Well, the other story I was telling you about is now online and has three chapters. If anyone is interested in what I said, it's called AGOT/ASOIAF: The Sword of Mars.
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I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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Anno Domini 828, October-17-22
Leo had amassed an enormous number of books over the course of his life. Many of them were precisely the ones I had been searching for. At last, he had brought from afar one of the finest gifts he could have offered me.
Apparently, Theophilos had authorized his release from imperial service in exchange for the plans he had promised him: the hydraulic throne and the mechanical animals that produced sounds. For several days I devoted myself to reading his books, while he sat with me and reread certain texts he had kept hidden during his time at the palace, not wishing to be accused of heresy.
Thus the days flew by as I immersed myself in those works. He possessed a considerable collection of ancient Roman and Greek writings, and we spent long hours studying them together.
Until at last Leo began to present to me his next great idea, the same one he had once intended to offer Theophilos. Now that I was his patron, he sought to persuade me to finance it instead.
Leo wished to implement an optical telegraph system along the eastern frontier of the Empire to transmit messages between fortresses and report enemy movements. In this case, he proposed installing it in Crete to coordinate all the coastal towns through an early warning system. In the event of an attack on the island, we could know of it the very same day, likely within hours of the first sighting.
Of course, this would not be inexpensive. Massive towers would have to be built from which signals could be transmitted, and hundreds of men trained to distinguish and relay them accurately. Yet once the initial investment was made, news of any attack or the sighting of an unknown fleet could be sent within minutes, reaching Heraklion in the shortest possible time.
Likewise, such a system would probably need to be established along the Abbasid frontier as well. The sarracens were known for their annual raids and might attempt them again, unless they chose instead to concentrate on Anatolia if they believed they could reclaim the territories they had lost in the next war. Since they had lost Antioch and the Levantine coast, the Abbasid economy must have suffered severely, having lost hundreds of thousands of people and ports that facilitated access to Egypt, forcing them to rely more heavily on southern caravans.
It was possible that once the Abbasids recovered from the blow we had dealt them, they would attempt to retake those ports at the same time as Jerusalem. Without question, such a method of communication would be necessary to ensure that news of an attack reached the capital as swiftly as possible, allowing armies to be assembled without delay.
So, after designing the signal system and the manner in which its operators were to be trained, I authorized the construction of ten towers in Crete as a prototype. I would likely use the Varangians as part of the trial, employing them as unfamiliar ships so that, once the towers were complete, we could test the true efficiency of the system.
While waiting for the date of the marriage, I was obliged to purchase a considerable amount of fine clothing. I wandered through the wealthy quarter of the city seeking tailors who worked in silk and fine leather, and I acquired several perfumed handkerchiefs as well.
My stomach tightened each time I heard the prices. Some garments cost more than the annual wages of several of my hird, for a single piece I would likely wear only once. At best I preferred my cotton garments, which were expensive enough but did not approach such absurd sums, equivalent to several years of a common man's salary.
I also had to complete the entire ensemble: shoes, belts, trousers, cloaks. I began to understand why so many aristocrats in the city were indebted. With such prices, it was natural that someone newly admitted into the circles of high society would end up borrowing money and accepting bribes to sustain the lifestyle expected of him. I would not have been surprised to find moneylenders waiting outside every workshop. It was a profitable trade, for they could later demand favors or charge excessive interest, though the Church openly condemned usury.
Thus, when I had finally spent nearly seven hundred nomismata on clothing befitting my military rank, I felt as though I had been bled dry with a smile.
I then set about acquiring gold rings, as it was customary to present one to one's bride. I had to visit a goldsmith, since I lacked a forge capable of melting gold myself. The difficulty lay in the size. I had seen Maria only twice, and owing to her heavy garments that revealed little beyond her face, I had no notion of the proper measurement. In the end, I purchased several.
I watched the goldsmith as he calculated how much he might inflate the price, believing he took me for a fool. He attempted to charge me several times the value of the melted gold merely for casting it in a mold and delivering it polished. It did not entirely succeed, but I had little alternative. Without a forge capable of reaching the necessary heat to work the metal, I simply had to pay.
At last I prepared to attend the wedding, which was to be celebrated in Hagia Sophia.
I arrived accompanied by several of my men. I had not been able to bring my parents in so short a time, since the journey from Crete to Constantinople usually took between seven and ten days.
As I presented myself outside the temple, the first serious difficulty arose. A considerable number of clergy refused to allow my men entry, claiming that pagans could not set foot within so holy a building.
The dispute was immediate. They sought, in effect, to have me enter with less than half my guard.
In addition to denying entry to many of the men I trusted most, the synkellos finally appeared and sternly reprimanded the clergy, who, incidentally, were iconodules and held no authority to bar access to the temple.
In the end we were all permitted to enter, though not before it was suggested to me that I should seriously consider compelling the baptism of my men and converting them to Christianity as soon as possible. When Sigurd translated this to them, he burst into laughter, and the rest of the Varangians followed without the slightest attempt at restraint.
Once inside the temple, we waited calmly until the true protagonists of the ceremony arrived: Maria and her family, the Patriarch, and Theophilos, who entered surrounded by scholai, filling the place with their presence and authority.
I had thought it would be a far more crowded ceremony, but it turned out to be relatively simple. The presence of the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Emperor gave it solemnity and prestige, yet aside from the scholai and members of Maria's family, there were few others in attendance.
The service was brief. The Patriarch spoke about the sanctity of marriage and the duties both of us would have to fulfill, something very different from modern ceremonies. In the end, he declared that before God we were united. Once the rite concluded, the Patriarch disappeared almost immediately, as did Theophilos, who undoubtedly had more pressing matters to attend to, especially the planning of his own marriage to Theodora, which would soon be celebrated.
Afterward we moved to Maria's family mansion, where the banquet was held. Wine flowed without restraint and food kept arriving, while a veritable army of servants worked tirelessly throughout the aristocratic residence.
For much of the evening they showed me how guests were meant to be received, bringing jug after jug of the finest wine available. It was clear they were still irritated by what they considered an insult suffered at my mansion, and this seemed like a subtle attempt to make me feel inferior.
It did not take long for them to return to the matter of Jerusalem. They hinted that constantly traveling from Constantinople to Jerusalem could take weeks and that it would be better for the Empire to have a strategos permanently stationed there. They tried to convince me that relinquishing control would be the most sensible course.
When they saw it would not work, because I would not change my mind on something so important, they changed tactics. Jerusalem was key to my plans. I intended to establish there an institution that would safeguard the wealth of pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land and charge for that service. I was not going to give that up for a simple political favor.
Then the subject shifted to Antioch. They wanted the thema of Antioch to be granted to Marinos. Even Theophilos seemed to hesitate. It was far too important a thema to place in the hands of a tourmarches with little experience governing such a vast and delicate territory.
On that point I shared the Emperor's opinion. Antioch could not be left in inexperienced hands. If it were lost, the campaign toward Cilicia would reopen and the entire Levantine coast would once again be cut off from the land routes.
So the moment had finally arrived. Though officially I was already married, I had not been able to exchange a single word with Maria until at last we were given a room to consummate the marriage.
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They escorted us to the door and then closed it behind us.
"Your father is quite the headache," I said as I began removing my clothes.
"My father hasn't stopped talking about our marriage to Theophilos. He's dreamed of this for years, telling us we're the most beautiful ladies at court and that we would surely be chosen, so he's thrilled with all the power he's gathering… but very angry with you for refusing to hand over the city of Jerusalem," she said as she reached the bed and slipped beneath the sheets, beginning to undress.
"He can remain angry…" I replied, shrugging out of the silk garments that clung uncomfortably to my skin.
I heard her soft laugh as she watched me and lifted her heavy veil, revealing her chestnut hair. She lowered one of the sheets, exposing one of her full, generous breasts that had been perfectly concealed beneath those weighty robes.
"My mother already explained what will happen… and since you're an experienced soldier, you've probably been with many women during your campaigns, especially slaves, so don't worry too much," she murmured softly.
I nodded. I did have experience, just not the kind she imagined.
I moved toward her on the bed. Beneath the sheets, her ample breasts, flushed a delicate pink, were on display as she held my gaze. The first thing she did was place her warm hands on my abdomen, sliding them up to my chest.
I reached out and teased one of her nipples, drawing a quiet moan from her lips.
As I joined her fully, she shifted and parted her legs, revealing lush hips and a soft curve below that made her perfectly inviting.
Taking her silent invitation, I slid my thumb over her clit and with two fingers began to explore her entrance.
"What are you doing… that's… oh… no…" she whispered, biting her lip as she covered her eyes, her moans growing audible.
Her sweet sounds filled the room, and I felt my own arousal sharpen at the sound of them.
"What are you doing? That's not how I was told it would be," she said, her hand drifting downward.
"Preparation… every general prepares the battlefield before the war," I replied with a smile, and she laughed softly at the remark.
With my free hand, I cupped her breast and rolled her nipple between my fingers. She hid her flushed face again, her cheeks burning against her pale skin.
She continued to moan, her body responding in sharp little jolts as she panted helplessly.
I leaned down toward her face. She lowered her hands when she realized how close I was, and I kissed her.
She returned the kiss awkwardly, neither of us masters of it, and I surprised her when I slipped my tongue into her mouth. Her eyes widened, yet instead of pulling away she melted into it.
As my fingers maintained their steady rhythm between her thighs, she began to move her tongue against mine. Her breathing grew uneven, and soon her body trembled intensely. She gripped my head with one hand and my back with the other as a breathless gasp escaped her when we finally parted.
I grasped her legs and adjusted her, leaving her completely exposed while she tried to steady her breathing, one hand covering her face again.
Without hesitation I guided my cock to her warm center, stroking her thighs as I pressed the tip gently against her entrance.
I pushed inside and felt the tight resistance at the head of my length as I watched her reaction.
When I felt the barrier blocking my way, I took her hand and pressed forward. A mixed cry of pain and pleasure escaped her as she bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut.
The pressure around me was immense as I continued to sink into her.
Maria began breathing through parted lips as I finally filled her completely. I paused, letting her steady herself, then began to move slowly, watching her reactions. She squeezed my hand tightly each time I thrust in and out with the rhythm I set.
Every time her soft moans grew sweeter, I increased the pace. I kissed her again once the discomfort seemed to fade, and with each steady thrust the wet sound of our bodies meeting echoed through the room.
After a long time rolling my hips into her, I felt myself nearing release. Just then Maria began to moan again and tremble violently, tightening around me in a way that pushed me over the edge. I drove myself as deep as I could and spilled inside her, my low groan mingling with her cry.
When I withdrew, I saw the pale liquid slowly slipping between her thighs.
"It feels strange… having something warm inside," Maria whispered, bringing her hands to her sex.
"It's perfectly natural. We need children," I said, catching my breath.
"Yes… speaking of that, we should… continue… God forbid something happens during your campaigns. We must secure a child," she murmured softly, rolling her hips and spreading her legs again.
"Yes," I said as I hardened once more, "but not only like this," I added, guiding her.
"What…? But like that… won't we look like animals?" she asked nervously when I positioned her on all fours.
"There are many ways to do this," I said, gripping her hips as I watched her blush deepen.
Once more I aligned myself with her entrance and slid inside, her moan filling the air as the rhythmic sound of our bodies meeting echoed again.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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I hope the lemons turned out well because I racked my brains trying to get it right and reading books so that it would turn out as good as possible.