Chapter 596: The Mothers
"A tragedy, then, is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself; in language ... not in a narrative form; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions."
- Aristotle, Poetics
"Please, seek revenge for my dear husband and discover what became of my father," Therma implored.
"Giovanni was not just a friend but a brother in arms, a stalwart companion," Antonius replied, eyes directed towards the heavens, clouded with the weight of a promise. "His son will be as my own, benefiting from the finest tutelage and protection, enjoying equal rights with all of my children. Be assured madame, this boy will be moulded into a man as remarkable as his father was."
Julian, who was standing off to the side, spared a brief glance at the solemn Caesar. He then let his eyes wander to the young boy, clutching his mother’s hand. Antonius, despite being in his forties, had yet to sire a male heir with Lady Anna for some unknown reasons. Julian abruptly dispelled these thoughts.
"I find comfort in your words, Your Majesty," Lady Therma gracefully kneeled. "Please accept my gratitude on behalf of my departed husband."
"Therma," Antonius began earnestly, "I vow to lay siege to Constantinople, to hunt down the architects of the coup d’état, to crack open their minds and expose their plots. As for your father..." He paused, his voice trailing off. "My finest spies have been trying to trace his whereabouts for three months, but he seems to have vanished into thin air. I hold your father in high regard, and the search will continue, but brace yourself for the worst."
A shiver ran through Therma at his words. "I understand."
"But what of you?" Antonius shifted his attention back to her. "You will be sheltered within my realm, given any title, any estate, any sum of wealth to guarantee a lifetime free from want. It is my duty to care for you."
"Your generosity is overwhelming, Your Majesty," Therma bowed again, before quickly shaking her head. "But worldly possessions have lost their allure. If you would grant me one wish, it would be for a quiet chapel on an Aegean Isle. A place where I could atone for my sins, communicate with God, and devote the rest of my life to the service of the church."
Antonius felt a lump in his throat, understanding the resolve in Therma’s eyes. The successive tragedies had hardened her heart, like steel tempered in the fires of loss. Her strength was undeniable, but not the kind Giovanni had envisioned for her.
"Have you discussed your plans with Anna?"
"Yes, and she supports my decision."
"If that is so..." Antonius let out a resigned sigh. "Then your wish shall be my command, Lady Therma."
...
As Lady Therma departed, her silhouette gradually blending into the encroaching night, Antonius watched, a sinking heaviness in his heart. The twilight seemed to echo his sorrow, casting long, somber shadows that danced mournfully in the evening chill. His eyes clung to the resilient figure until it disappeared completely, swallowed by the impending darkness.
An emblem of fortitude she was, and in her, the silhouette of loss was etched deeply. Life had sculpted her with the chisel of hardship, yet her spirit, like the hardest diamond, refused to crack. She was a testament to endurance, the embodiment of strength gleaned from the jagged edges of life’s cruellest lessons.
Turning to the young Giovanni Junior at his side, he placed a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder, his gaze still anchored to the place where Therma had vanished. "See your mother, my boy," he said, his voice a gentle whisper carrying the weight of the world, "She is the embodiment of resilience in the face of adversity. The hardships she’s encountered, the losses she’s suffered, they’ve all shaped her into the unyielding woman she is today. Learn from her, my child."
Julian by the side took another peek of surprise at his sovereign, never has he expected such poetic and elegant words that seemed to come out from the old Greek plays to jump out from that piratic mouth of the Caesar, as the Caesar, for most of the times, are like desert, a vacuum, towards anything descriptive.
"Embrace the strength that lies within adversity. Remember, every test, every loss, every hardship carries within it a seed of equal or greater benefit. Forged in the fires of tribulation, we emerge stronger and more resilient. And that, Giovanni, is the legacy your mother carries, and the legacy I want you to uphold." His voice softened, a melancholic undertone weaving itself into his words.
As the last echoes of his speech faded into the night, he felt an ache in his heart, the sorrow and pride mingling into a poignant sentiment. The night fell silent, their figures illuminated by the mournful glow of the setting sun, a tableau of strength and sorrow, standing steadfast in the encroaching darkness.
"That shall be my first lesson for you, Giovanni, remember it by your heart."
Giovanni junior by the side nodded reluctantly, a child of his age protected in the cocoon of his mother’s love is simply unable to understand the threats that a man can face in the outside world.
...
There is another mother weeping for her child and her husband at the current minute.
Gulbahar Hatun is seated lifelessly in the palace of Edirne; she has been weeping here secretly for the past several hours ever since the news of the defeat came flooding into the Ottoman capital. Wagons after wagons filled with desperate and anxious citizens have been pouring out of the city in the fear that the Romans might arrive beneath the city walls at any minute, or maybe the government issuing an order of curfew disallowing anyone from leaving the city in order to maximise the support for manpower, and most importantly, as most of the Ottomans here had some level of military experience in the past, they knows that there are definitely something that always accompanies with a siege: Plague and chaos.
"Run! Run you thieves! Run you bunch of morons! Disloyal parasites!"
The rage of the Sultan Dowager can be heard from miles away, mercilessly spitting her tougues of fury towards any visible objects in the room, smashing it on the ground venting her rage on these dead objects. This, sadly speaking, is the only thing that the widow can possibly do at this point of time. All the troops in the city have been brought out by the Sultan, all the powerful nobles have either been captured, or killed, or have already have fled, and her influence in the government now has reached the minimal level due to the series of policies and restrictions the young Sultan has placed on his own mother.
With no troops, no support of court, no aid of nobles, with a city that is ill defended, this woman here is now finding herself on her own feet this time round just like ten years ago, only that she had no imminent threat ten years ago, and there was Candarli Halil Pasha taking everything onto his shoulders, but this time round, there is a threat that is bound to arrive at any minute.
Suddenly, the entire city, inclusive of the palace, bursted into another series of chaos as the Sultan Dowager is there weeping for her misfortune. "What is going on over there!" The aging lady asked, as she got back onto her feet, wept away her tears, and re-emerged before her servants.
"Your Majesty... Our guards have spotted those filthy Rumelian cavalries scouting the walls of Edirne, the Grand Vizier suggests that the imperial family should vacate the city immediately..."
"Vacate the city?" The Sultan Dowager made a bitter giggle. "Then did he suggest on where I can possibly go?"
The servant is caught beyond words.
Gulbahar Hatun seems to have fully regained her usual might as she looked upon her shivering subjects outside the gates with a sense of power and dominance in her eyes. "Order the guards! Shut down all the gates and entries to the city! Reactivate all the defensive mechanics, I want to see the arrows and bolts piled up on the walls in an hour’s time! Enforce wartime regulations in the city, I want all veterans, and males older than fourteen years old to be recruited immediately, no females to be assembled to aid in war effort!"
"Yes... Yes! Your Majesty!"
"I shall immediately write a letter to all Ottoman Aghas, Beys, Pashas out there ordering for their immediate reinforcements, order the mailers to start preparing their horses! At once, and scribes, make a public announcement on all gates and forums addressing all citizens of the Sultanate; We, Ottomans, have no where else to stand beside this city, we are defending our homes, our families, and ourselves, anyone who mentioned the word ’teslim olma’ (surrender) shall be executed at once!"
"Yes! Your Majesty... But..."
"But what?"
"But what about the Rumelians and slaves in the city?"
