The Gathering of Soldiers: The Roman Legacy

By Jiwoo Yong

This book series will surely allow the readers to have a taste of the people's lives, especially those of soldiers during the last decades of the Roman nation in the 1400's AD. It was hard to live back then and the world around the Romans was even harder with full of miseries, agony, death, and pain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marshill Ink LLC
• Release date: Apr 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781957387598

Jiwoo Yong

This book will be the mirror to the author's personality and character. The cover drawing is illustrated by @teli_moha. He was one of the members of the church I attended who currently lives in South Korea. More information are written in the disclaimer section in the book which is right after the title and the copyright section.

Book preview

The Gathering of Soldiers

The Roman Legacy

The Gathering of Soldiers

The Roman Legacy

Jiwoo Yong

The Gathering of Soldiers: The Roman Legacy

Copyright © 2022 Jiwoo Yong

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher and of the author, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Printed in the United States of America

Mars Hill Ink

16 Madison Square West,

New York NY 10010

ISBN:978-1-957387-25-3 (Paperback)

ISBN:978-1-957387-59-8(eBook)

The disclaimer Inspired by the long Lifespan of Roman Nation which spanned over 2 millennium and became a very influential nation in this whole world throughout its time. Furthermore, some of the book’s contents may be offensive and harsh on sensitive readers. Therefore, caution is necessary when reading this book. Also, you may not agree with other contents of the book since they are derived from the characteristics including culture and religious matters of the 15th century Southeastern Europe. Lastly, it’s a creative nonfiction which tries its best to give the readers a real-life experience of that time. The illustrations in the book are done by Mahmoud Sayed, an Egyptian man, Victoria Iskruk, a Ukrainian woman, and Dillon Primrose, a young American. The illustrators were all amazing, they all had their own styles and you may be able to tell the difference. They were all hired from Upwork website and much credits go to all my illustrators for making this book more alive. Lastly, the significant parts of main character traits were based on my three middle school friends, Sebastian Ito, Jesse Casimiro, and Arturo Sainz, and myself.

The illustrations in the book are done by Mahmoud Sayed, an Egyptian man, Victoria Iskruk, a Ukrainian woman, and Dillon Primrose, a young American. The illustrators were all amazing, they all had their own styles and you may be able to tell the difference. They were all hired from Upwork website and much credits go to all my illustrators for making this book more alive. Lastly, the significant parts of main character traits were based from my three middle school friends, Sebastian Ito, Jesse Casimiro, and Arturo Sainz, and myself.

Section 1

Chapter 1

To Constantinopolis and Beyond

Apasios, wake up, the captain’s making an announcement. A young man tapped on Apasios’ shoulder while speaking.

Ugh, are we there yet? Apasios was awakened from his deep sleep.

Apasios is a seventeen-year-old teenager who was on a ship going towards Constantinopolis. It was late March of 6945 Anno Mundi, and he was on his way to a special military service approved by his teacher back in his hometown near Corinthos. The young man who was shaking Apasios is Petros, and Apasios was still half asleep when Petros started speaking again.

No, we’re not there, but we are nearing Selymbria for a break. Petros said.

Just then, the captain started speaking.

Attention folks, we are almost at Selymbria right now, so, take a quick break there to do whatever you ought to do, and we’ll resume our journey when I blow the horn, understood? The captain stood tall on the upper deck, looking down at the passengers below. As he made the announcement, two of his higher-ranking workers stood next to him, one at his left and the other at his right. Everyone muttered out their agreements or simply nodded in response, this kind of announcement was made from time to time, and it was nothing serious, so they all immediately went back to their business.

Where’s Galen? Apasios glanced at Petros.

Galen was Petros’ master and the guide to Apasios. He was also a friend of Heraclius, and Heraclius was Apasios’ training teacher. For now, Galen was guiding Apasios to a special military organization, and they were heading to Constantinopolis due to a sincere request from Heraclius.

He’s below the deck, he’ll be up soon. Petros said and pointed below them. It was sometime in the morning with the sun shining brightly above the horizon, but Apasios was still quite dizzy at the moment. It was because the previous days of his journey had taken much toll on him and he was struggling to keep pace with Galen and Petros. He didn’t know why they were hustling so much, nor did he ever ask them why. It also seemed as if the whole world was against him, since he was literally shoved away from the monastery when his three years of education ended there, then his parents happily bade him farewell, and didn’t even try to bring him back to the house. After that, Galen and Petros took him across boring fields, crumbling roads, dirty streets of various villages, harbors, and towns, and they’ve just sailed for such a long time that it felt like his body was suspended on the water at all times.

Obviously, Galen and Petros weren’t enough of a nuisance, since the captain gave him no comfort by sailing his ship through the previous night to get to a random town that he didn’t even know. Even though Apasios had a deep sleep, his body ached quite much due to sleeping on a sailing ship. Soon, Apasios looked up at the captain and realized that the old man was sauntering around on the upper deck smiling in joy and drinking from his wineskin every so often. Furthermore, the captain had these twelve men who worked for him, and they would also drink much wine and make merry all over the ship. However, Apasios was in no mood of making merry with any of them, so he began eating his bread and cheese in a corner by himself and looked at his surroundings.

There were other Romans on the ship with him, a few of them were soldiers who were hired to travel with them and help the workers maintain order on the ship, and the rest were civilians like himself who are also going to Constantinopolis. They all ate food similar to what he was eating and some of them even had fish and fruits. A while later, Petros joined him for breakfast and gave him a fish to eat.

After a long while, they docked at the harbor of Selymbria. As the ship was about to dock, people slowly looked around like sick patients looking for the doctor, thinking about where they should go, and when the ship stopped, they went out to take care of their various business. Soon afterwards, everyone came back to resume their journey. When the ship started sailing again, Apasios looked around and again saw the captain, but this time, he was sitting on a chair, apparently tired, but yet still, holding onto the wineskin to drink at a moment’s notice. Having been interested in that old man since way back, Apasios walked up to him to exchange conversation.

Sir, do you know the messenger of Constantinopolis named Galen? Apasios said after taking a look at his surroundings.

Yes, but what makes you ask that? The captain looked at him carefully.

Galen is my guide, he told me that he takes your ship whenever he has occasion to travel. Apasios moved closer to the captain. So, I was wondering if you guys knew each other very much. Apasios put his right hand to his chin in a thinking posture.

Ah, that takes me way back in my life… Galen is my close friend’s son. The captain thought for a while and took a sip from his wineskin. Then, he looked back at Apasios in a nostalgic expression. I’ve known him ever since he was born and he’s like a nephew to me. Seen him growing up too… When he was around your age, he became a soldier to defend his home city, Thessalonica. Captain stopped talking and he was lost in thought.

So, what happened after? Apasios was very curious, but he was also annoyed that the old man would just stop talking when it was becoming interesting.

The captain made a miscellaneous gesture with his hands. Many years passed, and we made him flee the city when there was no hope of fending off the Turks… Then we came to Constantinopolis, and Galen started working as a messenger for military. He then took a deep breath. He contacted me months ago about this voyage that he had to take since he wanted me to be ready to transport him when the time comes. The captain leaned back in his chair.

Wait, so you move your ship based on what Galen says? Apasios said.

Yeah, it’s a long story… My friend gave me all rights of this ship to me, saying that he just wants to retire and go back to his family farm. The captain sipped on his wine skin. But, when he did that, he also gave me a couple of stipulations to adhere, which was to help Galen, his son, in the messenger work, to the best of my abilities as this ship’s captain. Suddenly, he stood up from his chair and looked at Apasios. Also, I need to send a small portion of my profits to him so that he could have an easier time taking care of his household expenses. Then, he stretched his arms, trying to get himself to stay awake.

How long have you been working as this ship’s captain? Apasios took a bite from his Cheese.

For more than 20 years.

My dad is a merchant sometimes; with other merchants, he goes on a voyage every summer to sell his crafted tools and other things of value. Apasios glanced back at the sea and pointed south. Crete Island is his favorite destination, have you been there before? Apasios looked back at the Captain.

Yes, I’ve been there numerous times during my voyages as a big merchant, brings me back old memories. Captain chuckled.

"That’s great, it has great trade benefits thanks to Venetian Republic, which has control of the island.

But, why aren’t you carrying loads of merchandise? Apasios pointed at the ship full of passengers who were sitting around conversing with each other.

Oh, I quit being a merchant a few years ago, pirates are somehow increasing in numbers. The captain shrugged. The merchant ships are their main target, so I just transport people now in exchange for money. He sighed.

Didn’t you say that it’s been relatively peaceful though? Apasios was surprised and he looked around at the sea.

Yeah, it had been so when I was actively working. Captain smiled a bit and looked at his ship in confidence. But with increasing threat these days, I’m more of a retired personnel who doesn’t work much... He suddenly looked very sad.

How has it been so far transporting Galen on his request?

Oh, it’s been nice, better than what I had expected. We traveled often in the Aegean Sea, going to various places that he requests. Captain chuckled again. When I have to take him there, unless he has to hurry, I also take along many other people who are going somewhere in between his destination and where we had started from. Also, big ships are uncommon, so Galen likes to travel on mine as much as possible. He cleared his throat and drank some wine.

Why does he like big ships? Apasios lifted his eyebrows in curiosity.

Because he always brings his horse, it would be much of a nuisance on a small ship. The captain pointed at the horse which was sleeping somewhere at the main deck close to them. Apasios knew that Galen brought his horse, but it’s just that he didn’t know Galen would bring it at all times on his journeys. Then, he talked with the captain, rested, ate some food, and fed Galen’s horse until he noticed the glimpse of Constantinopolis far away. Soon, the captain ordered his workers to adjust the sails to the rightful location that the wind favors. Many people came up to the upper deck to see Constantinopolis with a better view. Galen and Petros got up to the main deck and the horse neighed, getting the attention of its owner. Thus, Galen thanked Apasios for taking care of his horse and sat with him as he waited for the ship to reach Constantinopolis. It was well into the afternoon when the ship came to the Kontoskalion Harbor of Constantinopolis. It was an unbelievable scene for a lowly teenage peasant boy like Apasios. Such privilege and prestige to just be right there at that time on the way to becoming a soldier, he felt great joy inside which was very overwhelming. That time felt like forever to him, he remembered it in his heart as the moment when Constantinopolis accepted him as one of its protectors. That amazing moment was finally over when their ship docked. Apasios calmed down himself and followed Galen, Petros, and other Romans on their way out of the ship. They thanked the Captain when they saw him bade farewell to his customers, and then took on a long walk to the military headquarters through many streets passing many buildings. When they reached their destination, Galen gave the credential note to the staff members. One of them looked at it carefully and said, Look, I think you guys are honest, but you have to go through the second process because there had been too many liars. The staff member looked at the note for the second time. This Heraclius guy, hem… I don’t know him, that’s why I’m still suspicious even though the seal is genuine. But we’ll take this, so just come back here next day, then we will tell you what’s up. He then put the note into the bag which was next to him and looked back at Galen.

Even when Galen argued vehemently for Apasios, he still couldn’t convince the stubborn staff members, so he cursed and left for the local inn to stay the night with Apasios and his servant. Those stubborn bastards won’t see the truth. Gosh, you see it now. This is how inefficient the system has got to. Galen clenched his fists very hard and he closed his mouth shut in anger.

Apasios and Petros looked at Galen with a surprised look since it was the first time that he had gotten this mad. Therefore, Apasios offered him the wine that Petros bought from the dining hall down below. However, Galen thought otherwise and walked to the dining hall. At the end, they sat around at a small table and started ordering dinner.

I’ve been working as a messenger for around eight years now, and nothing changes for the better. Galen sighed deeply and with his hands, felt the roughness of the table before looking back at Apasios and Petros. It’s always gloomy here and poor people constantly increase in number to the point that it’s not even the biggest issue here in Constantinopolis, but just another commonly seen nuisance on the streets. This time, he stomped lightly on the table with his fists.

Workers’ wages are low, and people suffer much… But thankfully, I’m still content with mine, since it lets me live my life without any tightening budget issues. Galen looked around at other people who were seated around them.

Well, it’s definitely not what I had imagined it to be… I’m shocked right now. Apasios also looked around at his surroundings.

People who’ve never been here before still have their fantasies regarding this place, but that’s a far cry which they’ll immediately abandon once they set foot here. Galen chuckled and drank his wine.

The slums in which I used to live in were worse than this area. Petros said and shook his head in disgust.

Galen, is it true that you lived in Thessalonica? Apasios carefully looked at Galen.

Galen flinched back in his seat. Hm, yes, where did you find that out?

The ship’s captain told me. What’s his name though? Apasios realized that he had never found out about the captain’s name.

Oh, Pelagios, I call him Uncle Pelagios. Galen yawned for a while. He’s a great man, I like him… Galen had a nostalgic look, perhaps thinking back at his past.

What makes you think he’s a great man? Apasios shifted himself on his chair, trying to get into a comfortable position.

He’s a man of his words, and a good friend to my father. Galen looked up at the ceiling and then back at Apasios.

I was wondering, what happened at Thessalonica? Captain Pelagios told me that you left the city with him. Apasios said.

We escaped the city even though the Venetians commanded that no citizens dare leave it. Galen suddenly laughed joyfully. I was among the lucky ones who escaped before the most horrible year… Didn’t Heraclius talk about this with you? Galen looked at Apasios with a smile.

No, he didn’t, all he said was up to that point too, he wouldn’t talk about it… Apasios shrugged. But, I want to hear what happened there. Apasios had a curious look.

Man, that guy… Anyways, it was depressing, very much to the point that the enemies were starving us out, and my family even sold the house to make ends meet. Galen sighed and ate some of his food. By the year when I left, the Venetians had some ships armed with artilleries and many crossbowmen were on the walls guarding. Galen chuckled in an uneasy tone.

However, I knew that in the long run, the city will lose to the Turks, so my family and I, along with Uncle Pelagios and his family, and as many people who were trying to leave the city, successfully snuck out of the city for good on that ship we just traveled on, and came to Constantinopolis. Galen grimaced in disgust.

Where was Heraclius? Apasios said and ate some of his food.

I told him to leave with us at that time, but he refused, he’s a tough soldier… So, he stayed and who knows how he survived at the end when the city fell… Galen nodded and smiled in satisfaction after eating some fishes.

That’s how the night went for them, with Apasios and Petros talking with Galen regarding the interesting stories of their past lives. When they were done eating, they went back to their room to sleep. The next day, they all went down to the dining hall and ate breakfast. Then, Galen insisted that Apasios wash himself in the bath house since he has to look nice and healthy in front of the recruiter. He didn’t give him further details about where he’s going, but just took him to be washed up.

When all three were washed up, they set out back to the headquarters in haste. The weather was much calmer that day, allowing more people to go about their business in the streets. When they finally reached the headquarters after forcing their way through the crowd, they were surprised to see the same staff member waiting outside the building, waiting patiently and waving at them to come quickly.

Sorry sir, I was hypersensitive yesterday, so I was waiting for you all this morning. I knew it was urgent, but I was such a fool to make you wait. The man seemed genuinely sorry.

You! Galen barely held his temper and resumed with a calmer tone. I told you it was real. This boy really needs to get there, it was his teacher’s wish, and can we be able to accompany him along with you to the place?

Ok, I fully trust you guys now, and yes, I’ll guide you to that place. The man said with an uneasy smile.

After that, the four people made their way deeper into the city, towards the great church of Hagia Sophia. Apasios looked at the church for a while, especially at its domed top, and he compared it with the picture in his head. Of course, the great church was not so great church by now, and it became a sorry shadow of its marvelous past and it was more like a ruin. The church had enjoyed better days until it was cleaned out by the 4th crusaders, the very people who were sent to fight the infidels.

As he was thinking about the church’s past, the staff member pointed towards a group of buildings.

That’s the building that you want to get to, it’s at the far end, do you see that small building? And, here’s the note you gave yesterday, just hand it to the man in there. He handed the note over to Galen.

Ok, I see them, take us there so that he won’t get suspicious. Galen said and took the note. The guide agreed and once again, they walked, and approached the door. When they knocked on it, a soldier officer came out. He then noticed the guide and let them in.

Ok, you may leave now, I will take care of these travelers. The officer said to the guide and saw him go away in peace. He then turned to look at Galen, Apasios, and Petros to speak.

So, tell me, who are you guys?

I’m Galen, one of the messengers of Constantinopolis, he’s my servant, Petros, and he’s Apasios, a student who’s applying to join this military organization. Galen pointed at each person in respective manner.

Oh, I know the name Galen, nice to meet you. The officer held out his hands and Galen shook it. He then looked at Apasios. As for you, do you have anything that I can see? The officer waited for Apasios’ response.

Apasios said ‘yes’ and gave the officer the note that Galen had handed to him before. The officer looked at it and nodded slowly.

Your name’s Apasios right? When Apasios nodded his head, he continued. Now, let me tell you this, The officer cleared his throat before resuming his talk. This thing that your teacher sent; it means that you will be sent to a special group of soldiers kept in the Princes’ Islands. He pointed at something on the note for Apasios to see. Look here, he erased his name, and put your name instead. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not, that’s because I don’t know if you’ll be able to adapt to the changing situations. The officer paused for a while to think. Other than that, I recommend you to go there since not only do they get paid better than soldiers here, but also seem happier… However, it’s up to you to decide. Officer looked at Apasios to decide.

What? Special troops on that island? Oh yes, I would definitely want to go there. Lead me to that place sir, please? Apasios was very excited to be traveling again, because his home life was just so boring that he would do anything to avoid a sedentary lifestyle, and the officer’s opinion didn’t matter much to him.

The officer chuckled. Ok, I guess that you can go there, but I tell you, it wouldn’t be what you expect… You may not like it since you would be confined there for much of your life. Understood?

Apasios nodded his head in determination. Therefore, the officer returned the note back to Apasios and showed them the map of the area and pointed at a location.

This is the tavern where you must go if you want to join the organization. Just hand over this note to the tavern keeper, he’ll know what to do right away. The officer wrote another note with his signature. This will let him know that you’ve passed the second process. He then patted Apasios’ back, since Apasios was standing upright and seemingly very tense. Relax dude, you don’t have to be so serious and formal, just take it easy, I see a good future in you. He grinned and gave his signature note to Apasios.

When Apasios thanked the officer for everything he did, he dismissed him to go for his destination.

After sometime of walking, Apasios saw the destination, and realized it was just another ordinary tavern, so it disturbed him since he felt like he was tricked. Suddenly, Galen stopped Apasios.

Wait, Heraclius told me to give this to you. He then handed a stack of papers to Apasios. This is his training summaries with you, and you may need to give it to whoever takes you to that island, he should know how to deal with it. So, good luck! Galen said and waved his hand as Apasios walked away thanking him.

When Apasios went into the tavern, he saw many people drinking and making merry. He walked up to the tavern keeper and showed him the note, along with the officer’s signature note. The man looked at him carefully, then slowly disappeared into the back of the building while his co-worker took upon his position. A little while later, the man came back out with his bag, and motioned for him to follow. Apasios followed him back out onto the street.

We will head out for the Kontoskalion Harbor, and we shall find a person who will get us there. The tavern keeper pointed towards the harbor. Apasios nodded and they waited to fetch a wagon to take them to the Kontoskalion harbor. Apasios waved Galen a good-bye and continued his journey with the tavern keeper.

How are you involved in this organization? Apasios said.

I used to be an imperial guard and worked diligently for many years, so the emperor favored me and gave me the privilege of being in this kind of situation of accepting the recipients of the note for the Princes’ Islands militants. The tavern keeper motioned at Apasios to hand him the note. Even though the note isn’t yours, there’s the signature of the previous owner, so it means that he feels you’re qualified to have this kind of life. He said while looking at the note.

The officer who gave me the signature note said that I would be confined in there for much of my life, is that true? Apasios was starting to get uneasy about the situation he was getting himself into. He initially agreed with Heraclius’ recommendation since he had nothing else planned for the future when his education term in the monastery came to an end. However, as it was really happening now, all of a sudden, he wanted to go back home.

Well yeah, it’s a lifetime contract. It’s not too late to quit, you can always quit before you sign the paper at that island.

The tavern keeper’s response felt like a death knell to Apasios, which made him shrink back in his seat. However, he just couldn’t give up now, after all he had been through, so he decided to ask more questions. He then started finding out more and soon learned that the tavern keeper’s name was Helios. After a long time of chatting behind the wagon, the driver told them that they arrived at the harbor. Helios paid the driver and motioned for Apasios to follow, then they went checking for ship after ship after ship until Helios finally pointed to a sleeping man near a small ship.

Hey! Wake up! Helios shook the sleeping man and he was forced awake.

Oh, huh? What? The man slowly opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. What are you doing here waking me up? He then grimaced at Helios.

Come on Adam, an old mission has reached us again, after all these months of not doing anything of this kind. Helios shook his head in frustration. Seriously, why do I always see you out here getting drunk? Get a wife or something. Helios sighed.

Says the one who doesn’t have a wife either. Adam chuckled when he saw Helios flinching. Don’t you dare tell me what to do Helios. He coughed a couple times.

Hey, just focus on your task, we have a recruit today. Helios pointed at Apasios.

Ok… Adam shifted his gaze to Apasios. So, he’s the chosen one for today?

I guess so… He’s not the recipient, just a student of the recipient. Helios said.

My teacher gave it to me, his name is Heraclius, he served as a soldier captain in Thessalonica. Apasios held out the notes.

Adam slowly sat up and carefully looked at Apasios for a while, then took his notes to take a look at them for a moment.

Adam nodded his head while looking at them. When finished, he turned to look at Apasios. Hm, I guess I will bring you to the island’s Lord, he will know what’s up. But man… Geez… Adam scratched his head and patted the sand, frustrated by the annoying turn of situation for him. He looked at his wineskins around him and started thinking. He was used to getting drunk by the beach and doing nothing since his life was just so happy thanks to his income from the government and the island’s Lord being much more than enough. Oftentimes, some of his sailing buddies would come by to eat and drink together, and Helios, along with that officer guy would join him as well, so he didn’t feel like doing a chore as of that moment.

Come on Adam, we need to do this. Helios said and held out his hand to assist Adam to get up.

Back to reality, Adam grabbed Helios’ hand and got up. Then, he slowly looked around his surroundings and moved over to grab the wineskins while telling Helios and Apasios to step into the ship nearby.

I need these to get me going. Adam held up his wineskins for them to see.

Ah, come on… You already drank so much, knock that out, you need to sail this ship! Helios said as he took away the wineskins. Adam was enraged, but he accepted his fate and moved on, and when others got into the ship, he began pushing it into the sea to be sailed and they were sailing in a short moment.

Chapter 2

Informants of the Sea

When Adam was busy shifting sail and rowing to set the course right, Apasios showed his training summary papers to Helios.

My teacher wrote these during our training sessions.

Hm, let me see them... Helios took the papers and skimmed through them. When he was done, he smiled.

May I keep these papers for a while? Later, I would like to go over these with Adam. He glanced at Adam, who was still busy. Also, the lord of Princes’ Islands is quite brutish and unreasonable, but I know how to interact with him, so it’ll be in your best interest to trust me on the safe delivery of this document. Helios had a calm expression.

Oh, thank you! I’ll feel better seeing that out of my hands too. Apasios smiled.

Huh? It seems that you don’t know how important this is... Helios raised his eyebrows in confusion.

No, not really… Apasios shook his head.

I don’t usually see this kind of document from the new recruits. Helios started flipping through the papers, then he pointed at something. Look here, it’s very detailed and shows the step by step procedures of how you improved over time. Not many teachers go this much into depth… Since it requires a keen sense to observe you during the training sessions and then memorize them at the same time to write them down later on, and finally, the patience and diligence to keep at it until your departure, which added up to be around two years. Now, the Lord will have a much easier time in determining what kind of soldier you are.

Oh… That’s very interesting… I never looked at it like that. Apasios then asked to see the papers, but he still couldn’t understand how important they could be, so he gave them back to Helios who later moved over to the baggage areas to organize their stuff. After a while, Adam, who had apparently finished with the early part of the voyage where much shifting of sail and rowing was needed here and there, came over, and with Helios gone for the moment, he secretly took out a wine skin to drink.

Hey kid, are you hungry? Adam said and drank the wine.

Yes, very much. Apasios nodded and realized that his stomach was empty.

Adam burped after a long drink from the wineskin. Good, I have something for you then, He then moved to a makeshift fireplace on the ship and brought a sack near it.

Here, why don’t you set these firewood and bushes here to be burned later? Don’t worry about burning up, firebricks around them will protect the ship. Adam looked on as Apasios began following his instructions. Good, now I will get other things to cook with. He then looked at Helios. Hey Helios! Bring us that pan will ya? Adam said before walking away to get more supplies that he needed.

When he returned, Apasios had already set up the wood and was waiting for further instructions.

Ok, here’s a bowl, a sack of ground wheat, a sack of oysters, some spices and salt for flavor, cabbage, and radish sprouts. Adam spread them in front of Apasios, then he continued with his talk. We will make our lunch with these, so why don’t you wash those vegetables and your hands with this bucket of water and chop the vegetables into thin pieces on this board? Make sure you conserve the water. Adam looked on for a while to see if Apasios was doing things up to his standards.

Apasios agreed and did as he was told and later, Adam started taking out oyster flesh from its shell. They soon checked upon each other’s skills of preparing food, and Adam was more surprised because he didn’t expect a boy to be good at it.

It seems like you’ve been cooking for a long while. Adam said after a while of looking at Apasios’ performance.

Yes, I used to work as an assistant cook in a church for 3 years, I learned so much there. Apasios then looked at how Adam was working, a burly man with meaty arms, perhaps as strong as ancient Socrates, and had the look of a seaman, the thick skin and curly black hair, cutting open oysters with ease.

Man, I never knew you would be so good, so I was just going to do it myself but thought you may get bored, and it was a good choice that I made to let you try. Adam chuckled. Want to know what we’ll be making? It’s called seaman’s flat cake; preparation is very worth it at the end when you get to taste. Adam paused for a while to crack open the last oyster. I’ve already put oyster flesh in this small bowl, so in this large bowl, I will pour water over this ground wheat and mix them, that’s why I told you to conserve the water last time. When he was done, he showed the mixture to Apasios. You should take a look; it’s not as well formed but more like liquid. It’s not going to increase in size when you cook but will taste better than bread with right ingredients.

Oh, so we mix all these together in that large bowl? Apasios looked at Adam’s bowl in happiness.

Yup, you got it boy. As Adam was mixing the ingredients, he told Apasios to start the fire and place the pan over the opening of the furnace so that it would heat up right in time. After all that was done, Adam spread olive oil on the pan and after a while, poured some of the mix onto the pan. It sizzled angrily and they waited while it was cooking.

I eat this many times during my stay out in the seas, very tasty. Adam pointed at the pan.

It seems so, it also looks strange to me, I’d never eaten this kind of food. Apasios nodded.

You’ve never been with a true seaman then… Adam paused to drink from his wineskin. I spent more time on seas more often than I did on land, this is just my private ship. He chuckled as he was thinking of something. Years back, I worked as a captain in the imperial navy and when the government was laying off soldiers, I got laid off too and worked odd jobs from ship to ship until I got this job. Adam gazed at the pan for a moment. However, you won’t eat this often since people don’t really cook while they’re out on the seas, too dangerous without the right equipment, so instead, they come to the shores, cook them, and eat. As he was talking, Adam flipped over the flat cake with just his pan.

Hoa… you work just like the main cook that I was assisting. Apasios had his mouth open wide.

Yeah, it comes with years of doing the same thing over and over, you tend to get lazy to even use the utensils. Adam looked around him for something. However, that doesn’t mean that I would use my hands to eat. See? I brought the forks and plates for the three of us.

Wow, thanks, I’m getting so hungry now, can we eat that already? Apasios’ mouth was starting to water.

No, we have to wait a while longer. Hey Helios! Come here, let’s eat this food that we made. Adam waved at Helios.

Soon, Helios came over and sat around them at the makeshift table looking at the food that Adam and Apasios were cooking on the pan.

Oh, you’re making that again huh? Helios sighed as he looked at the food. Yeah, it’s pretty good when you have it from time to time, but I don’t get how you could eat that pretty much every day without getting tired. Helios shook his head in disbelief.

Yeah, you are right, I need to get other things to eat, but you know, this is a tasty meal which I like so much. Adam excused himself to tend to the sails to handle the boat into correct course again. He then returned a while later.

Adam, Helios had mentioned that there’s this town on Princes’ Islands, I’ve never heard of it before, how is it like? Apasios held out his plate for Adam to give the flat cake.

Oh, it’s an isolated town on the largest one of the Princes’ Islands, which is just barely alive thanks to trade with Constantinopolis. It’s also a most likely destination for the exiled nobles and heretics. Adam chuckled and gave some flat cake to Helios. More importantly, its civilians’ highest source of income is from soldiers who go on raids and then spend their earned income on the town, which in return use them for their needs. Adam resumed making more flat cake on the pan. That’s not to say that the town is without all its fun: there are bathhouses, a market square, and some taverns where you can get your desires met and perhaps meet your lover. Good thing is that, ever since the current Lord had been placed there, the town went through a slow but steady growth in favor of its populace.

How many soldiers are there? Apasios was interested.

Ah, just around 100. Adam shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.

Apasios stopped eating. Wait, just 100? Why is it that few?

Adam glanced at Apasios. What, then how many did you expect?

Uh… I hoped it would be around several hundred… Apasios became really sad.

Oh, you’re in it for a rude awakening, because those hundred soldiers will be different from any hundred soldiers you’ll see in Constantinopolis. There’s a meaning to it when we call them the iron legions of Prinkipo. Adam chuckled for a while.

What’s Prinkipo? Apasios resumed eating.

It’s the name of the biggest island where those soldiers and the greatest number of people live. There are actually several islands of the Princes’ Islands that we refer to. You’ll see later. Adam looked around to see if the ship was sailing in the correct direction. Thus, they continued eating while talking and getting to know each other and about the Prinkipo military. While eating, Helios showed Apasios’ training summaries to Adam and they looked over them carefully. After that, they tried their best to tell Apasios what it’s like serving as a Prinkipo soldier up to the best of their knowledge. When the meal was finished and everyone had their fill of drinks and food, they threw away the remaining bits of food into the sea for the fish and washed their dishes with sea water.

The salt in this water cleanses the filth that gets left behind and I think that’s enough to keep things clean. Adam said and smiled in confidence.

Back in the monastery, we used these blocks that would rub out even the thickest of filth and oil, don’t you know about those? Apasios said.

No, never heard about them, but you can clean the dishes for me if that’s how you will be satisfied though… anytime. Adam took the plates that Apasios cleaned. Apasios just nodded in acknowledgment and helped reorganize the utensils and food that they had laid out. After cleaning up, Adam sailed the ship towards the island.

Chapter 3

Harsh Job Application

Look! There’s the town! Adam said.

By then, they had sailed past some other islands. Apasios asked whether Adam would stop over at those, but he denied, and replied that they must sail for some more. Then, suddenly, they had sailed past a thin strip of peninsula and Apasios noticed a large tree stump-like structure on its end, but he didn’t put much thought to it and waited as Adam sailed the ship to the harbor.

Hey! How’s it going? Adam shouted his greetings to a group of fishermen who were just about to go out on a fishing trip.

The fishermen greeted him back and shouted at him that the Lord had some tasks for him at the harbor station. Adam looked at the harbor station for a while but shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing. There were many ships docked at the harbor, and surprisingly to Apasios, some of them were quite big, and there was the biggest ship docked closest to the station.

Why are there so many big ships? Apasios pointed at the ships.

Those are for the Prinkipo military. The soldiers use them when they go out to raid or transport goods in bulk from Constantinopolis or from other cities nearby. Helios said. Apasios nodded and waited as Adam was docking the ship at an empty spot. After that, Adam led Helios and Apasios towards the station where they would stop by before going for the military base.

Hey man, what’s up! I heard that the Lord had some tasks for me. Adam said to the station manager.

Oh yeah, here they are… You know, they’ve been long overdue, so, I don’t think he even remembers it by now. The station manager said.

That reply just shocked the dullness out of Adam’s trait, and his eyes immediately opened wide and said, Wait, they are long overdue? But I never miss my tasks! Adam couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

Ehem… Who was the one that was getting drunk by the harbor every single day? Helios quietly reminded him from behind.

Errrgh… Damn, I should’ve known to stop by the island every once in a while. Adam looked sadly at the papers. He hasn’t been giving anything for like a month, so I stopped coming by, man, it’s so unfair... Ok, I’ll take these, and thanks for your patience in not throwing them away. When the station manager nodded in acknowledgement, Adam stormed out of the station. After that, Helios and Apasios followed him into the town. There were many people walking around in it, but Adam was too busy reading the documents to greet them. You know, come to see it, it’s not even a hard task. All he wants me to do is request this technology from the emperor and bring the documents to him. Also, he needs supplies from the blacksmiths that he had requested… three months ago. Nothing serious, wouldn’t be too hard… Adam muttered to himself as they were walking in the town.

You see here, Apasios? Helios pointed at their surroundings. There are all the things here which a young soldier like you need. Lots of food, a nice bath house, taverns with much to drink, and then a church. I heard that soldiers here attend it every Sunday along with other civilians. Helios said as they were following Adam.

Wow, it must be very cool to live here. It seems small, how many people live here? Apasios said.

Around a thousand people, not that many compared to Constantinopolis, but still enough for a military lord to be placed in it to oversee. Remember those fishermen whom we saw earlier? Helios looked back at the harbor. They will catch fish and then sell them here or at Constantinopolis’ harbors. After that, they will return back here, that’s been their lives as far as I can remember. Then, there are farmers, merchants, and others. Helios slowed his pace to match that of Adam.

Oh yeah, that reminds me… Apasios slowed his pace as well. Are there any blacksmiths here? If they are here, why was Adam muttering to himself regarding having to bring back supplies from Constantinopolis? Apasios was starting to feel that coming here wasn’t a bad idea after all, because there were lots of interesting things to learn about from this strange place.

There are a few blacksmiths on this island. Helios chuckled for a moment. But first, they aren’t quite skilled with the things that Lord asks for, and they focus on meeting the needs of the harbor and town’s civilians.

Then, they all continued walking for some while up along the path, and suddenly, they noticed the wooden fortress.

Look! That’s the fortress. Helios pointed at the fortress.

When they went closer to the fortress, Apasios found out that it was more like a wooden palisade than a fortress. Indeed, it was quite short in height, so that a thief could easily climb it if given the chance. Therefore, Apasios sighed as he followed Helios and Adam.

Aren’t the fortresses made of stones? Apasios said.

Well yeah, but there aren’t many stones around here. Helios pointed at their surroundings.

Also, the soldiers are reluctant to ship in stones to build their fortress. So, they make it with what’s available to them, which is wood and lots of dirt.

Ok, I see… Apasios felt disappointed even more this time.

Adam turned around to look at Apasios. Aw, don’t you feel let down… He tapped on Apasios’ shoulder. This fortress’ area is bigger than it looks from here, I heard that they were planning on eventually having hundreds of soldiers stationed here. He tried to reassure Apasios. Apasios nodded in relief and walked along with Adam and Helios through the gate. Ironically, the gatehouse and the watchtowers were quite tall.

We need to walk some ways to the headquarters, follow us along this road, Apasios. Adam said.

And again, Apasios was disappointed. It was because the inside looked more like barren fields without many buildings. There was one big building in the middle, quite some distance away, and the smaller ones were crowding around that big one. He looked around further and saw the trees which were apparently not cut down and were growing in masses in the fortress. It was such a laughable scene to him and was never like what he had expected to see when he heard about a fortress in this island. Looking at the soldiers, Apasios was bit surprised that they were wearing various kinds of armor, from light leather vests to heaviest plates. The plate armor shined in silvery light which looked like a historic scene from the books to Apasios. He admired heavy infantry since they were hard to kill and had a great chance of surviving each battle. The arrows would simply bounce off their armor while the same are lethal to light infantry. The soldiers began looking at him now after stopping whatever they were doing. Apasios soon got very uncomfortable, but Adam and Helios were greeting them as if they knew them very well. That moment went by fast and they all stopped at the headquarters in the middle of the fortress.

Adam stretched his arms in relief. Finally! We’re here guys! Anyways Apasios, all you have to do now is wait until I call for the Lord. He breathed deep to prepare for a shout. Lord Perikles! We brought you a recruit!

An awkward silence fell on all of them until a man came out of the headquarters, he was tall and very muscular. He soon jogged to them. Hey Helios and Adam, good to see you again, but I don’t recall recruiting anyone. Lord Perikles looked confused.

Here’s the seal that this boy had, here, take it. Helios replied on behalf of Adam who was too shocked to say anything.

Lord Perikles took it and looked at it with a funny expression. I don’t remember recruiting for this flimsy child. Then he shoved Apasios, who fell backwards since he wasn’t ready to receive it. Look at that, Helios! You call him a recruit? Lord Perikles turned to look at Apasios. How old are you, boy? He had a look which told Apasios that he was very annoyed.

I… I just… turned 17. The words came out more like a stutter for Apasios.

Lord Perikles sighed. Well, happy birthday for you child, guess what? Your present will be for you to go back home.

Helios and Adam were taken aback and stared at Lord Perikles. By now, all the soldiers who were previously training were standing somewhere behind them looking at the situation. However, Lord Perikles started walking away back to headquarters, cursing because he was disturbed from whatever he was doing inside. This scene made Apasios very angry since he thought all along that Heraclius had planned it straight and good, but that wasn’t so since he had met obstacles frequently along his journey. Therefore, he needed somewhere to get rid of his stress, and the man’s rage came out from inside him as he began unpacking his bag to unleash his secret weapon.

The soldiers gasped at Apasios when he got himself ready to shout at Lord Perikles. He shouted with all his strength, then the voice came out very loud, which satisfied him so much. I never came here to be rejected, Lord! My teacher believed in me! That’s why he sent me here! Give me a chance to join your force!

Apasios had a longsword in his right hand and the buckler on his left hand as he shouted those words. Lord Perikles paused in his tracks, just in front of his building as he heard Apasios shouting, he paused there without looking until Apasios finished up his words. He then slowly looked around when Apasios finally finished, looking at him intently. After a while, perhaps sensing the seriousness of Apasios, Lord Perikles started his way back to where Apasios was standing while unsheathing his sword.

What happened right after was so fast that Apasios barely had time to act against it. Lord Perikles suddenly sprinted and he took a nice charge. Apasios was barely able to escape to his left while putting his sword out to confront Lord Perikles’ strike. ‘clang!’ The force of Lord Perikles was just too great that Apasios almost lost his grip, but he held on while deflecting the strike by making a wide arc move that kept him safe while keeping focus on Lord Perikles. Apasios let out a cry and he gave a strike, but Lord Perikles easily confronted his downward strike with his own sword. However, Apasios was ready for this and he banged on Lord Perikles’ stomach with his buckler. The lord grunted and he moved out of the way, but, as he moved out, he slashed at Apasios’ sword which made it go flying towards Adam and Helios, who panicked and ran away behind other soldiers. Apasios gasped for a while due to losing his weapon, but he took advantage of Lord Perikles’ triumphant moment by striking at his sword held hand with his buckler which sent Lord Perikles’ sword flying away. Now, it was Apasios’ turn to start grinning triumphantly as he was about to strike Lord Perikles with his buckler. However, a quick moment of good feelings ended when the angry lord delivered a hard punch on Apasios’ head. The punch didn’t completely phase him out, but, it was what happened afterwards: Apasios collapsed backwards and his hands weren’t quick enough to catch himself. Therefore, when his head struck the ground, it was over. Lord! Why did you do that! He’s just a… Apasios heard this from Adam just before he fainted.

Chapter 4

The New Friends and Outfit

He felt someone touching him, but he ignored it since he was still too tired. However, the touch became a shove and came out a voice.

Hey, hey, I brought you food.

Apasios looked up and saw a random soldier with a bowl of stew.

I’m tired, leave me alone. Apasios said and sighed.

The soldier shoved him again. No! You have to eat. You’ve been knocked out for a long while, so I was afraid that you died from concussion. However, here’s this soup you have to eat if you want to join. The soldier handed over a bowl full of soup with a rectangular plate underneath to catch any spills.

Okay okay, geez. Apasios slowly opened his eyes and received the plate. Then, the soldier brought over more pillows so that Apasios could half sit while he consumed whatever food that he received. It was some soup, smelly herb soup boiled with root of some kind in the bowl. It tasted awful, so Apasios spit it out next to the bowl.

Yuck! Who made this stuff? Apasios wiped his mouth with his shirt’s sleeve.

The soldier gasped as he looked at what Apasios had done. Dude, it’s our tradition that newbies eat it to enter into this system. Passing this challenge proves that you’ll be able to have the guts to survive in the organization! The soldier came close to Apasios.

Apasios no longer had any strength to talk anymore, so he just slowly consumed it. It was more like forcing the contents into his mouth since it tasted very bitter. The soldier kept on saying things to Apasios when he was eating it little by little, it was very annoying and Apasios just hoped that he would get away. It seemed like forever and he was almost finished with the soup.

There you go! That’s a good boy, now go ahead and finish up everything. The soldier pointed at the soup.

Apasios didn’t like this guy, because he had bothered his sleep, and threatened him to consume the soup just as if he’s Lord Perikles himself. He couldn’t protest though, so he just calmed down his anger and finished the soup.

Good, do you feel much better now? The soldier looked at the empty bowl in awe. Not at all, I feel much worse. Apasios said and cleared his throat.

Oh hey! You could talk more now, that means that you got better. The soldier motioned at Apasios to give the plate and the bowl back.

Darn, I hate you. Apasios held up the bowl and plate for the soldier to take. Soldier took them away and went outside. A while later, he returned and stood next to Apasios.

By the way, I’m Seth, I already know your name, so you don’t have to tell me. Seth began smiling. I liked how you shouted at Lord Perikles. How were you able to do it?

Well, I don’t know… That wasn’t me at that time, that monster comes out of me only at the vital moments. Apasios stretched his arms and then shook his head to try to stay awake.

I loved it buddy. All of us don’t have the courage to yell at him like that, but you did it just after seeing him. How old are you? It seemed Seth was having a time of his life.

I’m 17. Apasios was getting tired again.

Woah… You’re just 17? Damn, you have big guts, really big guts. I would’ve just begged at his feet to let me join if I were in your situation. I’m 21 and I can’t do it, neither can a 30-year-old man in our force, we all just don’t have enough guts to shout at him. Seth put his head down in shame.

What was so cool about it? Apasios glanced at Seth in a tired look.

Seth looked back at Apasios. Because, many of us had always wanted to shout at him from time to time when he would get that attitude and treat us with a very rude manner. He then made a growling sound. However, none of us have much courage like that, I mean, we have lots of courage to fight the infidels, but not the courage to go against him, so all of us actually cheered for you out there. He laughed at the end.

Oh… But, what does he think of me now? Apasios was suddenly interested.

I don’t know, who knows? Nobody knows… He never told anyone about what he will do with you. I asked him once and he just shrugged it off and said he’ll see to it in the future. Seth looked around for something.

Wait, hold on, what happened after I collapsed down? I fainted, so I have no idea… Apasios raised his voice by now. He was annoyed that he had missed out on everything.

Oh, that? Adam and Helios came running at Lord Perikles to stop him from giving you more punches. Adam kept on telling him that was enough because you were out cold. Seth started acting out the scene and Apasios started laughing. Lord Perikles was raging but he also seemed quite stunned from his previous actions, so they calmed him down real fast. After that, he ordered some of us to carry you into the hospital, which is here, but how’s your head feeling? He then pointed at Apasios’ head.

I feel this ongoing pain which doesn’t feel like it’ll subside anytime soon. Apasios patted his head and he felt very dizzy.

Hey, to be honest though, Lord Perikles wasn’t even going hard on you at that time. Seth chuckled for a while. In my calculations, he was using less than a hundredth of his capabilities on you, he even let go of his sword on purpose, but still, take the challenge as a great thing you’ve received since he doesn’t personally check on recruits’ skills in fighting when they get here. "What? I thought I was going to