Chapter twenty-eight
Money can't buy happiness, but no money can't buy happiness either
Thebes/Thessaly, late summer 788
Theodore arrived home in late summer, after a campaign that had been an utter failure. His wife greeted him more compassionately than usual, while inspecting the loot he brought home from the war regardless.
"Oh, you're wounded."
He sighed and glanced down on his body, nodding. The spear of a Thessalian commander he had fought in the first and second battle Smyrna had pierced it.
Maybe time for a new suit of armor. Now he could easily afford one, after all.
The bigger surprise however was that things had changed at home the past half year.
Theodore first had troubles determining what exactly it was, or where it had started. Had it been the apparently stand-by stable boy he never saw before, that took his girdle and horse off him as soon as he jumped off?
Or was it the new carpet in the hall- this was new, certainly.
Or the two young women waving air, or the bard?
Theodore stopped in the hall, his wife next to him stopped too and interrupted her counting of the brought in treasures.
For heaven's sake, whatever it was, that bard was wrong. This was still his home!
"Go to Thessalonike, they won the war, might be they like bards!"
Leontia cocked an accusing eyebrow at him, but ushered her new servants to go on in their chores, as she walked on, hanging her arm in with his.
"Did you really have to toss him out of the window right away?"
"He was annoying me!"
"I'll show you annoying."
"And we're on the ground floor anyway!"
"Exactly my point. If you want him to shut up, throw him off the balcony. Speaking of which."
The couple entered the salon, with a slight lazy gesture Leontia ordered the entourage following them- besides the fan-wavers an armed escort, a scribe and a little boy carrying drinks on a tray- Theodore rubbed his eyes, only on second sight he recognized his youngest son in the outfit of a page.
"Why hello there, young man! Looking great, and my, you've gotten big!"
He smiled down on the child, patting his head and ruffling his hair. The boy had strong, short black hair and seemed to be developing muscles already- he came right after his father, Theodore observed , not without pride.
Theophylakt smiled widely as his father recognized him- all too often he got to hear his father had no time for him right now.
Theodore, for once, did not mean to leave out his anger over the failed war on his kid. If anyone, his wife, after all she got the spoils too.
Theodore told his son to wait, then closed the doors after him and Leontia as they entered their salon.
She sat down on her favourite sofa- from Euboia- , he sat next to her, elbows on the knees, and rested his head in his hands.
If he had hoped this might make her embrace him, it was in vain. She started eating sweets.
"So what happened at Smyrna? I had contradicting reports, and the bard was full of lies. As I said, you should have taken him to the balcony."
Theodore sighed and leaned back.
"Everything started perfectly. I've written you in january, remember? That we'd march for Smyrna and then Thessalonike."
She nodded. "And that I should send orders to Phil and Gregor to head north, which I did. But they weren't at the battle, they said."
Theodore nodded grim and shifted around so he could look at his wife. Somehow she still managed to get fatter. Then again, he was currently getting richer, so it made sense in a way. Same as all these servants.
"They better not go against their orders."
She rolled her eyes in response. "So what happened? I heard the Khan of Bulgharia died in battle-"
Theodore interrupted her and slammed his fist in the open other hand.
"Yeah, have you now! Well here's what actually happened. Can you stop eating for just one damned moment! So we first marched north to relieve Smyrna, the Christians from Thessalonike had it under siege. We defeat them, drive them back. So far, this all worked wonderful."
He took a deep breath, she resumed to snack on her sweets.
"So far I know, yes. Then you marched on Thessaly to meet up with Phil and Gregor."
Obviously, Theodore could not miss out on that opportunity. After the successful raid on Athens, Thessalonike, with its Strategos waging his private war, was defenseless pretty much and made easy pray.
A few galleys dispatched in the western cyclades had safely brought the loot to Thebes.
He nodded now.
"It was too easy, obviously. So what happens? We lay siege, but after some weeks we get reports, the remaining Thessalians are laying siege to Smyrna again.
So, Khan Tervel orders the combined armies to turn heel and march back to drive them away from Smyrna again."
He sighed deeply and then buried his face in his hands once more, beginning to sob.
"We had almost fivethousand on their eighthundred and what happens? What happens?"
He grabbed his wife and would have likely shook her, if not for her significant weight demanding actual effort and intent to do so.
"What," she just said, with her face, thus the same expression as always.
Disarmed, he let go off her shoulders andburied his face in his hands again.
"High Chief Vukasin - Chief Blaz- and the High Chief Draz of Ochrid- we gotcut off in battle- and the Khan-"
She rolled her eyes.
"So you did betray him in battle, as I had heard."
"It was me or him! Would you liketo pay a ransom of seventy solidii in gold for me?"
"Of course not."
"See!"
She slapped him, he angrily pushed her off.
"So they got the Khan then?"
Theodore sighed and nodded.
"I've never been so embarassed in my life."
Leontia smiled (thus, she looked as boredas usual) and patted his arm.
"That is what you think, darling. Do you like the new curtains here?"