Legends Never Die: Taking Action (ch. 92) (Patreon)

As I expected, Irene was less than happy to learn that there were ten thousand Pagans ready to set sail towards Crete. Actually, less than happy was an understatement. It was more of a barely restrained frothing at the mouth rage hidden behind a practiced smile as she summoned me to Constantinople for an explanation.

She sat across from me in the same chamber as she had met Otto in, the servants few and in their position replaced by guards. That, more than anything else, indicated a shift in our relationship. A cooling of the favor that she had shown me until this point. She wore a crown, dressed in heavy silks and jewels. True Vision revealed that the light blue she had been had faded into a light gray.

It was to be expected. “The situation in Denmark is more unstable than I had anticipated. Far more so. The tales spun about my deeds have taken a life of their own.” I offered as an explanation, however unwelcome it was. Irene didn't want answers or excuses. She was angry. “As it stands, the vast majority of them are currently in Kiev. Most are refugees, in practice. Exiled nobles that were defeated, and chose to follow me here as we share a common enemy.”

I had to do what I could to prevent that little heresy from reaching Irene's ears. The entire thing was a headache of the highest order, but if these people thought I was interfering with their faith? Things were bad enough when they hated me for being a pagan.

“I granted you permission to recruit amongst your kind,” Irene replied, her tone clipped. “It was a fair and reasonable request, I thought. These warriors would depart with you when you set sail to your homeland. I face significant criticism for the decision, I’ll remind you. Your many detractors claimed you were paving way for an invasion force. With this, you've proven them right, refugees or not. You've made me look like a fool for trusting you.”

That was the part that angered her the most. I was considered her pet pagan, and my value came from my use to her. The first time I had caused her any amount of trouble?

Loyalty wasn't a virtue she possessed.

“Do you claim that these refugees would be content to set sail with your departure? One and all?” She continued, and the truth of the matter was…

“Yes,” I replied, not entirely sure if it was a lie or not. “If I tell them to, then they will.” Lie or not, I spoke the words as if they were the truth and I saw that gave Irene pause. She had been building herself up, stoking the flames of her anger, but suddenly she found that a harsh breeze reduced the flames to embers. “Regent, to these people I am a god. Not like a god. To them, I am Jesus Christ as Jesus is to you.”

I heard one of the guards choke on the word blasphemy, but all harsh truths were hard to swallow. “They have set sail merely because they heard word of my existence. If I tell them to leave with me, then they would leave. Unless you would refuse a command from Jesus himself?”

I didn't like it. The thought of it made my skin crawl, and I could only imagine how the gods would punish me for my hubris. I could only hope that Odin saw the value of my ploy because, as distasteful as I found it, it was undeniably true. I was merely using how true it was to create a convincing lie.

“That… is the single most arrogant thing I've heard in my life, Lord Siegfried,” Irene replied dryly, but I noticed that her anger had been smothered. Somewhat.

“I'm well aware,” I admitted freely. “But it's the truth of the matter. I have far greater control over my people than most. Then you or Caliph Harun. Where my control is lacking is their… overzealousness in obeying me.” To that, her eyes narrowed a fraction and her polite smile became strained. Her burden wasn't one I could claim to understand. In the end, it wasn't a problem I had ever encountered -- my first experience with leadership was when Thorkell swore his mercenary band to me. I hadn't been worthy of it then, but I had learned to be a worthy leader.

Irene had to fight tooth and nail for the same privileges and respect that was effortlessly given to her son because he was a man. Twice the effort for half the acknowledgment. While any mistake was pounced on as evidence to prove that she was undeserving or incapable. It was why I was such a convenient shield for her, and why she was so angry.

“On that account, you have nothing to worry about. One way or the other, they will follow me home,” I told her, lying outright. That would be a problem for another day, and it wouldn't be my problem. “What I'm more concerned about is an… influx of my people during this Christian debate.”

Irene was settling in her throne, “You speak as if you have a solution.”

“The easiest thing to do would be to keep them in Kiev until the debate is over. However, I doubt that the Khazars would be so welcoming to the thought.” I said. I doubted that Irene would so much as shed a tear at the thought of my people being put under siege. Before she could say as much, I continued, “To that end, I intend to reinforce them with a significant portion of my mercenaries.”

Likely under the command of Thorkell. I had given the plan some thought, and Kiev was simply too important for me to cast away so easily. Both now and for my future plans.

Irene hid her true thoughts, but I knew that she didn't care for the idea. Not in the slightest. Primarily because, as much as she may dislike the thought of it -- my army was her greatest weapon and shield against the Abbadids. Seeing us diminished weakened her and lessened our value, which is why she had approved so easily sending for reinforcements.

“That,” Irene started, exactly as I hoped she would, “would be an unnecessary risk. A single city can be garrisoned with little issue, so long as the city itself would pay homage to Rome.” She likely didn't think much of it and that was where her lack of experience showed. Simply put, Irene was not a conqueror. She had been deliberately excluded from military matters because of her gender and it showed.

I inclined my head to her, “That is easier said than done, I'm afraid. Kiev is isolated from Rome. It would leave you exposed and, should the city be taken when you've garrisoned troops on my behalf…” I trailed off and her lips thinned ever so slightly.

“A fine point,” she conceded as she tilted her head ever so slightly, knowing I was getting at something. “Then what course of action do you intend to pursue?”

I smiled thinly, “Bulgaria.” That caught her attention. “Kiev sits on the Dnieper river, which acts as the border between Bulgaria and the Khazars. As it is, it's isolated between two enemy kingdoms. The simplest thing to do, in that case, is to remove one of the kingdoms.”

Greed. I saw it in her eyes and I knew what she wanted to do. But she saw an immediate issue as practicality wanted to win out. “What of the Abbasids?” She prompted, shifting in her seat. “Our truce is almost up.”

“The Abbasids will not invade while I remain in the Mediterranean,” I answered confidently, not entirely sure if that was true or not. “They can ill afford to. The defeat they suffered at my hands largely was blamed on his father, saving Caliph Harun's reputation as he assumed the throne. He understands that he cannot amass a large scale invasion force and protect his coasts from me at the same time. To say nothing of his sister, Princess Jasmine.”

“Yet, they amass an army as we speak,” Irene countered and I nodded.

“To defend itself from us,” I said confidently, as if it were fact and not a guess. “It has been a very long time since the Roman Empire has been in a position to invade the Abbasids. They have experienced my ability to take their cities and fortresses first hand, and I have already soundly defeated Caliph Harun on the field of battle once already. They look to the Roman Empire, seeing the army that is amassing, and they assume that it will be used on them.”

Because it was going to be. Unless I could shift targets.

“Would they not act upon this… distraction?” Irene pondered, and I could see her mulling over the idea. She had wanted to provoke an invasion from the Abbasids to help distract the people from the result of the grand debate. She wanted the military achievements to help solidify her rule. This wasn't what she wanted, but she was warming up to the idea.

“If provided a large enough opening, I'm sure they would,” I admitted. Caliph Harun would be a fool to miss such an opportunity. “If you were to fully march on the west, the Abbasids would seize the opportunity. However, you don't need to mobilize your armies. Leave them in the East to deter the Abbasids. While I deliver Bulgaria to the Roman Empire.”

That was my gambit. Well, it was part of my gambit.

Irene wanted it. She did her best to hide it, but I was giving her exactly what she wanted -- military achievements done in her name. Not just rebuffing an invasion but expanding for the first time in decades. Reclaiming the lost territories that had been steadily lost to the Bulgars.

But it wasn't in her nature to snatch a victory without thought, to her credit. “The thought does appeal to me,” she admitted. “But I question your ability to take a kingdom so easily -- my husband and his forebears could not so easily reclaim the rebellious lands. Especially with so few men.”

I inclined my head to her, “I can defeat their armies and take their cities. That, in the end, shall be the easiest part of it.” The moment that I had heard that there were only a thousand warriors of the recruitment, I had started to make adjustments to my plans. “The key to success in this venture is three fold -- a light garrison in the major towns after I conquer them, the capture and subjugation of the Bulgar king, and speed.”

Holding my hands outside, as if I had nothing to hide, I continued. “I don't possess the numbers to defeat a unified Bulgarian army.” According to recent records, as recent as a decade ago, the Bulgarians could muster an army as large as thirty thousand. More, if they were truly desperate. After recruiting from the mercenaries, I had three thousand and five hundred men let under my banner.

Ravenfeast worked because I had the home advantage. I knew the terrain. More than that, I had the time to bleed them of their strength in a hostile and barren land.

“My intentions are to defeat their armies before they have a chance to unify. It is far easier to defeat ten thousand men with three thousand three times than to defeat thirty thousand once.” I said, baiting her and I saw her mulling it over in her mind.

“With this latest development, I cannot have you be seen roaming unchecked. Even to conquer in our name,” she said and I had to swallow a smile. “A legion shall be spared, under the command of Daimon.” I'm glad she offered the Roman commander to save me from asking for him. He was the leader of the reinforcements that had been sent to Norland during the Abbasid attack -- he was a good man. Most importantly, he did what he was told. “I understand if this might chafe, but it is necessary. Your achievements can not merely be your achievements.”

I feigned reluctance and offered a single curt nod, “It is understood.” A legion of reinforcements. Five thousand men, though they would not be up to the standard of the legions of the past. That was fine. For the most part, I needed the Romans as a buffer and, to those that had talent, I would recruit them to my banner.

Irene nodded, satisfied that I had been easily cowed. “How long do you expect this invasion to take?”

To that, I smiled, “I'll have it done by years end.”

…

The Abbasids, the Romans, and the Franks. All of them were pulling me into their own direction, using me for my army or my influence or merely so I am not used on them by their enemies. It was a frustrating, if beneficial, position to be in.

I had thought long and hard about the 'offer’ that King Charlemagne had sent me -- to aid in his invasion of Iberia. The thought had been more appealing when I believed I was receiving thousands of recruitment that needed to be tested and blooded. But, even now, the thought still did appeal. To my knowledge, Iberia was a rich land in silver and gold.

Given that I couldn't raid the Abbasids without making things unnecessarily awkward, I couldn't raid the Romans as they held my contract, and the Franks would retaliate not upon me but on Saxony. Raiding the Umayyads was an appealing thought, especially when I could think of a use for all that silver.

My plate was already overfull with problems and it was time I started providing solutions.

Which is how I found myself on a small fishing boat sailing to a port that I just barely recognized.

Acre.

“Have I mentioned that I think this is a terrible idea?” Thorkell asked from the rudder, dressed in a forgiven garb. Much like I was -- a rough hewn tunic and trousers with my red hair hidden beneath a turban. My cheeks were shaven bare to make me a little less identifiable while the scar on my neck was covered.

“Only a couple times,” I replied, looking over the city. It had recovered well since I was last here -- when my army looted everything that wasn't nailed down and stole every ship. The harbor wasn't busy as it should be with the number of docks available to it, but it was for that reason we were able to enter it easily.

“Then let me repeat myself one more time,” Thorkell said, the boat lightly bumping into the dock with a sense of finality. “This is a terrible idea. Enlightened self interest only goes so far. If people always did what was in their own interests, there wouldn't be any fools, drunkards, or married men, now would there?”

I chuckled, disembarking from the ship and accepting a rope to tie it to the dock. “No married men? An odd thing to say when I know you've been courting Kassandra,” I pointed out.

“That's different,” Thorkell defended and, for all of his griping, he still followed me down the dock.

“How so?”

“For one, we aren't married. And two, I can't understand a word she says,” He replied blandly. I laughed lightly at that -- I had only noticed a glowing fondness between the two when Jill pointed it out to me. And Morrigan confirmed it. “It's why we work.”

I hummed, spotting the harbormaster office. “Is that why you're learning greek?”

Thorkell paused, “I said I wasn't a married man. I never said I wasn't a fool.” The admission came with an easy shrug before he sighed. “I just… I don't like the look of this, Sieg. Even you'd have a challenge surviving this is they don't want to treat with you.”

He was right, but it was a worthy risk. I knocked at the door to the office and I head a shout in Arabic to enter. The door swung open with a low squeal and I looked upon a fat man behind a counter that was heavy with oddities. He looked up over once but he ultimately dismissed us until I approached with a handful of coin, “I would like to use your backroom.”

It was a phrase that had been given to me through Jasmine. The spies that Caliph Harun kept in Norland made it easy to slip a message to the Abbasids by simply giving them an opportunity to contact her. It took a few days for me to hear a reply, but I did.

The harbormaster's eyes widened a fraction and True Vision marked him as gray. Not an enemy, at least. He licked his lips before nodding, “The backroom is yours. You… have been expected,” he added somewhat hesitantly before getting up and grabbing a key. Getting up, he led us to the door and I took a slow bracing breath. In all honesty, this conversation was more nerve-wracking than the one I had with Irene.

The door swung open, revealing a backroom. I was first greeted by the scent of ink and parchment mingled with incense. And perfume, I soon noticed, stepping into it to find only two people standing across from the door.

“Emir Hadi,” I greeted the man, who looked like he had recovered fully from the events a year ago. He was less skinny, his arms fuller and his shoulders broader. A sword rested easy at his waist and I turned my attention to the other person in the room. “Lady Sheba,” I greeted her, seeing the woman for the first time.

She was beautiful. Taller than Hadi, dressed in a fine dress, a veil over her face that couldn't hide her smiling green eyes. The Queen of Trade, as I've heard her referred to as. A title that she had richly deserved by all accounts.

“Lord Wolf-Kissed,” Lady Sheba returned while Hadi watched me silently. Cautiously. “My apologies for the location, they're most certainly beneath your status. But, we cannot have word spreading of the Pagan visiting Acre. I believe that would be rather unfortunate for us both.” She spoke, her tone as sweet as honey. Or poison, depending on her mood.

“Very unfortunate,” I agreed easily. Thorkell stood by the door, keeping an ear out in case this was a trap. “But it is worth the risk, I assure you.”

At least, that was my hope. It was a dangerous game that I was playing, but if I played it well…

“That remains to be seen,” Hadi spoke, a sigh in his voice. “Given that I doubt that this is an offer to sell your services to Caliph Harun. You don't strike me as the cloak and dagger type.” I would take that as a compliment, even if his tone was searching.

“I'm not,” I agreed readily. “This is more for the sake of convenience,” I added, gesturing to myself. Mostly my shaved face. My beard had just started to fill out too.

To that, Sheba smiled beneath her veil, “We are most eager to hear what this offer is. It must be something most interesting given the risk you are taking.”

Right. To the heart of the matter, then. “King Charlemagne of Francia had decided to solicit my services as a mercenary and aid him in his invasion of Iberia against the Umayyad Caliphate,” I started, and I could tell that wasn't where they thought this conversation was going. “He's chosen to do so through exhortation -- empowering my enemies while attacking my allies.”

Charlemagne's offer was a hard one to refuse. The cost of doing so were so great -- Horrik would be supported by the Franks. Meaning that when I returned to Denmark, I would be forced to contend with them both. That would lead to Saxony once more being invaded and I couldn't see them withstanding such an alliance. Meaning that my ally in King Widukind would be removed from the board.

And, by helping him, not only would those consequences be averted… helping him was in my short term interests. An invasion into Iberia, a land that had resisted him so fiercely, would tie down his armies for years. Long enough for me to finish my studies and return to claim the throne.

Refusing would be foolish. Even without any other factors -- the sheer wealth I could claim in Iberia was considerable. Spite wasn't a reason to justify foolish behavior.

That being said, I found the idea of merely doing Charlemagne’s bidding distasteful.

Hadi narrowed his eyes at the news, and he was clever enough to see where I was going with this. “Then he intends to finally conquer it.” The news of the invasion wasn't a surprise -- Charlemagne had been invading Iberia for almost as long as he had been king of the Franks. But, for all that he gained, he lost just as much. Always because his armies retreated back beyond the mountains and the garrisons were overthrown.

I nodded, “He does. He intends for me to pave the way for his invasion force to defeat the Umayyad Caliphate. Once and for all.”

Sheba tilted her head, “I have yet to hear an offer, Lord Wolf-Kissed.”

“What I offer is an opportunity,” I replied, knowing that this was the most important part and I could only wish that Jill was here with me. If only the danger wasn't so great. “I intend to gut the Umayyads Caliphate and crush their armies. It would be a good experience for my recruites and the spoils would be a worthy prize. But, the thought occurs to me… the Umayyads would be opened from the south as much as they would from the north.”

There was a loud silence in the wake of my words. My gambit.

Let the Franks and the Abbasids make war with each other over the corpse of the Umayyads. Iberia would become a poisoned chalice for Charlemagne -- he would have a far greater adversary than what the Umayyad’s could hope to be. Something that he would only learn when it was far too late. Likewise, the Abbasids had every reason to reclaim the land and its silver mines for several reasons.

The Abbasids dynasty had committed a rebellion to assume the throne some few decades ago. Against the Umayyad dynasty. A prince of the former dynasty managed to stoke a rebellion against the Abbasids and now he ruled over a rich portion of what had been part of the Abbasid Caliphate. However briefly.

As such, with the Abbasid dynasty so new upon the throne, the existence of an established member of the last dynasty was… unwelcome, I imagined.

“Do you really believe we would go to war so easily on your words?” Hadi questioned, his lips thinning. He didn't say the words like he believed them. Because he saw the facts as I did.

“King Charlemagne is a conqueror’s king. Alexander the Great come again, if he would have anything to say about it. Simply put -- if he conquered Iberia, it is not a matter of if he invades the Abbasid Caliphate. It's a matter of when. And, if memory serves… it is your lands that he would be invading first.” I pointed out and Hadi’s grip on his blade tightened ever so slightly.

“Emir Asad’s,” he corrected tiredly. He was the acting regent for a vast stretch of land. Already, the Umayyads were a concern for him. According to rumor, the Umayyads had been looking at the weakened territory upon hearing most of its garrison forces had been slaughtered at Ravenfeast. “And… your memory does serve. Unfortunately.”

“It’s a matter of prudence. You’ll have a much easier time keeping Iberia out of his hands than you would taking them from him. And, if I have learned nothing else in my stay in these foreign lands -- it is that Muslims wish to be ruled by Muslims, and Christians wish to be ruled by Christians. If his actions against my own people is any indication… the Muslims of Iberia will see a bloodletting on a scale that they have never imagined.” I added grimly, thinking of the severed heads at the base of a sapling of the World Tree. Men, women, and children alike.

Sheba turned to Hadi, who held up a hand as he closed his eyes for a brief moment, an expression of suffering flickering across his face. Likely imagining such a fate on his fellow Muslims. “We can make no promises at this juncture, I’m sure you understand. But… I imagine that you’ve made some compelling points to convince Caliph Harun al-Rashid.” He admitted with a sigh in his voice.

It would seem for all his talent at war, he didn’t relish a chance to battle.

I would have preferred an outright confirmation one way or the other, but I hadn’t expected I would be so lucky. Wars couldn’t be started on a whim. Or, rather, they shouldn’t. So, I inclined my head to Hadi and his wife, “I hope Caliph Hadi comes to the wise conclusion,” I said, making to leave, my offered made and heard.

It was only when we were getting on the boat and setting sail back to Norland did I allow myself a small smile.

Caliph Harun was nothing if not wise.