the only one who reassured us that she would let him know as soon as possible.
After the conversation, she headed inside the palace.
We waited only 5 minutes before we heard the internal guard ordering the ones in front of us to open the door. As one guard opened the gate, the other finally spoke to us: <
It's true that now I have to kill one of the two, but they apologized, and in any case, they are highly professional guards. I said:<
After that, Rasha and I finally entered the palace. We were immediately greeted by servants, including the one who had acted as a messenger, who showed us to our rooms (filled with royal spare clothing) and then took us to a grand bath. After some peculiarities in the bath with Rasha and changing our clothes, we were finally ready to meet the Emperor.
Morning of February 26th - 1249 - Balcony in the Blacherne Palace, Constantinople - Attila|
A servant at the entrance of our room informed us that it was time for the meeting and led us to what appeared to be a terrace. There, I saw him, seated on a chair resembling a throne, Emperor John III Ducas Vatatzes. He was a middle-aged man (around 57 years old) with a beard, moustache, black eyes, and hair, although the latter was covered by a crown resembling a ball of yarn adorned with some precious stones. He wore a grand tunic adorned with vivid colours.
Once he saw me, he said:<
I began:<>
He replied:<
Then, looking at Rasha for a moment, I said:<
"Ah, a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rasha," he replied. Rasha nodded her head in acknowledgement.
I continued with the important part:<>
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<> he replied.
I said:<
After a few seconds of silence, he replied:<>
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He looked at me puzzled and in complete silence, as if he were thinking of a response.
Then he replied:<
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Together we pondered until Giovanni had an idea:<
"Well, it seems I have no other choice," I replied:<
The Emperor signalled to a nearby guard, and after a few minutes, this enigmatic general arrived. He was of average height, appeared slightly younger than the Emperor, of Greek origin, muscular, and armed like few others.
He said:<
I replied:<
"I asked the Emperor, not you>> he replied abruptly.
Well, well, someone will die soon, I see.
Giovanni replied:<
He looked at me arrogantly and said:<
I couldn't take it anymore and said:<
<
With the most menacing look I could muster directed at that imbecile, I said:<
He made a face as if to say "What could this guy ever do to me?" and began to prepare for the fight.
Once in position, facing each other, I said:<
"I am Isidoro Antoniadis, and I suggest you watch your tongue, young man>> he replied.
We stood there for a good minute, circling each other. Neither of us dared to attack first.
Although arrogant as they come, just by looking at him, I could tell he was someone to be reckoned with.
As we continued to circle like fools, he said:<
I stopped and said:<
I began to approach him, with the coldest and most focused gaze I could muster.
He immediately understood that the moment had arrived, drew his sword, and came toward me.
I did the same, and that's when our battle began.
Despite his heavy armour and sword, he managed to wield it with just one hand (which was unusual for the time). But that wasn't enough to defeat me.
After a series of strikes that left us both blocking each other, I saw an opening on the right side of his neck. But it was a trap; he grabbed my arms, which held the sword and pushed them to his right side, preventing me from reaching his neck and simultaneously putting me at risk of being injured by his sword, which was coming back toward me.
I noticed this quickly and managed to free myself and escape his blade.
After stepping back, he said:<
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I threw away the sword; it was useless to me, and against him, it was almost a burden.
He paled when he saw me discard the sword and still approaching him. Nevertheless, he tried to respond by attempting an overhead strike.
I seized the opportunity. I dodged his strike and put my foot forward to prevent him from recovering the sword.
He was done for.
All that was left was to grab his neck with my right hand and strangle him with the strength of a single hand.
He tried to struggle and kick, but I simply blocked everything with my other hand.
He even tried to forcibly remove my hand from around his neck, all in vain.
In the end, when it was clear to everyone how it would end, the Emperor said:< I let him fall to the ground; he groaned on the floor, gasping for breath. Dirty bastard.