Tyranny of Steel

While Strategos Palladius Angelus was dispatched to the Iberian Peninsula as the commander of the Byzantine expeditionary force, two of the Princes of the Empire began to conspire against their rivals as they sought to succeed the father as the next Emperor.

Quintus gazed upon the fields outside of the ancient city of Constantinople as he witnessed the first example of a four-field system being employed alongside advanced fertilizers and new irrigation technology. Since the Alliance between Austria and Byzantium had been established, Austria had given a large amount of agricultural technology as a gift to their newfound allies.

As the Prince most renowned with skill in administration, Quintus was quick to experiment with the technology within the Empire's borders. The fields before him had produced a far larger quantity of crops than years prior. After witnessing this, a gentle smile formed on the young man's face as he nodded his head in agreement with the results.

"Father will be pleased to know that our food stores will be filled to the brim this year!"

Standing by the Prince's side was the Strategos of Syria, who had traveled to the court of the Empire to provide his support to the candidate that he had chosen to succeed the Emperor. At the moment, the political rivalry between Decentius and Quintus was rising to new heights of intensity.

This man was shocked to see the results of the new agricultural technology that Quintus had begun to employ; as such, he smiled heavily as he complimented the young Prince.

"Your highness, I must say that what you have accomplished here in Constantinople is an achievement that overshadows your brother's conquest of Egypt and Lybia. If such improvements can be fielded across the entirety of the Empire, then our people will never have to worry about going hungry!"

Quintus frowned as he thought about Decentius's achievements on the battlefield despite the compliment to his efforts. To many within the ranks of the Imperial Court, combat achievements were far more glamorous than those performed through administration.

If Quintus lacked one thing to solidify his claim to the throne, it was military service. Without it, he would always be seen as a weak and pacifistic leader compared to his hawkish brother. Though Decentius had no mind for anything other than combat, his willingness to fight anyone and everyone was greatly admired by many of the critical members of the Byzantine Aristocracy.

Despite this harsh reality, Quintus had no desire to achieve victory in battle; according to his philosophy, war should only be used as a last resort when diplomacy fails to achieve its objectives. In his eyes, those who supported his brother were mindless fools hellbent on the Empire's destruction through an endless pursuit of meaningless glory. With this in mind, he sighed heavily before speaking about a more pressing concern.

"With Arethas' death, Palladius is now the greatest General of our Empire; tell me, Zeno, what news do you have in regards to his loyalties?"

The Strategos of Syria, known by the name Zeno Glycas shook his head before revealing the latest information he had about this subject.

"As far as I can tell, that old bastard has not shifted his stance from Neutrality. He has never, nor ever will care about court politics. I do not see him supporting either you or your brother for the throne."

Upon hearing this news, Quintus bit his lip in distress, though his powerbase was currently evenly matched with that of his brothers, if he wanted to tip the scales then he would need the support of such a renowned General like Palladius.

Unfortunately, it looked like the man was still adamant about remaining permanently neutral in court affairs. The Byzantine Prince sighed heavily as he reflected upon this before revealing his thoughts on the matter.

"Very well, leave him be. However, if he shows the first sign of entering Decentius' camp, be sure to eliminate him!"

Zeno nodded his head before responding in affirmation of his Prince's orders.

"I assure you, we will keep an eye on him. If he does make a move for the throne, we will be aware of it. However, the man is currently leading the Expeditionary forces in Granada, so the likelihood of your brother winning him over is slim."

Quintus nodded his head upon hearing this news with a smile on his face. He had no qualms with Palladius, but if the old general chose to side against him, then he would not be merciful. Little did Quintus and his allies know that Palladius had already created a tertiary faction to place Berengar and Honoria's future son on the throne.

If they were aware of such a scheme, they would do everything in their power to kill the plot in its infancy. However, Palladius had hidden his tracks well, and while Quintus and Decentius focused on each other, this third faction was swelling in numbers.

After all, the prospect of a member of the Imperial Dynasty being raised in Austria and receiving an Austrian education appealed to many of the more humble members of the Imperial Court. They recognized the benefits of such an upbringing.

While Quintus was scheming with his most prominent supporter Strategos Zeno Glycus, Decentius was in his secretive meeting. In the city of Antioch, the Second Prince had gathered his most valuable supporters together as they discussed a more serious topic.

Decentius was enraged by the actions of Berengar. Not only had the Austrian King married his sister, but he also impregnated her with his barbarian seed. On top of all of this, Decentius had faced utter humiliation at the hands of the man during that fateful breakfast.

With the Byzantines reinforcing the Austrian interference in Reconquista, Decentius was left with few options to strike back against them and who had invoked his ire. As such, he was venting his frustrations with the Austro-Byzantine Alliance to his backers.

"Who does this filthy Barbarian King from the West think he is? Does he truly believe he is worthy of an alliance with our Great Empire? My father has clearly shown his weakness by agreeing time and again to the requests of that King of savages! We must do something about this pitiful alliance, for if we continue to abide by the wishes of King Berengar, then the Prestige of our Roman Heritage will continue to be defiled!"

The ruler of Antioch was gathered in this meeting and calmly observed the Prince's enraged behavior before making a statement of his own.

"There is not much that can be done, your sister has married King Berengar, and an alliance has been firmly established. Though he may be a barbarian, King Berengar has established his Realm as an area that is nigh impossible to successfully infiltrate. So long as he remains within Austria, he cannot be harmed."

Upon hearing this, Decentius threw his chalice across the room in a fit of rage before uttering the unthinkable.

"If that is the case, then we are only left with one option! We must kill my slut of a sister before she brings her progeny into this world! If she gives birth to a son with the name of Palaiologos, we will have another contender for the throne on our hands. Though I can take care of Quintus, the barbarian offspring of Honoria and Berengar will be a threat to our power and must be removed!"

The various members of Decentius' power base shifted their eyes towards one another with hesitation, to assassinate the only Princess of the Byzantine Empire was a treasonous move, one that was sure to see their heads on pikes if such a plot was ever discovered.

Despite their hesitation, they all knew what a child between Berengar and Honoria that bore the surname of Palaiologos meant. As such, after the fierce internal debate, every man within the room nodded their heads in agreement as they cursed their once beloved princess in their own crude ways.

"The Princess must die!"

"Princess Honoria is nothing more than a common whore who has spread her legs for a Barbarian from the West! She gave up her honor as a Roman long ago!"

"If the barbarian child is brought into this world, then the pure lineage of the Palaiologos Dynasty will forever be tainted! The bitch must die!

Decentius grinned wickedly as he heard the men who made up his power base support his decision with such enthusiasm. Now that he had gotten their agreement to do the unthinkable, it was only a matter of time before the Byzantine Princess found herself eliminated.

As for Berengar's reaction to her death, that did not matter, Decentius truly believed he would be able to hide his ploy from Austria's agents so that the Barbarian King never discovered who was responsible for his third wife's death.

With all of this said, a conspiracy to assassinate the Byzantine Princess and her unborn child had been established within the confines of the city of Antioch. A faction of Byzantine Noblemen and Generals had sworn to secrecy as they plotted against the Princess of their Empire.