Tyranny of Steel

While the armies of the Jalayirid and Mamluk sultanates were turned to ash on the field of battle. The Golden Horde had advanced upon the city of Nicea like a swarm of ravenous locusts. Palladius and his Army were stationed within the city and fought bravely to defend its inhabitants from the wrath of the Mongols. 

However, in the end, the enemy army was too vast, and too well armed for what remained of the Byzantine Army to properly defend against. After several days of brutal fighting, the aging Strategos of the Balkans were forced to order a full retreat. 

Had the Golden Horde chosen to pursue the fleeing defenders, it would have surely resulted in a massacre, but instead, as Palladius had expected, they were more interested in looting the city. Which bought the last vestige of the Byzantine Army enough time to escape back to their capital. 

As the city of Nicea burned, Chagadai stood within its interior and inhaled the smoke with a satisfied smile on his face. His sister Khorijin who was both the Princess of the Golden Horde, and the great priestess, was bound and guarded by several of the Khan's most elite soldiers. She remained utterly silent as her brother boasted about his latest victory.

"Where are your Iron Eagles now, dearest sister? Anatolia is mine. In under a year, I have brought the once mighty Byzantine Empire to its knees, and soon I will march on its capital and claim it as my seat of power. Yet the warnings your spirits have spoken to you have yet to come to pass. Are you not yet certain that you have failed to interpret their words, and were merely acting on your own delusions?

Khorijin merely glared at her brother with murderous intent, yet she did not speak a word, the act of which brought a frown to the Great Khan's face. The man swiftly approached his little sister and violently grabbed hold of her dainty chin. He stared deep into her dark eyes before releasing the woman. After doing so, he expressed his contempt. 

"Your refusal to speak will come to an end soon enough. When I have taken constantinople, you will realize that I was right all along, and that you were mistaken. Once this comes to pass, you will be on your knees begging for my forgiveness. However, in the meantime, I will entertain your defiance. You are, in fact, my precious little sister, and it would be cruel of me to strike you for something as childish as this!"

After saying this, a warrior approached Chagadai and gave him a status report. 

"The city's valuables are all within our hands, and we have taken its inhabitants as slaves. The army is ready to move when you are!'

Once more, a smile appeared on the Khan's face as he shifted his attention towards the men who guarded his defiant little sister. 

"Bring the princess to her horse. As for the rest of you, give my orders to the horde. We ride out immediately. Time waits for no man, and soon Constantinople will be ours!"

With this said, a hundred thousand riders mounted their horses and marched off to the city of constantinople. 

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With Emperor Vetranis Palaiologos in Ascalon, the defense of the ancient roman city fell to Palladius, who had just failed in protecting the city of Nicea, which was now consumed in a sea of flames. This fact alone caused the city's inhabitants to enter a state of unrest.

Within a single year, their Empire had collapsed to the point where now only the Balkans lay firmly in the hands of Byzantine authority. It had been years since the people had any faith in their emperor or his sons, and now, in their state of near total defeat, this resentment had reached a boiling point.

What started as simple protests against the Royal family had turned into full-scale riots upon Palladius' shameful return. For her safety, Honoria and her children had fled to the German Embassy, which was protected by a battalion of marines. As for her mother and brothers, they stayed within the confines of the royal palace, guarded only by those few elite soldiers who still swore their loyalty to the Palaiologos bloodline. 

The Byzantine Princess sat in the German embassy. Her anxious state was visible to her children, who appeared far less calm than their mother. Alexandros, who had been trained by his father on how to best quell unrest, stood firmly at the window, gazing upon the ongoing riots with a hint of disdain in his eyes. This entire situation was a learning experience for the boy who had not yet hit puberty. 

"It is truly amazing how grandfather has allowed the city to descend into such a state of turmoil. I have no doubt that those who wish to see his dynasty unseated are instigating these riots from the shadows. It has become clear to me that my uncles are not capable of handling this dire situation we now find ourselves in." 

Honoria gazed upon her young son and his assessment with a bit of surprise. He had always been an intelligent boy, but she had never expected him to make such a calm and collected statement about the current state of affairs. By the tone in his voice, Honoria could tell that her son was about to do something serious, and she was quick to voice her disapproval.

"What do you plan to do? Alexandros, you can not, under any circumstances, leave this embassy!"

Despite his mother's orders, Alexandros merely shook his head with pity, before approaching Honoria with a determined glint in his eyes. He spoke the words that needed to be said, even if the woman did not want to hear them. 

"Mother, I may be the Prince of Germany by blood, but I am of your dynasty, which means the safety and security of Constantinople is my responsibility. I will not sit by and watch the ancient capital of our people be burned down by rioters from within. In times of emergency such as this, I have the power to command these marines, Colonel!"

Upon hearing his rank being called, The Lieutenant Colonel, who was tasked with leading the German Marines at the embassy, was quick to approach the young Prince. He stood at attention before saluting the boy with his response.

"Yes, my Prince!"

There was a look of regal authority on the young Prince's face, one that Honoria had only ever previously seen Berengar make. In this exact moment, her anxiety faded, because she knew that her son was more than capable of taking command, despite his young age. As for Alexandros, he made a shocking announcement to everyone present.

"I want Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie companies kitted up in riot gear immediately. Have them take charge of whatever remains of the Byzantine Imperial Guard and deploy them into the city with less than lethal weapons to deal with the masses. I'm talking about tear gas, rubber bullets, beanbags, nightsticks, and whatever other means they need to quell the unrest.

As for Delta company, they are to remain at the German Embassy. Their orders are to prevent any of the rioters from entering German soil. They are permitted to use lethal force as a last resort! Should any harm come to my family, then I will hold you responsible!

What few men we have dedicated to intelligence are to compile a list of potential rebellious nobles who are making use of this chaos to cause a revolt. They have my permission and, by extension, that of both my royal Father and grandfather to detain these traitors. As of right now, we have one objective: to save Constantinople from itself!"

The Colonel quickly saluted the Prine once more. He responded in the affirmative before departing to deliver his orders to the Battalion of German Marines. Once he was gone, Honoria looked upon her son with a sense of deep worry in her heart before expressing her concerns.

"Alexandros, what are you going to do? I do not want you endangering yourself simply for the sake of this rotten city!"

Upon hearing his mother speak so poorly about her own homeland, a bitter smile emerged on Alexandros' youthful face. He did not have the heart to be angry at his mother, even after everything she had done during his life. Instead, he merely approached the woman and wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to calm her anxiety before responding to her statement with a stoic expression on his face. 

"I will do what I must to bring this city under control, so that when father's reinforcements arrive, they won't have to fight a bloody war in these streets against our people! I am the future emperor of this "rotten city" and since the rest of your family is woefully incompetent, the task of ending this revolt falls to me."

Honoria could only gaze upon her son as if he were a stranger. She did not know he had such a forceful side of him. In fact, at this moment, he was practically the spitting image of his father, at least in terms of authority and noble bearing. So much so that Honoria was left stunned in silence. 

Ultimately, the Byzantine Princess collapsed in her seat, and relented to her son's stubborn ways. History would speak of the boy who took charge of Constantinople's defenses in its darkest hour, and quelled the revolt that would have otherwise meant the end of the Palaiologos Dynasty. All without spilling a single drop of blood.

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