The Stratigos of Dark Magic

The capital of Armana, An, was smaller than Cea. However, it was a large city in its own right. Its skyline was a sea of domed roofs of brick and tile.

An's sights, smells, and sounds were similar to other cities. The scent of baked goods filled the air in some areas. People in various crowds spoke about numerous topics.

Ganzaya looked around the city with a hint of disappointment on his face. The Ulv let out a sigh.

"I suppose not every city would be impressive," he stated. "Still, I have business I would like to attend to, despotēs."

Demetrius nodded, understanding Ganzaya's meaning.

"Very well. Do what you must. You will likely have plenty of time for it. If you need to contact me, come to the palace," the Stratigos said.

"Thank you, despotēs," Ganzaya replied.

A status screen appeared in front of Demetrius.

Ares Bond: 2.

"It looks like I've gotten closer to Ganzaya by letting him search for his wife here," Demetrius thought.

Ganzaya then rode off on his horse. Tourmarchēs Khalid raised an eyebrow. His gaze turned to Demetrius.

"What was that about?" Khalid asked.

"None of your business," the Stratigos answered.

The Tourmarchēs turned away from Demetrius, deciding to focus on the task ahead. What sense was there in interfering with the affairs of a higher-ranking officer?

Soon, they came to the palace of An. It was a two-story tall building with a domed roof. There were numerous windows on the upper floor, some having stained glass in them.

A man with a sword at his hip approached the party. He was dressed in incredibly fancy clothes, and recognition glistened in his eyes when he gazed at Demetrius.

"You wear the clothes of a Stratigos of the Remen Empire," the man said in Grekken.

"That is because I am one," Demetrius replied in the language of Armana. "I am here on business from Caesar Basil himself."

The man nodded.

"I expected him to send someone sooner or later. I presume you are here to bring his fiance to Kostaspolis?"

"No. Caesar Basil is still not an adult under the laws of the Remen Empire. He cannot marry yet, and there would be no point in bringing her over before then," Demetrius said.

He handed some documents to the man, who looked through them with great care before nodding again.

"If you will excuse me a moment," he took a bow before going into the palace.

After a few moments, a number of men and women exited it. A man in blue silk robes was at the front with a smile on his face. He wore several rings but no jewelry outside of that.

"Welcome to An!" he said. "I am Nakharar Eachi."

"He's a nakharar? That's one of the highest-ranking titles in the Kingdom of Armana. I see that their king is wise enough to send one of them out to greet me," Demetrius thought before speaking. "I am Stratigos Demetrius Kallergis. We are here to deliver a book to the princess."

"Please, come inside the palace. My men will take care of your horses, and the handmaidens will make sure you are not too hot. I understand that you might not be used to the heat of Armana, Stratigos Kallergis," Eachi stated.

The Remens dismounted. Just as he said, Eachi's men took the horses while the women brought out fans to use on the Remens. They were escorted inside the palace.

Its interior had walls with sconces with candles in them. There were occasional pieces of art, but they were fairly rare. Demetrius looked around the place.

"As expected, the Armanan royal palace is on the level of the house of a lower-ranking Remen noble. My family could make an exact replica of this place without even denting our treasury," he thought.

Demetrius' eyes turned to Adriadne. There was a look of complete and utter disappointment on her face. Eachi was gazing back, nervousness crossing his face.

"Adriadne is exaggerating her disappointment," Demetrius thought. "Good. The barbarians need to know how little they are compared to us. The hawk hunts the rabbit, but it doesn't hunt the lion. And everyone must know that the Remen Empire is the lion."

Soon, Demetrius and his group were in a large room with a red carpet. An old man, at least in his 70s, sat on a large chair on the other side of the room. He wore a purple and gold robe with images of clouds on it. There was a golden crown on his head.

"Welcome to my palace, emissaries of the Remen Empire," he said.

Demetrius did not bow to him, and his men followed his example. Instead, the old man inclined his head to them.

"I am King Gagik of Armana. I am honored to have you here," the man stated.

Demetrius stepped forward.

"I am Stratigos Demetrius Kallergis," he introduced himself and the other relatively high-ranking people in his party. "This is my sister, Adriadne Kallergis. And this is Tourmarchēs Khalid Al-Uteb."

The monarch nodded.

"For the sake of my people, I hope you bring good news," King Gagik said.

"I do. Caesar Basil has seen fit to educate your daughter on her future role as basilissa. My sister has a book that she will deliver to your daughter. It will educate her on her future role," Demetrius replied.

"Being the basilissa of the Remen Empire is a far larger role than being the queen of any kingdom. I thank Caesar Basil for his concern and you all for bringing this book here," the monarch breathed a sigh of relief. "My daughter is currently bathing. When she returns, I will let you know."

He then gestured to some servants.

"In the meantime, please take a seat and enjoy some food," King Gagik suggested.

The Remens sat on pillows along various tables. King Gagik's servants brought food for them to eat. As they did, Adriadne caught a quick glance at the monarch.

"It's amazing how old he is," she said.

"Yes. He doesn't have much time left," Tourmarchēs Khalid stated. "When Caesar Basil's married to his daughter and he passes away, Armana will become part of the Remen Empire."

Adriadne glanced around quickly.

"Is it really okay to talk about that openly?" she wondered.

"Of course, it is," Demetrius replied. "This is as much King Gagik's plan as it is the Basileus'."

The Stratigos forced a sympathetic expression down as he continued.

"King Gagik has no sons and is the ruler of a minor kingdom. If he dies without an heir, Armana would fall into civil war. Then, in its weakness, someone else would take over. Thousands of his people would die, just to be ruled by a foreigner. The best thing for him to do is marry his daughter to Caesar Basil. That way, his people will become citizens of the Remen Empire peacefully. And Caesar Basil will do whatever he can to protect citizens of the Remen Empire."

Adriadne nodded.

"So, this is the best decision for his people?" she asked.

"Yes, it is," Demetrius answered.

A status screen appeared in front of Demetrius. His eyes widened with shock when he saw it.

Gemini Bond: .5.

"That's Adriadne's bond!" he thought. "How did I increase it? Is it just because I've spent a lot of time with her? Did I say the right thing somewhere? What happened?"

Adriadne's thinking was different.

"I managed to get through a whole conversation with my brother without snapping at him! I did it! I'm finally growing closer to him! I even raised our bond!"

She was gazing at her own status screen with a smile on her face.

A mixture of happiness, guilt, and fear flowed through Demetrius. He held in a sigh.

"I'm happy that I'm bonding with Adriadne. But between her and Ganzaya's bond increases...my magic is going to be a lot weaker. Now isn't the right time for it, but I need to make a lot of people hate me soon," he thought.

The rest of the meal went well. Near its end, a man walked over to King Gagik and whispered in his ear. A smile crossed the old man's face. His eyes then turned to Demetrius' group.

"It appears that my daughter has returned. Do you wish to speak with her now?" King Gagik asked.

"My sister will make the delivery," Demetrius answered.

With that, Adriadne stood up with the book in hand. King Gagik motioned for one of his men to escort her, and he did. Soon enough, Adriadne found herself in a room with the princess of Armana before her.

The Princess of Armana was a short woman with black hair and brown eyes. She wore robes similar to her father's except covering more of her legs. There was an excited look on her face.

"You were sent here by Caesar Basil!" she smiled. "My name is Rita. I'm happy to meet you!"

Princess Rita walked over to Adriadne with composure despite her excitement. She surveyed the girl up and down, looking at her clothes.

"Am I going to wear something like that when I become Empress?" Rita asked.

"First, the title is basilissa. Second, no. You are going to wear something far better than my clothes. You will be clad in more purple and jewels than you've ever seen," Adriadne answered.

The princess' smile got even wider.

"Fantastic, simply fantastic!"

Then, her gaze turned to the book in Adriadne's arms. The Remen girl handed her it.

"This was written by Caesar Basil's mother. It will tell you everything you need to know about being basilissa," Adriadne explained.

Princess Rita took the book with a nod.

"Thank you for delivering this. I will thank Caesar Basil and his mother for this too," she said.

Then, Rita walked over to a bench and sat on it.

"Come, sit with me. I have a few things I want to ask you," the princess stated.

Adriadne sat next to her.

"Tell me, what is Caesar Basil like? Is he handsome?" Princess Rita asked.

"When he becomes a man, he will be very handsome," Adriadne answered. "But he doesn't have a beard yet."

Rita nodded.

"Tell me about his personality. Is he kind, cruel, what?"

The look on Rita's face made it clear that she did not trust Adriadne's answer, but she thought that any information she could get was better than nothing.

"Caesar Basil is devoted to the Remen Empire and its people. He distrusts nobles, but he will protect every citizen of the Remen Empire. When you become his wife, he will protect you the same way," Adriadne said.

"Princesses and queens are always protected, regardless of their kingdom or empire," Rita pointed out.

"Yes. But Caesar Basil has the greatest bodyguard force in the world: the Varangian Guard. They are so loyal that no offer could make them turn against Caesar Basil, their skill is on par with the greatest warriors of the Remen Empire, and there are few men as strong as them. No woman in the world will be safer than you."

The princess nodded.

"That is good to know. But tell me, is Caesar Basil a kind man or a cruel man?" she asked. "How will he treat me beyond giving me protection?"

"He will treat you as any basileus should treat their basilissa. Caesar Basil will do his duty to you. And if he likes you, he will go beyond his duty," Adriadne answered honestly.

Princess Rita breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good to know. I'm happy to be the Remen Empress, but it's even better if I have a dutiful husband," she said.

The princess knew not to expect love from marriage. It could happen and was something Rita hoped for, but it was so rare that Rita wouldn't count on it.

Then, Rita's brow furrowed.

"Tell me, will Caesar Basil be open about his mistresses after we're married?"

Adriadne had to resist looking at Rita as if she was an idiot.

"Of course, he won't," Adriadne said. "Unless he has a child out of wedlock, he'll keep his affairs quiet. The most you'll hear of them are rumors at court."

Princess Rita breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank the gods. I don't think I'd be able to stand the humiliation if my husband flouted his affairs," she stated.

While Rita would prefer it if her husband did not have affairs at all, there were few kings and emperors who were faithful to their wives. And monarchs were above the law because their right to rule came from the gods. So, the Caesar and Basileus of the Remen Empire did not need to obey their land's laws against adultery.

"I have just one more question," Princess Rita said.

"What is that?" Adriadne asked.

"Is Kostaspolis as great a city as everyone says it is?"

Adriadne answered without hesitation.

"No. There is no human description that can do Kostaspolis justice. It isn't as good as everyone claims. it is far, far better. No city in the could possibly be its equal."

A wide smile crossed Princess Rita's face. Although she didn't fully trust Adriadne's word, that gave her some assurances.

"I look forward to seeing it," the princess said.