Tyranny of Steel

Throughout the weeks since Arethas' visit, he traveled across the Meditteranean and got back to Constantinople. At a certain point, the man was struck in the Adriatic sea due to an ongoing storm and thus had just now made his way back with the first arms shipment.

At the moment, Arethas was once more in the Palace of Constantinople, informing Emperor Vetranis about his exploits. The two had gathered in the courtyard outside the palace's walls, where they walked around the beautiful gardens throughout the area.

Unbeknownst to the two individuals, Princess Honoria was nearby playing with her pet falcon. She was trapped inside the palace from a young age, like a bird in its cage. Her only companion throughout this time was her pet falcon, who she had named Heraclius after the great Emperor. At the moment, she was stroking the feathers on the majestic bird's head while the creature perched on her forearm.

A gorgeous smile spread across the young beauty's face as she played with her pet; she began to compliment the bird.

"Oh Heraclius, you have been such a good friend to me all these years. Despite this, our time together grows ever closer to an unjust end. For I fear I will not be able to bring you with me to France where I will be sold off to the Crown Prince as if I were mere cattle. Only you care enough to listen to my complaints..."

The bird was by no means stupid; it could tell the pretty girl that was his master was deeply troubled about something important; as such, it nuzzled its head into her own in an attempt to comfort her.

While Honoria was playing with her falcon, she overheard a conversation being held nearby; with nothing else going on she decided to eavesdrop out of curiosity. After all, any topic her father and one of his greatest generals were discussing would surely stem her overwhelming boredom.

The Emperor Vetranis was smiling as he asked Arethas the question he had been longing to hear.

"So tell me, good Arethas, have you procured the weapons from the West?"

With an excited smile, Arethas nodded his head and confidently proclaimed his success.

"I had managed to do so, though they are not the same weapons that Berengar's forces were equipped with when they crushed the Bavarian invaders. They are still far more advanced than anything else that exists in the known world!"

The Emperor smiled as he nodded with approval before addressing the issue at hand.

"Good! I will set some men to task with reverse-engineering these mighty weapons. However, that may take some time to accomplish, so until then, I want you to procure as many of these Arkebuses as you possibly can get your hands on. The war in Egypt depends on it!"

Arethas quickly bowed his head in respect and responded to the Emperor's request.

"I will do so at the first opportunity!"

Honoria, who was listening nearby, began to pout, she initially thought this conversation would be interesting, but it was just a discussion about a mere arms trade. How impressive could these weapons be? As she was about to get up from her seat and walk away, she heard the topic shift to something more interesting.

The Emperor scratched his beard before asking the question on his mind.

"Tell me the truth Arethas, is what they say about Count Berengar true? Is he the true power behind the Duchy of Austria?"

Arethas sighed heavily before expressing his opinion on the matter.

"Without a doubt, despite only being twenty-one this year, Berengar has risen from the position of a lowly Baron's son to the power behind the Ducal Throne of Austria. The current Duke is nothing more than a young boy whose entire existence can be described as a puppet of Berengar. From the last conversation I had with Berengar, I get the feeling he intends to usurp the position shortly and establish himself as the Duke of Austria."

Honoria was instantly intrigued by this conversation; she had never heard of this Count Berengar, but if what the Strategos said was true, he was an ambitious and clever man to be able to rise to such a prominent position despite his lowly birth and young age. Thus she listened in closely to the conversation, trying to hear every word.

The Emperor responded to Arethas' claims with a slight nod of his head before expressing his approval.

"Truly a talented young man, it is a shame he has made enemies out of most of Europe, the Catholic Church has declared him a heretic for his reformist ideology, in a way it closely resembles that of Jan Hus, the situation in Bohemia has become volatile, and now Austria is following in its footsteps under Berengar's direction. I fear the Catholics will try to have him executed. Do you think Berengar has the power to resist such an attempt?"

Arethas thought about this subject for a few moments before finally giving his response.

"If he continues to expand his military power like he has been doing so? Yes, even if the Pope calls for a new crusade against him and his adherents, he will crush any army that enters his lands. The weapons he has sold us are terrifying, and supposedly the firearms issued to all of his infantry are even more impressive.

It is no wonder he routed the Bavarian forces in a little over a month. I would not be surprised if Berengar used the Papal response to his actions as an excuse to annex his neighbors and create a new Kingdom located in central Europe.

Given a few years to consolidate the power that he has gained over Austria, he will soon have an army that will be entirely unmatched, and I assure you his ambitions do not end with Austria. Mark my words, one day Berengar will be a King."

Hearing these words, Honoria gasped; after doing so, she quickly covered her mouth in fear of her being found out by her father. She did not expect the infamous Strategos of Ionia to praise a stranger from the West so highly. Primarily since until now, she had never heard of this Count Berengar. However, Arethas' words quickly filled Honoria's young mind with images of the young Count of Tyrol as a heroic conqueror on par with the likes of Trajan or Caesar.

Honoria had never met Berengar; she had no idea what he looked like, nor did she even know his surname. Yet just from this conversation, an image of Berengar formed in Honoria's head, and a lasting impression was built.

Finally, she had found a powerful and ambitious man to chase after. Even if she was already engaged to the Crown Prince of France, she had no intentions of marrying such a man and would rather chase after someone like this Count Berengar she had just heard about.

If only she had a way to contact him, thus Honoria began to sulk when she realized that the thoughts she had just now about chasing after Berengar was an impossibility. As long as she was trapped in the palace, she would never be able to meet the man and see if he lived up to the hype.

As such, she quickly sat down onto the bench nearby and once more began to speak to Heraclius, her pet falcon. The young beauty sighed heavily as she did so.

"Oh Heraclius, what am I to do? There is no way for me to contact this Berengar, but if I don't contact him, I will be forced to marry that twink, Aubry. Can my life get any worse?"

Heraclius gazed at Honoria with a curious gaze before taking off into the air and flying away. The bird had become hungry and thus had gone out to hunt. Leaving Honoria by her lonesome as she thought about the issues she faced. As such, Honoria pouted as she expressed the thoughts on her mind.

"Stupid bird!"

As for Arethas and the Emperor, they continued to stroll throughout the garden and discuss various topics; they had long since passed from Honoria's earshot. Thus she could no longer eavesdrop on their discussion.

Vetranis had no knowledge that his daughter had overheard his conversation with Arethas and in doing so taken a fancy to this Berengar from the West. For if he did, he would most certainly try to end such a fascination before it could turn into an infatuation. The last thing he needed was a scandal about his errant daughter running away with some Duke from the West.

Instead, his conversation with Arethas shifted from the topic of Berengar to the war with the Egyptians; with the new weapons acquired from Berengar, his forces would have to be trained in its use, Arethas had informed the Emperor of the pike and shot strategy Berengar had briefly suggested.

Thus, the men had to design a new set of tactics for their armies to overwhelm the Mamluke Sultanate with. With this, they hoped to reclaim the long-lost territories of North Africa and incorporate them into their mighty Empire.