Legends Never Die: The Greatest City in the World (ch. 49) (Patreon)

There were many rivers that people claimed could take us straight to the fabled Miklagard, but Thorkell warned that most of them were false. He had done his own asking around, gathering what he knew from his own travels, to piece together what would be our route. That route being to first sail up into the Baltic sea around the Finnish tribes, then to a town called Novgorod. It was seated around a river that many claimed could take us south so long as we were willing to port our ships over land briefly and set them down in a river called the Dnipro.

However, that in itself proved to be an issue. It was one thing to port over a small longship. It was a very different task to port over nearly a hundred ships. Additionally, the Dnipro river was claimed to be a long river. One that traversed through a number of kingdoms and tribes in addition to having many offshoots that were so great in size you could mistake them for the main river. Meaning that if we wanted to arrive at this so-called ‘Black Sea’ then we needed to hire a guide. An issue not easily solved because there were many that claimed to know the way, and if you asked a hundred guides, you’d get a hundred and one answers.

It was enough to make me regret leaving so late in the year when we finally arrived in Novgorod. The trade that we managed to do was minor in comparison to the fear that we would be forced to winter in the city because the Dnipro was reported to freeze over during the cold season.

“I have no intention of staying in your city. I would leave it now if I could. However, until you produce a guide that can honestly claim to have seen Miklagard, there is little point in leaving because we will return if led astray.” Even as I said the words, I regretted them as I sat across from the Jarl of Novgorod. An older man with hints of gray in his beard that had golden beads woven into it. His expression pinched at the implied threat, seated across from me in his longhouse.

“I have presented you with a dozen guides that have sailed the journey,” Jarl Radulfr replied, his tone stiff. Novgorod was not a large town. It was barely a town at all. It would be a simple thing to take it if we had to winter here, and he knew it. His people were warriors, but they were mostly shepherds and fishermen. The only reason I believed the stories at all was because there was an inordinate amount of gold in the town. Goods that came from the south.

My lips thinned in response, “Half of them are liars.” I accused, making him bristle. “My scouts have proven as much. Perhaps they might have sailed the journey, but they weren’t the helmsmen and they paid poor attention to their surroundings. The other half can’t agree on which branches of the Dnipro are branches and which is the main river.”

Jarl Radulfr slammed a fist on the table between us, his eyes narrowing into slits. “I cannot have you here when winter sets in. You’ll eat us out of the town! I don’t care where you go, boy, but you will not-” he started, and he realized that his temper slipped in the face of someone he should swallow his anger toward. He grit his teeth and settled back down, “Even if you ask for a proper guide, they’ll be lost in the sea of frauds.”

I knew that. This town was used to seeing small ships and bands pass through it for Miklagard, if they saw anyone at all. A fleet like this? It was unheard of and word had spread. Everyone knew that a guide would be paid well, and saw it as the opportunity of a lifetime.

“And in your years of being Jarl, you simply have no idea who might be true and who might be a fraud?” I pressed him, my own temper flaring. If this was the true path to Miklagard, then he should at least know someone. A guide that made the trip and came back. If he didn’t, then he was deaf, blind, and stupid. However, he had great reluctance to share this man with me. Simply because, if my suspicions were correct, he feared that the man wouldn’t need to make another trip in his lifetime and the town would be poorer for it.

I could tell my words struck true, but he simply glowered at me. I sensed that the conversation would wind in circles, so I stood, even if I did hope that the pressure of our continued presence would make him break. Without saying anything in the way of parting words, I marched out of the longhouse, a number of eyes watching my every move. Word of my reputation had reached this far, but most tales were dismissed outright. The reason why they feared me was because of my army that was seated right outside of their town.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, I watched as a cloud of fog escaped my lips -- another warning that winter was fast in coming, even if it was still fall. My gaze flickered to Olek, who had been waiting for me to leave the longhouse. He wore a deep frown and his expression told me that he already knew what had been said. “We can’t afford to wait here any longer. We should take the ones we believe and threaten execution for any deceit,” he advised. A harsh measure, but one that I was rapidly warming to.

“If we don’t have something by the end of the day…” I trailed off, my patience reaching its end. It was frustrating. I was hitting an obstacle long before we even got a chance to set sail for Miklagard.

However, as luck would have it, Morrigan of all people provided a solution. It was hours later when my commanders and I were in my tent, discussing our options when she brazenly pushed the tent flap to the side, striding in with a smug smile. “No need to fret. T’is merely I, bearing a solution to our quandary. Siegfried, meet Michalis, our elusive guide." Morrigan informed, a man following her in.

The first thing that I noticed about him was he had darker skin than I had ever seen on a man. Darker than even the oldest of farmers that had spent a lifetime in the sun. His beard was equally dark and curly, same for his hair and even his eyes seemed so brown they almost appeared black. "Lord Siegfried," the man said, offering an odd bow to me as he spoke in accented Norse.

I looked to Morrigan, who seemed entirely too pleased with herself. "T'was a simple thing. Such a trade route would be valuable knowledge, and people keep things that they value close to their chests. I merely needed to follow his creatures when they went to check up on him to ensure that he had escaped your notice."

"This is true. Few know the Dnipro better than I, and fewer have made the journey as many times. Jarl Radulfr wished to keep me close at hand to make sure that I did not lead the trade to other openings to the Baltic Sea, or in particular, his rivals," Michalis explained. "With your arrival, I was imprisoned in all but name, and I would have my freedom."

True Sight marked him as gray, meaning that he wasn't an ally but he also wasn't an enemy. Tell Spotter didn't pick anything up either. "You have been to Miklagard, then?" I felt a rush of excitement at the idea we could finally leave.

To that, Michalis smiled. "In the Roman Empire, we call it Constantinople. A rich people with a richer history. There, they speak the languages Greek and Latin -- and it so happens that I speak both rather fluently. Better than my Norse, at any rate," he said, and I heard the offer. Looking at the man, despite his claims to be a prisoner, I saw that he was finely dressed. Finely stitched cloth that was dyed vibrant colors, with two thick gold rings on each hand. "It is my homeland. I only come north to secure trade goods such as amber and furs. Normally, I would already be on my way back, but it so happened that my departure aligned with your arrival."

He sounded completely ambivalent to that fact. Though, if I had to guess, he was glad to thumb the nose of Jarl Radulfr rather than aiming that ire at me. "You are a merchant then?" I questioned, a slow smile tugging at my lips.

"That I am, Lord Siegfried," Michalis confirmed, matching my smile.

Perfect.

"We would wish to accompany you on your way back to Mik- Constantinople. Safe passage for yourself and your goods," I said, and his smile grew.

"With a man of your reputation, I dare say I wish to see us attacked," Michalis replied smoothly. He was a man that was used to talking. He had a strong accent, but it wasn't enough to mask the experience he spoke with. "Naturally, I would introduce my fast friends to my contacts within Constantinople."

"And naturally, we would be appreciative of these introductions. I would be more appreciative still if you were to teach me this language called Greek," I decided, and even as he hid reaction, I could tell he was less enthused by that idea. Merely because it would mean that I would not be dependent on him to translate my dealings. Still, he swallowed it down, knowing that it was still a fine deal that would make him rich enough he could hire a captain and a ship to make this journey for him.

"It would be my highest honor, Lord Siegfried," Michalis said, bowing his head.

Perfect.

I looked to Morrigan and inclined my head in gratitude. Based on how her eyes danced with pride and amusement, I dare say that she would extract a greater price than Michalis would.

…

Jarl Radulfr was more than glad to see us off, at least until he saw who joined us. His expression pinched as if he bit into something sour, but he dared not to speak of it as we departed that same day. At long last, our ships were on the move again. First we sailed down the river Lovate before quickly reaching its end.

From there, we lifted the ships out of the river and began to carry them overland. It was then that our few numbers per ship caused us trouble, because we only had thirty men to a ship and every ship was heavy with cargo. We eased the passage as well as we could -- securing ropes under the ship to pull the boat as much as we carried it. All the same, it was a grueling five days of effort that a lesser fleet could have made in a third of the time.

It was nothing less than a relief when we were able to set the ships back into a river. The Dnipro. And I saw for myself how winding the river was with its many branches, acting almost a labyrinth with many that promised dead ends. Michalis seemed quite comfortable with navigating that labyrinth, thankfully. However, even with an experienced guide, the river itself has so many bends in it that it proved to be a poor idea to unfurl the sails, leaving us only with the strong current thanks to Blistering Speed. Michalis seemed quite surprised by it and claimed that if it held, then we would make up for the lost time.

It still took days of sailing the unfamiliar river, and hard rowing when we encountered the white rapids of the river. Still, all the same, over a week later, Michalis informed us that we were nearing the opening of the Black Sea when we spotted a town known as Kiev, which was seated on the Dnipro. And, it was there that we stopped, however briefly.

"Go to Constantinople and inform the port authorities that a trading fleet will arrive in five days," I said, flicking a half dozen men a single silver coin. "You get that much now, and you'll get another if you return. Understand?" I questioned in stilted Greek. It was an unfamiliar tongue to me, but I was learning it quite quickly. Not as quickly as Dutch or Latin, though. "Seventy six ships under the command of Siegfried the Wolf-Kissed."

The dozen men were a rough sort, but they knew Greek. They were desperate enough to make the journey for two silver coins and they knew the language. Half of them, I suspected, would simply keep the silver coin they had, but the other half would deliver the message. It was necessary. The very last thing that I wanted was for my fleet to be mistaken as an invasion. More than that, it was important that they expect us for the sake of lodgings.

The dozen men ran off, quick to deliver the message for more coin. Which left me a few days in the town of Kiev. And, it was then something happened.

Opportunity Spotted!

Wine and Oil shall be in short supply in Constantinople within one month.

1.5x-5x the price dependent on quality and vendor sold to.

It was the first time that Opportunity Spotter, an Economic management boon I had taken so long ago, had activated. I nearly tripped over my own two feet when I saw it while walking in the markets of Kiev, having nearly forgotten about it. Stewardship had been sorely neglected over the course of the war, much to my shame. There was a point when it was one of my leading stats, but it had long since been overtaken by Martial and Learning.

Deciding to take the opportunity, I ventured into the markets determined to find both wine and oil. Only for Assess Value to prove that to be a poor idea. Wine and oil seemed to come from the Roman Empire, down to the south, and it was sold up north at greatly inflated prices. I saw as much when the value for a jug of wine was the reddest I had ever seen an item. Already, it was over twice the price of what it had been sold for. Meaning, if I wished to make the greatest profits, I needed to find where the wine was cheap.

Oils, however, were cheaper. Enough so that it bothered me none to barter for some. The oils themselves were apparently used in eating -- a necessity for eating bread, or so Michalis claimed. It seemed unnecessary when I tried some, but if people were willing to pay for it, then who was I to stop them?

In any case, the five days passed with relative swiftness, allowing us to continue onward to the Black Sea. It took another two days to reach the opening, and originally, I didn’t see why it was called the 'Black' Sea. The waves were still blue, even if a darker shade of it. However, it was when we sailed out into the open that the waves darkened until they truly did appear black. There was a rumbling amongst my men, some convinced that the waters were cursed, but it just proved to be motivation to row that much harder until we were able to unfurl the sails.

Excitement ran through me as I could feel us nearing our destination. Astrid, Jill, and even Morrigan had joined me staring out at the sight before us. It took the better part of a month to get here, but we were here at long last. I caught my first glimpse of it, and already, it stole my breath away. My imagination had filled in the blanks when I thought about what the greatest city in the world may look like -- I thought of Cologne, Frankfurt, Worms, and so many of the other cities I saw in Francia.

The sight of Constantinople, even at a distance, completely blew away my most wild expectations. Along the shoreline were impossibly tall walls that seemed to be gleaming white in the morning sun, the city itself sat on a gentle rise, and the higher the rise, the grander the buildings became. Peeking over the walls themselves, in a city that in itself seemed large enough to encompass the entirety of a Jarl’s domain, were buildings unlike anything I had ever seen. Beyond even what I could have thought to imagine.

Tall buildings with domed tops, yet unlike the ship shaped domes of my people. The buildings were so grand that you could have fit a half dozen longhouses within them. My jaw dropped as I drank the sight in, completely in awe of it. I wasn’t the only one.

“The dwarves must have built this city,” I heard Astrid mutter under her breath as we rapidly neared it. I didn’t find myself in disagreement -- the clumsy hands of men could not build such things. It was impossible. What I couldn’t imagine is what gift could be so great in the eyes of the elusive dwarves that toiled away in their underground kingdoms that it could have convinced them to build such a city for men.

“It truly is the greatest city in the world,” I said, knowing it to be true without even setting a foot inside it. I saw that there was a large dock that was closed off with a great iron chain. There was a lone ship that almost seemed similar to our longships, yet different. Taller, yet about as wide. Slower too, it would seem.

There was a man that stood on the bow, waving his hands to catch our attention. I waved back, showing that we had heard. He gestured for us to follow, and I was glad at least one of the men had delivered the message. Relaying the message to the rest of the fleet, we followed the ship around the coast of the city -- so great was it, that across the harbor was a second, smaller, city. It too, had tall walls. I was distracted by the sights, already trying to imagine what it must look like from within the walls. The little I could see possessed red tiled roofs and were built out of marble. Even the streets seemed to be made of stone.

The ship led us around two separate docks, both chained to prevent our entry, before he disembarked outside the city itself. It gave me a decent viewing of what lay before the city and it was a sight like no other -- there were three separate walls guarding Constantinople, the first being the shortest and the last the tallest. As if that wasn't a daunting enough sight for any attacker, before the walls was a long, deep, moat that was filled with water. The only way to get to the gate itself was with a bridge that was lowered from within.

I could only imagine how many armies had broken themselves upon those walls. Upon this city.

Only vaguely was I aware that my ship continued onward, beaching on the shore next to the Roman ship. It was there that a man in an odd armor -- Lamellar armor -- greeted us. "I am Lysander, greeting you on behalf of his imperial majesty Emperor Leo the Fourth! Would Siegfried the Wolf-Kissed step forth so I may escort him and two others to meet with Protospatharios Aetios to discuss his entry to the most glorious city under God, Constantinople!" Lysander shouted out, and before I could say so much as a word, Astrid leapt out of the boat, deciding that she would be going.

"Thorkell, with me. Olek, Hoffer -- keep everyone honest," I issued the orders before jumping out after Astrid. Lysander's eyes narrowed at Astrid, before going to Thorkell, before settling on me. In the past half year, I had grown. Thorkell was still taller than me by a head, but it was no longer a head and shoulders. I stood taller than the guard at least, and I noticed his gaze lingering on the scar on my neck. "I am Siegfried. This is my companion Thorkell, and this is my wife, Princess Astrid. It would be our honor to greet Protospatharios Aetios." I wasn't entirely sure what a Protospatharios was, but I'm guessing it was something like a Jarl.

To that, Lysander's eyes widened a fraction but he made no move to bow. He was surprised that I spoke Greek. He did incline his head to me before gesturing for me to follow him to the city gates. The moment he wasn't looking, Astrid drove an elbow into my ribs. "Princess?"

"Your father is a king now," I reminded, making her roll her eyes.

Passing under the considerable defenses of the city, I caught my first glimpse of Constantinople -- it was glorious. That was the only word that could describe it. The road was made of stone, as was every building. Greeting any and all travelers entering the city was a large statue that was so realistic that I wasn't entirely certain that someone hadn't been turned into stone  along with the horse that the figure rode on. It was also a sight that was cut short entirely too soon as we were led into a building near the docks that could have been a palace by the standards of my people.

Even the floor was beautiful, I thought, seeing symbols and shapes inlaid into the stone. I didn't dare step on any of them, afraid of causing offense. The walls were covered in rich tapestries, pedestals carrying vases and golden artifacts marked with jewels, every single one of them were something a king would be proud to own. And here, it was mere decoration. Lysander led us to a large set of double doors of dark wood, of which it too was engraved with gilded gold making the shapes stand out.

The doors opened at our approach, revealing the man that we would be meeting with. He had the same dark skin, hair, and eyes that Michalis had, though he lacked a beard. He sat behind a stone table of marble and gold, dressed in silks, rubies, sapphires, and gold. He was more finely dressed than even King Charlemagne. I could have easily mistaken him for a king in truth -- the room we were in certainly felt like a throne room. It was… overwhelming, honestly. Beyond my wildest expectations.

"I am Protospatharios Aetios, dear travelers -- entrusted with the sacred duty of welcoming you to our fair city on behalf of Empower Leo the Fourth, glory to his name," Aetios greeted us, his tone warm and welcoming. "We thank you for your warning -- we are unused to seeing such a mighty fleet being used for commerce. Though, I do understand, it is commanded by your army, Siegfried the Wolf-Kissed." He said, inclining his head to me as the doors were shut behind us.

I wasn't entirely sure how to respond. How he spoke was… flowery. Grand. "I am," I decided, confirming who I was, "and it is Protospatharios Aetios. We are mercenaries first and foremost, and the gods were kind in our last contract. We have fifty longships heavy with furs, amber, ale, jewels, and even unicorn horns. Even far in the North, we heard tales of this city and I wished to see it myself." I thought that was good enough, but, immediately, I saw his eyes harden.

"It gladdens me to know that the glory of Constantinople reaches far and wide," he began, an edge entering his tone that hadn't been there a moment ago. "As well as inspire such brave adventures to come so far to bear witness to its majesty. However, I fear it may be for naught. Constantinople is a city built by the grace of God, and it is He whom we worship and give thanks for all things. Am I to understand that you are… pagans?" He questioned, making my lips thin.

Christianity ruled here? I hadn't known that. That would have been a fine thing to know.

"We are," I answered after a brief pause. This was… not what I imagined it, to be completely honest. Would we be turned away at the gates? Barely setting foot into the great city? Both Astrid and Thorkell sensed my distress, even if they couldn't understand a word being said. "Is being a Christian the only way to enter the city?"

Thankfully, he shook his head. "Oh, no. Constantinople welcomes all from all walks of life. However, if you wish to trade in our glorious city, you must either be Christian… or receive a special permission that can only be signed by his imperial majesty." Ah. I see.

"May I ask how might a band of mercenaries receive such permission?" I asked, knowing exactly where this was going. At the very least, it would be a chance to blood the new warriors that I had with me.

Aetios smiled ever so slightly, gladdened to see that I understood. "To the south there is a territory known as Greece. It is a minor territory, but it is one that holds significant personal value to our great empire. Remind them to whom they owe their allegiance, and I can see to it that you are granted the right to trade in the greatest city in the world."

It was a poor deal. No matter how you look at it -- spilling blood and risking lives for a seal that would let us do what we came to do, with no other reward beyond that. However, when I thought on the magnificent sights that we saw coming in…

It would be worth it.

"Very well. You may consider the nation of Greece Roman once more."