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Anno Domini 830, December-17
I had been learning about many political schemes with Skleros' arrival at my mansion and I did not like it at all. My wife had been serving as a spy for the interests of her father, probably because of the information being requested, trying to measure my wealth for who knows what, since nobody tries to learn something unless it is for some purpose. In addition many aristocrats had been filling Theophilos' head with accusations that I was preparing to betray him, and it was something that happened every single day. I could not move a finger without some aristocrat accusing me of treason.
It was probably the subconscious speaking, since everyone seemed much more interested in accusing me of treason after seeing that Theophilos was having a very difficult time with his anti corruption reforms, since after the purge we carried out it did not take long for the same rats that survive everything and try to abuse the system to appear again.
And Theophilos was determined, no matter the cost, to eliminate a large part of the corruption of the state, although many resisted losing rights that had never been theirs, so it was becoming quite complicated, which according to Skleros was feeding the iconodule faction simply with the rats seeking to preserve their power at all costs.
And it seemed the iconodules had no issue joining with them, since although they were associating with the worst people in the empire they needed that power if they ever wanted to attack Theophilos, and they were trying to expand their influence while they were slowly being expelled from the institutions of the empire.
Internal Byzantine politics was already giving me headaches. I had not even spent a month in the capital and I was already tired of all the intrigues and problems, since it was not only my military successes that bothered them, but also my economic successes.
Some merchant guilds were demanding that I share the plans for the naos, ships whose development I had financed for years, paying without hesitation everything the shipyard masters requested so they could experiment through trial and error, and now once word spread about where I was several spice guilds from the city had visited me seeking for me to gift them ships to remain on good terms with them and on several occasions demanding that I directly hand over the plans.
It was annoying. Not even the military officers of the city had gone that far, since the imperial navy was interested in purchasing several naos to observe their capabilities and evaluate possible ways to convert them into warships once their capabilities had been explored.
Of course for the moment the shipyard of Heraklion was filled with orders for my own merchant fleets, which were expanding through all the ports of the empire, since in addition to having good ships a group of merchants had formed who seemed like hawks when it came to finding good prices and establishing contacts and networks with everyone involved in trade, selling everywhere a Roman banner reached.
There were even questions about how my scriptorium could even produce more books, since a large part of the book production market had to belong solely to me. Before leaving there had been around 300 Varangians working in the printing workshop, so I imagine the books must have been selling like hot bread, but how long we could keep the secret before the church tried to interfere I did not know.
Politics already had me exhausted and the worst part was that this was supposedly the mildest politics the empire had seen. According to Skleros under the previous two emperors politics had been even worse, something that had left him with constant headaches, so I hoped this would improve before it became worse or I was going to lose my mind with all the problems the aristocrats, clerics and merchants could invent in order to complain and try to profit from the situation.
The sound of trumpets pulled me from my thoughts and my eyes fixed upon the Golden Gate outside Constantinople. The trumpets signaled the beginning of the triumph.
And immediately Theophilos' heralds began to move, leading the procession while carrying imperial banners.
Afterward the clerics began to move, burning incense while following the heralds, and several young clerics raised a great wooden cross to display the power of the Almighty.
A clear example of how icons were normally displayed in these processions, such as saints or things of that nature, but the ceremony had changed greatly because of Theophilos' iconoclasm, which prohibited all icons.
After them followed a large number of Frankish barons that we had captured, whom we moved in chains both on hands and feet, while a pair of white horses dragged them all forward, forcing them to walk or be dragged.
There were also Croatian leaders, some Avars and some Bulgarian nobles who for some reason had still not been worked to death in a mine.
Finally my turn arrived, where I was transported by six black horses in a chariot from which I had to travel across the entire route through the capital.
Afterward many of my Greek officers and my Varangian hird followed me on horseback as an escort force, and at the rear of the procession stood the bulk of the forces selected for the event, around 3,000 Varangians marching in their finest armor, showing everyone the best smithing the empire possessed, observing how 3,000 men marched in standardized armor.
Creating a metallic echo every time they advanced, trying to maintain a stable formation, marching in synchronized steps in an attempt to keep the lines as uniform as possible while we entered the city.
The people had been allowed to enter within the walls of the city for the occasion, so the walls were packed with people shouting excitedly at our triumphant entry through the streets of the city.
As soon as we passed the first walls of Constantinople the place was filled with excited shouting. The buildings surrounding the road we followed were equally filled with people watching from the windows and from the edges of the streets, trying not to block our path.
And so we continued while passing through the second wall of the city, where we entered the more urban sector, where it seemed the entire population of the city had gathered for the occasion.
Considering that the people of Rome had suffered defeat after defeat, it had to be good news that now they could not stop hearing victory after victory, so this must have been a unique moment for many generations that had only known defeat and bad news.
Upon reaching the central forum of the city the procession of Theophilos joined us, followed by a large number of Scholai protecting him, while he presented himself upon a white horse wearing armor decorated with gold, in addition to carrying the imperial crown.
The procession stopped while Theophilos now began to lead it and stopped once again when the prisoners were shown to the population, where they were forced to kneel before Theophilos as a display of humiliation, leaving them with their heads against the ground by the Scholai guards while the rest of the procession continued onward.
The center of the event had completely shifted toward the figure of the emperor, since these events themselves were meant to improve the image of the monarch and somewhat that of the general, because all victories came hand in hand with the emperor, to whom God had granted victory as his emissary according to the teachings of caesaropapism.
And so we continued until we reached the third wall of the city, the deepest one, which protected the most important sector of the city, where the procession headed directly toward the Hippodrome.
Our procession immediately passed through the forums toward the Hippodrome and while entering I watched waves of people begin to fill the stands.
Which filled within minutes as more and more people occupied every available space. The procession circled the Hippodrome three times while we were observed by everyone until finally that shit ended.
While the people were euphoric over the triumph they had given me, the event ended there, and through one of the exits of the Hippodrome the procession abandoned the place while the chariot racing teams began arriving for the spectacle meant for the people, since afterward many public banquets would follow where the state would distribute food for several hours.
Panem et circenses. It seemed Theophilos had everything prepared to offer the ancient Roman policy for keeping the people calm.
Upon leaving the Hippodrome my Varangians began returning to the areas where they had been quartered, leaving the city by ship so the people would not have to encounter the Varangians, while I entered through one of the passages leading toward the imperial palace, where accompanied by my followers we arrived at the banquet hall of the palace, one of the many where a large amount of Roman aristocracy in the city gathered waiting for the event for the people to end and for the emperor's presence.
Upon entering all the gazes of the aristocrats centered on me and I saw their vile viper smiles. Almost immediately they tried to speak with me for who knows what, but the Varangian group arrived first.
"At last you arrive, Basil. How was it?" Hjalmar said, dressed like a Roman aristocrat, although it did not fit him at all well, since the clothes clung too tightly to his body. Apparently he had not found anything in his size.
Most of the Varangian jarls and their families had similar problems, since Hakon's sons were very tall and I doubted there was clothing that a tailor could make for them in less than a few weeks.
"Interesting one could call it… I did nothing more than stand in a chariot and watch how they paraded me through the city. Beyond that nothing else happened." I replied while walking and moving deeper into the group of Varangian and Slavic chiefs.
"Tell me, has there already been an attempt to make you do something?" I asked.
Hjalmar and Sigurd began laughing almost immediately.
"Yes… the Romans… are just as father always said. Serpents. He wonder how much gold was necessary for me to support him as the new governor of the foederati." Hjalmar said while smiling.
"And what happened?" I asked with interest.
"If you see a Roman with my knuckles marked across his face and a broken nose you will know what happened." Hjalmar said.
"Yes, it was quite the scandal, since the Scholai did not know what to do." Sigurd said while smiling.
"I can imagine, since nobody thinks someone would be brave enough to make such a scandal in the presence of the emperor…" I said surprised.
"Yes, they gave me a warning, but nothing more than that. They said the emperor would decide my punishment once this event that drives the Romans mad is over, but honestly I doubt anyone will be angry because I have loyalty." Hjalmar said.
"Indeed. That may make Theophilos adore you much more than he probably already does for protecting the frontiers from Slavic attacks." I replied while walking, noticing someone I wanted to speak with.
"Oh, right… soft legs arrived not long ago." Sigurd said pointing toward Lysander, who was seated with Maria at one of the tables.
"So I see." I said beginning to walk toward them.
By my own orders I had requested that my parents not be brought to the capital, since I did not want them near the nest of serpents and wanted them to dedicate themselves entirely to my brother.
Lysander upon seeing me began to smile and stood up from the table to receive me. Apparently he had come with his wife and she was incredibly nervous because of the entire event.
"Lysander, my good friend… everything alright in the capital. Has anything happened?" I asked looking at Lysander, who greeted me with an embrace.
"We almost arrived late. A strong storm in the middle of the sea forced us to remain several days in Lemnos until it ended. We nearly did not make it." Lysander said smiling.
"About Maria… has she tried anything more regarding that?" I asked seriously while turning so Maria, who was nervously staring at the table, would not see me.
"A couple of times, but it was during the same week. After that nothing else." Lysander replied.
"Good… thank you… Maria." I said while walking closer to my wife.
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