Chapter 2

Aurelia’s story: Noble District, Constantinople, a few days earlier.

“Aurelia!!!!” the women called out “Devil takes you Aurelia” she cursed out.   The women had spent a good half an hour trying to find her daughter to inform her of the good news.  The woman has had handfuls of her daughter’s mischief ever since she was young, her disappearing whenever there were important matters related to the family were but one of them.

The woman passed by a household slave.  “Have you seen Aurelia?” the women asked the slave.  “Yes milady, she’s in the courtyard with that Moorish man” the women didn’t bother to thank the slave as she hurried off to the courtyard.  As she made her way down the hallway which led to the courtyard, she heard the clashing of metal on metal.  “Oh dear, I hope she is not exhausting herself again.”

“Downward stroke woman or you die on your knees” the Moorish man said cursing loudly while sweating hard as he swung with his right arm, striking the training sword that she lowered.  “Like hell I will Jamal” she said as she swung the shield strapped to her left arm at Jamal’s head.  He spun on the heel of his foot to dodge the strike and he blocked with his left sword with her right sword strike

“I’ve told you many times before Aurelia” Jamal said with a smile as sweat was rolling down his face “two swords are better than one” he finished saying as he crossed the two swords across his chest.  Aurelia tucked her sword underneath her left arm, as she wiped away the sweat from her face “an excellent swordsmen you are Jamal” she said as she was wiping her neck with a towel she had picked up from a nearby bench “but can you dodge this” she said as she had thrown the towel at Jamal.

She lunged at him with her training sword in hopes of catching him off-guard, but failed to do so as he batted her stroke away as easily as he would bat away a fly and then spun around her with his chest to her back.  “That’s not the first you’ve tried that and yet you still try that trick anyway” he said as she regained her fighting stance.  He tossed the sword in his left hand to her, hoping that she would take his earlier advice.

She frowned at him “I need no favors from a man, especially you Jamal” she responded as she charged at him with a down ward, two-handed slash that connected with Jamal’s sword, forcing the two into a deadlock.  They continued back and forth until Aurelia tripped and fell backwards into the reflecting pool of the courtyard with a loud splash.  The slaves that had been watching either smiled or suppress a giggle, while Jamal laughed out loud as he offered her a hand.

“Another one of my lessons that you have forgotten: always beware of your surroundings” she grabbed his hand with a look of disappointment and self-scorn as she was brought upon the courtyard cobblestone, soaking wet in her leather training outfit that revealed more of her feminine parts than one should.  “Aurelia” a voice shouted that Aurelia hated hearing that voice more often than never.  She turned to see her mother Aria quickstep her way across the cobblestone pavement, which sent the servants away to tend to the duties that they should have been doing, leaving only a few including Aurelia, Jamal and her mother alone in the courtyard.

“Look at you” she sighed “I hope you haven’t been to too hard on the girl Jamal” she said with an accusing stare.  Jamal just looked back at Aurelia “You leave him alone mother” she said with a scornful voice “he was only teaching me more lessons about proper swordplay” she was saying as Aria was wiping away the hair that covered her daughter’s face.  “Well at least she didn’t bruise you that badly, for today’s a very special day for you.”

Aurelia’s gut churned as it always did when her mother told her of special news.  She had been set up with arranged marriage after arranged marriage since she was twelve years old.  She hated being setup with such men.  They were often the same type of men: chauvinistic pigs that had lots of wealth, lots of titles and prestige’s but still managed to treat her like she was some sort of household item rather than a person.

“What bastard son of a whore did you manage to set me up with this time?” Aurelia said as if she wasn’t surprised to know what the news was.  “Cornelius Vorca is nothing of the sort” Aria said with a frown as she grabbed Aurelia’s arm, dragging her away from the courtyard.  “He happens to be connected with the court and his family’s involvement with the military has helped the Byzantine Empire for generations, so you mind your tongue little girl” she finished.  Aurelia was shocked by the course of events that befallen her.

Her mother had never been this serious before, what would motivate her to want to force into the marriage of one of the most important families in the empire.  What was her reason for doing this?  The questions were racing through her mind as her mother had dragged her to the bathing room.  “Help her out of those filthy clothes, clean her and make sure she is dressed in something proper” Aria commanded the slaves.

“So you want me to look and smell like a whore for that sexiest pig?” she said with a scornful remark as she tried to resist having her training clothes removed, but utterly failed as the slaves removed her leather chest guard, cotton skirt and loincloth, that fully exposed her alabaster colored skin on her naked body and large bulbous breasts, that made her the only real reason men wanted her.  “Why don’t you just parade me before him like this? She said thrusting her chest out.  “And make you look worse than in front of the Byzantine court then you already have?” Aria said sternly as she personally started removing Aurelia’s armguards quickly while another female slave was undoing her sandals.

“Besides you forget the fact that if hadn’t been for your uncle, my brother, we would have fallen into poverty if it hadn’t been for his connections to the court.”  “Then why don’t you tell him I don’t want this?” Aurelia cried out.  “Because you’re not getting any younger, I eventually want to be a grandmother and your uncle’s favor with the court can only do so much” Aria said plainly as she grabbed Aurelia and threw her into bath.

Female slaves approached her in the bath just as Aurelia surfaced to give her mother a scorned look but wasn’t able to because her mother just stormed out of the room.  With a look of defeat on her face, Aurelia just stood there in the bath, letting the slaves clean her up and wash her golden brown hair as she waited for her day of doom.

Aria didn’t find Jamal in the courtyard where she had left him; she then figured he would be in his own personal quarters that she and her brother had given him years ago.  She had originally hired him as a bodyguard for Aurelia at the request of her brother Germanus.  Not only was he an expert swordsman and boxer, but also the fact that his particular religion prevented him from being sexually promiscuous and a heavy drinker, both were the main factors that led her to hire him.  Jamal was a Muslim from Baghdad who had fought as a sell-sword for the Seljuk Empire that fought the crusader states and not fellow Muslims.

Aria sneered at that particular thought.  It was because of the crusades that the byzantine had lost so much of its former territory because of those stinking Catholics and their so-called holy war.  She often feared that one day in Aurelia’s life that the Byzantine Empire might be weakened by such a pointless conflict to the point where it would fall and then what would happen? She often asked herself.

She pondered that as she reached the door to Jamal’s quarters.  She knocked on the door several times.  “You may enter” Jamal’s smooth voice said on the other side.  Aria entered his room, it was quite a simple room, with a pray rug in the middle of the room facing the direction of Mecca, an incense burner that hung from a corner along with a suit of armor and a few of Jamal’s personal weapons, a window overlooking the Bosporus that was above his bed and simple desk for him to write next to.  He was stripped down to the waist leaving his ripped chest exposed as he was polishing a scimitar.   Aria couldn’t help admiring the Arab Adonis so much, that it made her cunt wet, but she had to restrain herself on account of the fact that it wouldn’t be fair to Jamal whose faith prevented people like him from being sexually active.  It was then he noticed who had entered his room.

He was about to stand up to make the proper formalities, but Aria gave a dismissing gesture “it’s alright Jamal, no-one’s watching” she said with a smile.  “Apologies madam, it’s how I was raised” he said bowing his head as he put the sword aside on the bed and then rose to his feet.  “Aurelia is arranged to be married” Aria said plainly.  Jamal took a teapot from a small stove next to his bed; he then grabbed to teacups and poured the tea into both cups.  “Forgive me for saying this madam, but Aurelia hasn’t been much for arranged marriages, what makes this one so important that you would come to me?” he asked as he handed Aria a tea cup, clinking the glasses together as they both took sips of tea.

“She’s arranged to be married to Cornelius Vorca” she said as Jamal finished his tea with a concerned look on his face.  “The Vorca family has done some things that most people find questionable” Jamal said “I hear whispers from my people in the Muslim quarter that he practices cannibalism, human sacrifices and  various sexual acts” he finished with a sound of disgust in his voice.  “I also hear talk of him being involved with favoritism of the Crusader states and the Catholic church, which is not sitting well with your Orthodox Church leaders” he finished.

“I know what they say about the Vorca family” Aria said “But after what he said to my brother, I had no alternative but to submit to his demands” she said with what Jamal could tell was there was fear in her voice.  “What could Vorca do to you that I could not prevent?” Jamal asked quizzically.  “I was hired by you on behalf of your brother as a bodyguard for you and Aurelia.  If Vorca was going to do anything to you or Aurelia, he would be greeting whatever pagan god he worships personally” he said with steel in his voice.

“You can’t protect me and Aurelia from what he has in mind” Aria stated.  “He has connections to the royal court and they would kill you if dared to raise your sword against him” she said quivering “Then he would have the excuse needed to attack me and my brother, as well as Aurelia” she felt weak in the knees.  Jamal took her by the shoulders and helped her to sit down on his bed.  “Then if we can’t raise arms against him, what can be done?” Jamal asked.  It was then Aria gave him her solution.