Last King of Kings-Chapter 81: The shattered alliance

Heraclius stood on the palace balcony, overseeing the Sea of Marmara, watching the sun rising from the east over his city, over Constantinople. His blue eyes, rare for this region seemed distant, as if he was looking far beyond the borders of his Empire.

"Bonus, how are the preparations proceeding?" he asked with a voice that barely hid his happiness. Bonus stood behind him, opening the not fully closed balcony door. He smiled and bowed.

"We have had no issues so far, your Majesty. Her Highness also seems to be in high spirits."

"Well of course she is. She has a reason to," said Heraclius softly. "Keep me informed in case something happens. They will be arriving in a matter of days, after all," Then he sighed. "I will need to deal with the council now." His softness suddenly disappeared.

"Your Majesty, are you certain you no longer need the number of your guards increased? It wasn’t that long ago when those rumours were swirling around," said Bonus, anxiety clear from his voice.

"I am. My Magister militum has informed me that they have found no evidence of a plot, and that the threat was minimal. Besides, we can’t have myself look like a weakling in front of my allies, can we?"

Bonus frowned.

"As you desire, your Majesty."

--

Yazdegerd was once again stuck in his carriage for days. His journey was almost twice as long as the journey to Trebizond, and he was not amused. But he had to bear with it. When he had time, he drank wine and talked with Rostam, thinking about Piruz, Farrukhzad and Jalinus, and how did they fare. While he knew neglecting his duties at a time like this, when the Empire was on a verge of another conflict was irresponsible, he also felt he made the right decision. If Ahura Mazda favoured him, nothing unusual would come from this meeting, but should something happen to Heraclius and Roxane, Yazdegerd would never forgive himself.

Days passed by, and his entourage, which looked more like a personal army to some, reached the gates of Constantinople. And Yazdegerd was amazed. Giant walls guarded the entrance into the bustling city of commerce with the huge temple of Hagia Sofia towering over it. The impregnable Theodosian walls stood as a bulwark between the city and potential invaders. The Bosphorus strait was filled with boats going further into the Black Sea or those sailing opposite side, to the Mediterranean. The city itself was easily as big as Ctesiphon, maybe even bigger. As soon as they approached the gate, they were let in. Apparently, they were expected.

Riding through the city, Yazdegerd knew every passerby had their eyes on them, even though he couldn’t see them from inside of the carriage. But his large entourage definitely made an impact on the citizens, seeing the noble pushtigban carrying the Derafsh Kaviani, signalling that the Persian Shahanshah has arrived. As an ally.

--

They were welcomed with a great feast. Because the alliance and the betrothal were both officially announced, Heraclius didn’t shy from organizing a magnificent celebration. The whole palace was mobilized to serve the newly arrived guests. Members of the court were curiously observing the young boy, who was said to be the Persian Emperor. Young maids and daughters of the courtiers were drawn to the exotic, yet handsome ruler from the east, who wore a silk robe with a strange symbol embroidered onto his cape and a strange golden crown. Yazdegerd was nearly sixteen but he had no idea of the effect he had on local maidens.

Meanwhile Rostam, albeit quite old, was also a point of interest for some people, though not quite for his youth or handsomeness, but rather for his custom-made armour and imposing figure. One can’t also forget the stern expression he always seems to wear, scanning and analysing everyone and everything around him.

Of course, members of darigan and pushtigban also got their share of attention. These strange, heavily armoured soldiers with shamshirs, a scimitar-like sword and small round shields commanded respect and awe. Despite their helmets hiding most of their faces, it was clear they have absolute control over the environment.

Heraclius welcomed the entourage at the main entrance, with Roxane by his side. Yazdegerd was delighted to see her again, and the feeling was mutual. Now almost fifteen, Roxane has grown to be even more beautiful in Yazdegerd’s eyes. Her emerald eyes glittered like the gem itself, while her long, curly chestnut hair was soft and thick. She wore a linen tunic called stola, which was richly brocaded with silk and golden threads. She wore a gown which covered her head partially, as was common for engaged noblewomen and a purple cape, which covered her neck and shoulders.

Heraclius himself was in his ceremonial dress, wearing silk long tunic, a crown and, similar to Roxane, a purple cape clamped on his shoulder.

Yazdegerd approached him first, with Rostam and his bodyguards in tow.

--

"Nicetas, everything is prepared. Vahan has used his influence with the army to get a reasonable force on our side. Everyone is in place. The plan can begin."

Nicetas smiled. "Well done, Phillipicus. If everything works out, Byzantium will be bigger than ever. Stronger than ever. The Persians will pay."

Phillipicus laughed at that. "Remember what Heraclius told us? That we shouldn’t prioritize our shattered pride over the interests of the Empire."

"But my pride IS the interest of the Empire. It is in Byzantine interests to see Persians burn."

"I agree but remember not everyone is on your side simply because they hate Persians. Some of us just prefer a change of regime," said Phillipicus. Nicetas was confused.

"Didn’t you also want to fight the Persians?"

Phillipicus sighed. "Not necessarily. I do consider them our enemy, and I strictly oppose this devilish alliance, but jumping straight into war for no reason is just foolish. I hope you know that."

Nicetas frowned. "Of course I do."

Nicetas never quite liked his cousin, Heracius, who took the throne by usurping it. The previous emperor, Phokas, also usurped the throne. And now it was going to happen again. Nicetas preferred Phokas, who he admired for his military efforts against Persians, which is why he at least expected Heraclius to follow in his footsteps. But his cousin betrayed him, instead giving in to the Persians to defend against the small, warring tribes of Arabia, which had no possibility of defeating Byzantium.

Nicetas was a fool. It was as Heraclius said. He let his shattered pride get the better of him. But, despite that he managed to gather enough power and loyalists who also held a grudge against Heraclius. And with the support from them, he had no intention of taking what he felt should be his.

--

"I am glad to see you, Yazdegerd. It has been a while, hasn’t it?" proclaimed Heraclius with a smile. Yazdegerd bowed.

"It certainly was, Heraclius. I, too, am glad to see both of you."

Then he turned to Roxane.

"My lady, you have grown even more beautiful than the last time I saw you," he said with a smile. Roxane blushed and shyly gave him her hand, which he kissed.

"Rostam, my friend, I am glad to see you again, too. It seems your expression only ever changes after a few glasses of wine," said Heraclius with a laugh. Rostam, who has been trying to learn some Greek, as recommended by Yazdegerd, replied.

"Glasses? More like jugs."

Heraclius laughed even more. It seemed like Rostam and Heraclius had bonded at Trebizond, despite the language barrier, which was clearly thinner.

Heraclius guided them inside the palace, where they met Bonus and Jabalah, the king of Ghassanids, whom Yazdegerd also hadn’t seen for years. He got noticeably older.

"I welcome you to Constantinople, your Majesty," said Jabalah and bowed. Yazdegerd smiled.

"I thank you for your welcome, Your Excellency," replied Yazdegerd, without bowing.

"Come now, I want you to meet my cousin and my magister militum. While we don’t agree on everything, I do consider them very capable at what they do. Look, here they come," said Heraclius as two figures walked towards them from the opposite direction.

Yazdegerds bodyguards were wary of the surrounding spaces. Busts, statues, and ceremonial weapons lined the walls of the hallway, which supposedly led to some feast hall. Expecting any potential assassin to come from the sides or behind, it was no wonder they didn’t notice Heraclius’ own bodyguard taking his sword from his scabbard.

It happened too quickly. One moment, the group was happily talking, Heraclius and his guards leading them to feast. The other, a puddle of blood with Heraclius lying in it, without uttering a word, without breathing. Yazdegerd stood there, completely stunned. Then he heard shouting. It was Rostam, giving orders to Yazdegerds bodyguards. He turned around and saw them cutting down several Byzantine guards who were aiming for him. But only after one of the men, Nicetas began shouting did Yazdegerd truly recover.

"THE PERSIANS HAVE MURDERED OUR BASILEUS! THEY HAVE TURNED ON US! KILL THEM NOW!"

Yazdegerd looked at Roxane, who was standing still, not comprehending the situation. He took her hand and held it tight. Then he drew her closer to him and let his bodyguards make a circle around them.

"We must retreat! Hurry up and get back to the carriage! We need to get our Shahanshah out of here!" shouted Rostam while the Persian guard was slowly retreating, holding the Byzantines off.

"Bonus! Jabalah! Come with us if you want to survive," shouted Yazdegerd. Jabalah took out his sword and went with him, while Bonus did the same. After all, he no longer had a lord to serve.

Yazdegerd took a shamshir from a dead darigan and led the confused and shocked Roxane out of the palace she once called home with Rostam and the many bodyguards covering their escape.

Yazdegerd wasn’t a very skilled fighter. The skill he had when it came to leadership and ruling was countered by his mediocre fighting skills. But despite that, he did train traditional Persian fencing for several years, so he knew how to fight. And despite never killing anyone personally, that didn’t stop him from helping his bodyguards cut down the Byzantines trying to block their escape.

They sprinted out into the courtyard, shouting at the servants to quickly prepare the carriages for departure and to prepare as many horses as they could. He, Roxane and Bonus quickly jumped into one carriage, with Rostam and Jaballah into another one. The bodyguards who managed to escape took the horses and rode right after their lord. They’ve escaped, but they were still in the now enemy territory. And Yazdegerd had no idea how to comprehend this situation.

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