Chapter 694: The First Command
The young Leo have never seen such a thing before as he stands there rooted to the ground, with no idea on what to do. His father saw his dilemma, as he came over, and placed his hands gently on his arms, as he plucked out his sword, placed it onto the small hands of his son, and plucked it onto the ground, before the Varangian commander.
"Repeat after me." The old emperor, with a bunched back, said softly before the ears of his son. "I am delighted to have you be my left and right hand man, and I accept your loyalty with all of my heart."
The young boy gulped, as he followed with a slightly trembling voice. "I am delighted to have you be my left and right hand man, and I accept your loyalty with all of my heart, now, please rise, Lord Cerberus."
The ceremony concluded swiftly. The Varangian troops, who had been speculating amongst themselves, witnessed their commander Cerberus kneel before the young prince and designated heir. In unison, the troops followed suit, bowing their heads in reverence to their future sovereign.
The young prince’s timid eyes met his father’s encouraging gaze. With a slight nod from the latter, Leo stepped forward. The sight of the hundreds of burly Varangians, each twice his size, was intimidating. Summoning every ounce of his courage, he raised the blade in his hands. His small frame trembled, but he stood firm. With a voice that strained against his youth, he shouted, "Brave warriors of Rome! Thank you for your sacrifices over the years! Please, rise! I accept your loyalty, and in return, I will grant you the rewards you seek!"
The Varangians rose and exclaimed in their respective tongues, "Long live the emperor! Long live Prince Leo! Long live the Roman Empire!"
The sound echoed, stretching into eternity, as the voices of a thousand men honoured the young boy before them. Leo’s heart swelled with a mixture of pride and humility. His mind flashed back to his lessons, the stories of brave warriors, and the wisdom his father had imparted. He felt the weight of responsibility settle on his young shoulders, but he also felt a burgeoning strength within him.
Yet, amidst the overwhelming praise, the young prince only wanted to look back. His eyes sought his father, who stood alone against the wind beneath a tree, smiling warmly with eyes full of comfort and pride. In that moment, Leo understood the true essence of leadership—strength paired with compassion, power tempered with humility.
As the echoes faded, the emperor turned to Cerberus. "Send word to Constantinople. Inform them I will be on leave for a few months, with my whereabouts reported regularly. If they need my decisions, send a messenger with the necessary documents."
"But, Your Majesty, your safety..." Cerberus began, his voice tinged with concern.
"Give me a hundred Varangians," Antonius replied, "and you, of course."
Cerberus bowed his head again, shivering as he sighed in relief. His loyalty was unwavering, but so was his love for his emperor.
"For now..."
A gust of wind blew towards the old emperor, causing him to huddle deeper into his cloak. His gaze turned thoughtful, reflecting on the journey ahead.
"Let us examine the achievements of General Julian—no, Lord Julian—in Bulgaria..."
...
In the late summer of 1477, the emperor finalised all his work, dispersing the troops he had gathered and completing the diplomatic negotiations with Serbia and Bosnia. Only then did he begin his long-anticipated journey. Riding at the front with his son, he was on his old companion, and young Prince Leo was on a small pony, riding side by side. Cerberus followed closely behind. A hundred metres away, a troop of around a hundred Varangians kept their distance to avoid disrupting the trip while keeping their sovereign within sight in case of any emergencies.
After nearly a month in Serbia, the group finally returned to Bulgaria.
The father and son ventured along the Danube River, with Leo marvelling at the journey and the river’s length.
"Do you know," Antonius began, "that this river is the longest in our empire? It stretches all the way from the Black Sea, through Bulgaria and Serbia, and ends in Alemannia."
They continued their journey through Bulgaria, greeted by wildlife hiding in the woods and vast croplands with green crops swaying in the summer breeze near the village of Zheglista. Farmers rested in the shade of trees, but hurriedly stood up upon seeing the Nordic soldiers approaching, shouting in Bulgarian, which none in the army understood. Antonius rode forward, replying in a fluent yet steady Bulgarian, calming the commotion. He, Leo, and Cerberus joined the farmers under the shade, taking a break from the blazing heat.
"You know Bulgarian as well, Father!" Leo’s eyes lit up in awe.
"Just recently, actually, after Lord Julian is done with Bulgaria." the old emperor laughed. "Remember, my son, as a qualified ruler, you must understand what your people are saying. It is your duty and responsibility because they are part of your family."
"Yes, Father."
The three men continued to lie in the woods as the farmers passed them some water. The Varangians at the back began their break as well, cheering and dancing rowdily, becoming the only interruption to the day’s brief silence. The farmers clearly disliked the disruption, and the village elder approached, smiling but concerned, and expressed to the emperor that the Varangians were trampling their crops with their dancing.
Antonius, accepting the request with a casual smile, turned to his son, who was still playing by himself. "Now go, my son, go and issue your very first order to your army."
"My army?" the young Leo asked timidly.
"Yes, your army," the emperor nodded. "In times of war, you must ensure everyone obeys your orders without hesitation. To achieve that, you must first get used to giving orders."
The young boy nodded, standing up under the gleeful watch of his father. He gulped and prepared himself. Just then, Cerberus, standing behind the emperor, squatted down and whispered gently into Leo’s ear, "Your Majesty, please shout at them with authority. They will listen to you, worry not."
Leo nodded nervously once again and slowly walked towards the crowd of Varangians on trembling legs.
The Varangians noticed the heir approaching and ceased their antics. They stood up, staring at the prince, unsure of his purpose but ready to receive orders.
Imagine the pressure Leo felt, facing a hundred burly, professional soldiers and killers, each around two metres tall, armed and armoured with all kind of weapons. One cannot imagine the intensity of the gaze, and the sheer amount of pressure they have placed onto the young boy, who is just at the height of their waist.
But young Leo persevered. As he approached the Varangians, he opened his mouth with a trembling voice. "Li... Listen! Varangians! As... As your lord, I command thee to stop whatever nonsense you are creating, stay quiet, and get your feet off the farmers’ croplands!"
The prince’s voice began getting softer and softer as he approached the end of his speech.
Some Varangians couldn’t hear him clearly, and they started looking around in confusion, while those at the front began passing the words down the line. Soon, voices erupted from the crowd again, but no one stepped forward to acknowledge the prince’s order. Poor young Leo continued to stand there, eyes on the ground and feet trembling.
Just then, in the distance, the old emperor stood up, leaning on the tree.
Immediately, the Varangians froze, kneeling on one knee with their heads lowered, exclaiming, "Yes! Your Majesty!"
"Gr...Great! Varangians! Now sit! We shall have a feast tonight when we reach the town!"
At once, the Varangians formed a disciplined formation and sat down in the shade, ceasing their commotion entirely.
The old emperor, supported by the sturdy Cerberus, sat back down.
Delighted, the young boy ran back to his father.
"I did it, Father! I did it! They listened to me!"
The boy jumped around excitedly, as if he had accomplished something remarkable, while Antonius watched his energetic young son with a smile.
Antonius nodded encouragingly, placing his big, wrinkled hand on Leo’s head, scratching it affectionately. "That’s my son! You did great, Leo! You did great! In no time, you shall become a great leader. You surprised me as well, for you demonstrated another essential quality of leadership unknowingly. Remember this, my son."
The old emperor glanced at the Varangians who were now seated in an open space, chatting among themselves but no longer rowdy.
"To lead, you must know how to command them to do what you want, but you must also know how to reward them generously. Sufficient rewards serve as fuel for their eagerness to follow your lead. However, remember there exists a balance between the two. You cannot lean too much to one side, or terrible things will happen."
The young Leo, though still somewhat ignorant, nodded firmly. "Yes, Father."
