Chapter 621: The Path Of the Nation
As Antonius and the Ecumenical Patriarch ambled through the resplendent corridors of the Hagia Sophia, the ambient glow of the setting sun bathed the iconic mosaics and frescoes in golden light. Every corner seemed to whisper tales from the bygone era, and each step seemed to echo with the weight of history.
Anna, radiant with the promise of new life, chuckled softly, "Indeed, your Holiness remains as robust and spirited as I recall." Her fingers gently caressed her burgeoning belly, her face flushed, reflecting the warmth of her heart and the joy of impending motherhood.
Patriarch Gennadius II Scholarius, with the wisdom of years etched on his face, smiled kindly, "Child, I’m but a humble servant of the Lord, no different from many others in this grand city. It’s the grace of the Almighty and a life dedicated to His teachings that keep me hale and hearty. A positive spirit is, after all, the elixir of health."
"You became the Ecumenical Patriarch when I left the city ten years back, it is good to see some familiar faces when I returns." Sighed Antonius.
"Thank you, your Majesty." The Ecumenical Patriarch looked afar at the icons of Jesus Christ. By the grace of God, I’ve weathered the tumultuous storms of time. My mind remains sharp, allowing me to delve into the wisdom of both God and the ancients, and my health permits me to savor life’s simple joys. The Lord has been gracious."
"I am sure that you can serve God for another few decades."
The Patriarch’s eyes twinkled, "God willing." He then continued with reverence, "Your Majesty, the salvation you’ve brought to this city will be etched in history. Many illustrious emperors have been crowned within these very walls. It would be an honour for the Hagia Sophia to bear witness to yet another momentous occasion."
"Of course, your holiness. I am planning to do it in a month, and it must be in the Hagia Sophia."
Overwhelmed, the Patriarch bowed slightly, "Your commitment to our faith and to this city moves me profoundly. On behalf of Christendom, I express our deepest gratitude." After a momentary pause, the wizened old man inquired, "If I may be so bold, how do you envision the path ahead for the Romans?"
...
"That is what I have always said before! Indeed, we must look back to the Athenian Democracy, a beacon of our ancestral wisdom! We should reinstate the senate, establish a people’s assembly, and grant every educated male citizen of Constantinople the right to vote! Only those consuls who came from the people, by the people, for the people have the right to govern the Romans! We must enforce equality and fair rights among all Romans! Only democracy can save the Romans from our century long troubles!"
In a bustling tavern close to the Harbour of Julian, a heated argument broke out among men about the fate of the resurgent empire. The commotion sprang from a recent decree, personally issued by Caesar, beckoning opinions and advice from every domain under his authority on pressing state matters. Anyone keen to share their thoughts would pen them down and submit them to the press branch in the respective government buildings. Exceptional submissions would grace a special column in the ’newspaper’ that is owned and supervised by the state. This wasn’t a novel concept to Constantinopolitans, as merchants frequently brought such novelties from Thessaloniki, adding a fresh layer of entertainment to the city.
As the evening grew older in the tavern, the air filled with the scent of liquor and the sound of impassioned political banter. And, occasionally, such debates would devolve into physical altercations.
"Have you forgotten the tragic end of Antica? And how did the expedition force to Syracuse get annihilated?" challenged a burly port worker, his eyes locked onto his adversary. "Have you not seen how those evil feudal lords and rich oppressed and despised us as if we are rats? Do you not see the existing unfairness evolving in the state? A farmer’s child is destined to be a farmer, while the lord’s child is destined to be a lord, we are not the owners of the state, they are! We are nothing on this land! We need to take this opportunity to start a revolution, strip the evil wealth of those riches, distribute equally across all communities. Democracy is important, but hell no to your way of biased democracy, we need a true ’Democracy of the people’, all citizens of Rome, no matter men, women, elite, or humbles, ought to get an equal chance in having their say on state affairs!"
"Blasphemy!" retorted the first man, his face flushed in anger. "Do you truly believe in giving the vote to the uninformed masses? Their shortsightedness will plunge our empire into turmoil!"
A stern voice interrupted, "Enough of this bickering, you clueless rabble!" From another table, a man in leather armour, a blade at his side, stood tall, likely a soldier under Antonius. "You disrespectful and ungrateful bunch of morons, do you not know how much effort has our lord Caesar put into to liberate you people from the oppressive rule of the senate and the Palaiologos? Do you not see how has Thessaloniki developed under his iron grip rule? Only the Caesar has the right to lead the empire! And only the Caesar has the abilities to make Rome great again! Let me tell you what, the military shall always, and only stay with the Caesar his Majesty, and if you people have even the slightest thought of trying to start anything like a ’revolution’, then we, shall snap it within minutes! Long live the Caesar! Long live Imperium Romanum!"
The two gentlemen stood there, staying quiet as one lowered his head, and the next one has his face beaming red with rage, and his fist clenched, as they all saw that blade dangling by the soldier’s waist.
The room grew silent. The two debaters, one humbled, the other seething with suppressed rage, couldn’t ignore the sword’s glint by the soldier’s side. With a look of smug satisfaction, the soldier returned to his drink, ready to voice more opinions, but he was interrupted by a mysterious voice emanating from a dim corner of the tavern.
"Amateurs!"
"What?!" The voice successfully acquired the attentions of the others, all looked upon the direction of the voice.
"I said amateurs!" The man stood up, dressed in a dark cloak covering half of his face, with multiple holes on it, and he smells like dead fish recovered from the markets, which is probably a reason why he is alone in the corner of the tavern.
"We, Romans, are the greatest race in the world! We should be the dominant and the superior power standing on top of all civilisations! Have you not realised, that it is only by stealing knowledge from us Romans that did those Franks and Lombards drag themselves out of poverty and barbarian, we need to learn from our Spartan forefathers, enforce a compulsory conscription making every single male a part of the country’s war machine, and expand! We must eradicate those ’impure’ and ’sinners’ of the state, particularly those mix blooded and handicapped! We must maintain the purity of the greatest bloodline of humanity, we must own the world! We must..."
...
"What are you trying to do! What are you trying to do! You sinners! You impure bastards! You..."
"Shut up! Maniac"
A minute later, the man in hoods can be seen getting tossed out of the tavern, making a huge fall on the streets. The door to the tavern is immediately shut behind the man, as if they are attempting to keep a demon out. While the man could only get up, wave his hands to keep the flies of the summer away from him, and scramble away mummering curses in his mouth.
...
"Your Holiness," Antonius began, his voice wavering with introspection, "I must admit that I grapple with the direction for our great nation." He paused, looking deeply into the eyes of the spiritual leader before him. "Over the past decade, my rule has been driven by a desire to shield our people from corruption, bankruptcy, war, and crime. Some measures I took flourished, creating prosperity and peace. Yet, others faltered, and a few that showed early promise later revealed unintended consequences that pained our citizens."
He sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly as he continued, "There’s no certain path I can point to, promising a brighter future in the next ten years. All I can pledge is to select a direction that resonates with the heart and soul of every Roman. While I hesitate to make sweeping promises, I vow, both to you and our beloved people, to uphold and honour those commitments I’ve already made."
The Ecumenical Patriarch turned back to the Altar, where the Cross and the Icons of Christ is kept, bowed down and replied. "Thank you, your Majesty, for your modesty. But still, I got to say, that what you just gave me is a perfect modal answer... Now, I can assure you, your Majesty, that the Church of Constantinople shall always stand with you, no matter which path you take, as long as I am in office."
