Chapter 649: Its Winter In Thessaly
The courtroom in Trikala Castle, where Governor Elassona presided, was a vivid display of opulence masking its occupant’s humble origins. Lavish tapestries adorned the walls, depicting historical battles and mythological scenes, their intricate details lost on the governor. Expensive artworks, acquired more for their price tags than artistic value, were haphazardly arranged, creating a disjointed aesthetic. The furniture was excessively ornate, with gold inlays and plush fabrics, mirroring Elassona’s attempt to emulate the sophistication of the aristocracy. Amidst this grandeur, Elassona himself sat, an incongruent figure, more at home on a ship’s deck than in this artificially embellished court of luxury.
Elassona, once a valiant marine veteran who swiftly climbed the ranks in Antonius’ navy, had transformed significantly. He was one of the earlier batches of recruits from Constantinople in the fleet before the siege of Constantinople, and he was the one who was willing to learn how to read and write as encouraged by the admiral back then. However, his early eagerness to learn and adapt, which had once set him apart, now seemed a distant memory. In the civil service, he had shed the disciplined shell of a warrior, revealing a more unscrupulous and temperamental nature.
Fuming with rage, Elassona paced the luxurious room. "That fool! Undermining my plans, spreading rumours about me and daring to slander me to the emperor making me a disgrace?" In a fit of anger, he seized a decorative vase and hurled it against the wall, shattering it to pieces. A steward who just happened to pass by stumbled in fright, barely avoiding the debris.
His officer, anxious in the face of Elassona’s outburst, ventured a question. "Lord Governor, the inspection team from Thessaloniki will be here soon in around two days’ time from our intel. Our... merchandise at the docks is still exposed, what should we do?"
Elassona seethed. "Where are those Genoese? They promised discretion! If those crates aren’t gone by tomorrow, I’ll personally ride for Volos, and have them thrown into the sea myself!"
"But sir, those are two whole ship worth of armaments! If the inspectors find out... We..."
"I shall take the responsibility!" Elassona cut him off, his gaze steely. "Training loses, production deficits, anti bandit operation, lost against pirates, which one can we use this year?"
The three officers exchanged uneasy glances; their silence heavy in the opulent room.
Governor Elassona scratched his head in anger, attempted to reach out for the vase again figuring out what he can possibly toss away, only to realise that he has already threw that vase onto the wall a while ago, as he instructed to a guard nearby. "You, go seek for that steward, give her a reward, and bring her to the doctors if she is injured."
"Yes, my lord," the guard replied hastily.
"What should we do to that prick who dared to... spread rumours about you?"
"That prick..." The governor thought for a while. "Break his two legs, confiscate all of his family’s land and wealth, denounce his name, and kick him onto the street."
"But, my lord, he’s a war veteran with honours from the emperor," an officer interjected cautiously.
"How is it possible for his majesty to remember such a tiny figure?" The governor could not give any concerns on what his follower warned him with a sniff. "My rage cannot disperse without giving that crook a little punishment, the emperor would forget about that prick in just a day’s time, right now we have to deal with those shipments of armaments first... Discontinue this trade for a week, until those group of investigators leave."
"My lord, I must remind you again that selling of national arms is an offense under the current codex of conduct, we might just stop it once for all..."
"Stop it!" Elassona exploded, his voice echoing off the walls. He fixed his officer with a fiery gaze. "You think I’m skimming funds for personal gain, you fool? Since I’ve governed Larissa, I’ve been starved of funds by the central government! Every road, every canal, every port renovation – it all needs money. I’ve been encouraging businesses, upholding law, building infrastructure. But what do I get? Our taxes, our revenues, they’re all siphoned off for endless wars, from Epirus to Bulgaria, and now possibly Anatolia. How am I expected to develop our region with the meager ’legal’ funds allocated to us?"
The officers shuffled their feet uncomfortably, sensing the depth of their governor’s frustration.
Elassona continued, his voice laced with bitterness. "You see the grandeur of these conquests, but not the cost. Every infrastructure project I initiate is a battle against financial drought. Without sufficient support, I’m forced into these darker alleys to secure the prosperity of our lands. It’s a choice between stagnation and progress, and I choose progress, whatever the means!"
His officers remained silent, understanding the governor’s desperate situation but wary of the implications.
Elassona sighed, his anger subsiding into grim resolve. "Tomorrow, I confront the Genoese in Volos. Ensure that rumour-spreading traitor is dealt with harshly. As for the Genoese, they’ll learn I’m not to be trifled with. The arms deal will be our financial lifeline, legal or not."
"Yes, my lord," the officers responded, exiting to execute his orders.
In the dank, shadowy cells of Elassona, three soldiers, once hailed as war heroes, now found themselves confined in the most secluded part of the governor’s prison. Their cell was a grim, cold space, where the harshness of nature met the neglect of humanity. The stench of decay mingled with the earthy scent of damp stone walls. A single ray of light struggled through a tiny window high above, offering the only connection to the outside world. In one corner, one of the soldiers, overwhelmed by the cruel twist of fate, sobbed uncontrollably. His mind, once impervious to the horrors of war, the blades of the Ottomans, the ambushes of the bandits, was shattered by the betrayal of his own people, unable to bear the sudden contrast between a war veteran returning home and a sudden prisoner.
"I am sorry, this is all my fault," the youngest, Nicolaos, murmured, his voice muffled by his knees. His guilt weighed heavily on him, believing his actions had led them to this fate.
The other two soldiers exchanged glances, the elder one sighing deeply. He gazed longingly at the sliver of blue sky, a view once mundane, now a precious glimpse of freedom, which has now became a luxury for all of them here.
Their silence was broken by the mocking voice of a guard.
"Looks like you’ll be dancing at the end of a rope soon!" he sneered. "In this province, only the governor reigns supreme. Even the emperor’s word is second to his! You people ought to know this, if you still want to live here!"
The three men remained silent.
Disappointed by their lack of reaction, the guard cursed in Greek, made a loud kick on the prison cell bars and left for a toilet break, announcing their punishment. "No lunch for you army dogs today!"
Seizing the moment of solitude, the elder soldier leaned towards Nicolaos, slipping a medal through the bars, and said in a brisk tone beneath his breathe. "Listen here, kid, they are probably going to take away everything from you, your wealth, your rewards, your pride, but do remember! No matter what, you are still a proud trooper marching and fighting for all Romans under his majesty, here, hide this medal of valour given to me by the emperor, hide it well! You might need it some day!"
In the dimly lit cell, Nicolaos frantically searched for a place to conceal the medal, his heart pounding in his ears. The metallic clank of the approaching guard’s boots signalled the urgency of the moment.
"Tsk." The prison guard came back with another kick on the bars. "Wake up! Pricks! I have got news! You, and you, yes stop crying over there! You two are released, be sure to thank you lieutenant, but you, you are found guilty of malingering, spreading untrue rumours, and you shall be punished! Now the two of you! Scram! Before I change my mind!"
"I must protest! Sir!" The elder soldier stood upright as he made signals towards Nikolaos, buying time for his fellow comrade. "I do believe that Nikolas did nothing against the law! I, as a member of his majesty’s army, demand that he gets a proper trial in the court before..."
His plea was abruptly silenced by the guard’s fist, striking with such force that he staggered back and collapsed, weakened from hunger.
In the chaos, Nicolaos managed to hide the medal, his fingers trembling. The guard, red-faced and irate, turned to the remaining soldiers. "Get him out of here, now!" he barked, pointing to the fallen soldier.
Then, he turned to the teenage soldier tightening his knuckles, with an evil grin on his face. "As for you, let us have some fun..."
The cell instantly became a scene for torture, as the cries of agony filled the space.
