The Purple Crown

Alexios I

Alexios Komnenos took a sip out of his hot mint tea and watched his brother Isac march up and down the room. They were 7 men in the room, all available men of house Komnenoi. Brothers Isac, Alexios, Adrianos, Alexios' son John, and Isaac's two sons, and Alexios' loyal slave, Tetikios. The men all looked the same, darker brownish skin, black thick hair. There was no mistaking that this was a family gathering. Of course aside from Tetikios. Only a few had seen the face of Tetikios. The Turkish slave always wore a metal war mask that covered his face. The creepy metal smile carved on the mask, and the cold gaze that reached out of the eye holes on the mask was all most people saw of the man.

"You talk too much brother. Shouldn't have opposed Lord Doukas openly," said Alexios suddenly, his words cut through the nervous silence. Isaac turned to him in haste.

"Someone had to say something before he started acting like the Emperor. Dogs only come out once the lions are out of sight."

"Except we are no lions. If we don't move carefully, it will be our heads on the line."

"You think too much Alexios. If its going to snap where it grows thin, so be it."

Alexios took another sip from his tea.

"That's the soldier in you talking." Isaac laughed.

"I suppose I picked my job well, then."

Alexios changed subject.

"Any news from the Emperor? The eastern garrisons?"

Isaac shook his head.

"No news. We know Romanos' army was crushed, and Andronikos Doukas marches west with 10 thousand men. Aside from that, nothing. No attacks on garrisons, no Turkish raids into our lands."

"Weird," commented Alexios. Something did not add up. Their army was destroyed, the Emperor was supposedly killed, the doors were wide open to the Turks. But no attacks came.

"It is the tradition of the barbarians to miss their chance. Turks are stupid people by nature," interjected Alexios' younger brother Adrianos.

"Maybe. We will learn soon enough" Isac responded.

The barbarians often lacked the unity and the command to capitalize on opportunities at times, Adrianos had a point. But Alexios liked to assume there was always a logical explanation, and here there was only one.

"The Emperor is not dead I don't think. There is a reason Doukas wants to rush this."

"You think they are lying?" Isac asked.

"Either lying, or they are unsure." Alexios sighed. "Doesn't matter though."

"The hell do you mean doesn't matter?" Isac contested.

"Half the palace is on their side, and the Varangians. There will be no greater truth than what John Doukas says."

"Unless it is revealed that Romanos Diogenes is alive, then what he did will be treason." Alexios wasn't sure, but he did not want to argue further with his brother. Romanos Diogenes never had a firm grip on power. That's why Empress Eudokia had picked him as her husband to begin with. He was a military man, with no backing in the palace. This meant that he would supplement Empress Eudokia's position, without posing a threat to her rule. So long as he won wars, he had legitimacy. But now... He had suffered the greatest defeat since the days of Michael of Amorium centuries ago. Nobody wanted a war hero that could not win wars. That had brought the end of Emperor Michael of Amorium, and would bring the end of Romanos Diogenes no doubt.

His thoughts were interrupted by the subtle knock at the door. The men all looked at each other. John Doukas had dared to publicly contest the Empress, what was stopping him from seizing power, by force. Alexios saw Tetikios grab his sword.