Tyranny of Steel

Word spread across Europe almost overnight. Emperor Vetranis had done the unthinkable. After over forty years of sitting on the Byzantine Throne, the man had decided it was time to call it quits. Rumors immediately popped up about just what would compel the man to yield his throne to his grandson, and it did not take long for those who were curious to come to the conclusion that the Byzantine Emperor was very ill. 

Berengar had taken the first flight to Constantinople with his entire family in tow. His reason for doing so was twofold, one was that he needed to say a few things to the dying Emperor before he finally passed, and two, his son would soon be crowned Emperor of Byzantium, and thus, he would have to be there for the boy's coronation. 

With access to supersonic aircraft, it took less than an hour for the Kaiser to arrive in the ancient capital of the Byzantine Empire, where he, along with his family were greeted at the airport by Prince Alexandros, who had a wide smile on his face when he saw his father step off his plane. 

Despite being surrounded by armed guards, Alexandros did not fear his father's embrace, and quickly hugged the man, as he commented on his arrival.

"Father, it is good to see you. It has been some time since we last saw each other. How have you been?"

Alexandros was now eighteen years old, and Berengar could not help but notice how much the young man looked like himself when he was his son's age. Aside from the obvious differences in skin tone, hair color, and eye color, Alexandros had the same princely features of his old man. 

After taking a few moments to admire the man that his son had become, Berengar smiled, and placed his hand firmly on the boy's shoulder before assuring him that everything had been fine in his life up until this point.

"I have been good son, these last few years of peace have been good for my health. Your mothers ensure that I neither eat nor drink too much, and maintain optimal health. Perhaps it is due to their efforts that I have aged so gracefully, despite entering the halfway point of my life."

Alexandros simply chuckled at his father's words. The man was acting as if they hadn't seen each other in five years. While it was true that he had moved to Constantinople after graduating from high school, that was not even a year ago, and even then he had quite frequently visited the fatherland.  Still, it was nice to see that the old man was doing well, and thus Alexandros smiled and nodded his head, before leading his family into the vehicles that awaited for them. 

"Well, I believe that is enough of pleasantries. Grandfather is very ill, and he does not have much time left. However, he wishes to see me crowned as emperor before he passes, and so I'm afraid time is of the essence. Come with me, and my drivers will take you to the palace." 

Berengar did not say a word, and instead nodded his head, as he and his large family gathered into several armored cars which took them back to the palace. Though Byzantium had the technological capabilities of a pre-industrial state, they did in fact purchase vehicles and bio-diesel from the reich, for the sake of safely transporting the Royal Family across the city. 

As Berengar drove through the streets, he noticed the changes in the city that had occurred over the last five years. Undoubtedly, these changes were the result of his son's hard work, who for the last five years or so, had been secretly running the Byzantine Empire from behind the scenes. 

What was once a medieval state had entered into the early modern era. Animal and water power were extensively used throughout the city, while plumbing now existed in every household, both for disposal of waste, and transportation of clean water. 

Hospitals existed throughout the city where doctors trained in the Reich were able to provide medication manufactured in the Reich for their patients. There were even a few surgeries being done in Constantinople. And while the Capital of Byzantium was a thriving metropolis, the rest of the Empire, especially those parts east of the Bosporus, was still playing catch up. 

The only things that were missing in Berengar's eyes were the steam engine and electricity. If the Byzantine Empire had access to those two things, then it would likely have entered into a state equivalent to the late Victorian era by now. That did not, however, mean that Byzantium was lacking in means of transportation. 

As part of a grand effort on behalf of Prince Alexandros, and via coordination with the Reich, not only did a large high-speed rail system exist between the two nations, but there was also an airport, built, maintained, and operated by the Reich. This was the facility that Berengar had landed in earlier. 

While the Reich rapidly advanced into the technological capabilities of the cold war and beyond, those European States which swore fealty to Germany were just now approaching the industrial revolution. However, something was holding them back, and the reality was that German Imperial Intelligence was keeping critical technology out of the hands of the other European states. 

Even Alexandros could not receive approval to start up his own chemical production, or industrial factories. His father would never allow the world to catch up to the Reich, and thus, the Prince of Byzantium could only sigh, and ensure that his people relied on Germany for all the luxuries they now took advantage of. 

After a brief trip through the city, Berengar and his family arrived that Palace, where he stepped out of the car, only to be immediately greeted by his daughter Helena, who rushed up and hugged her father, along with her little sister Valeria who was significantly younger than the teenage princess. 

By now, Helena looked almost exactly like her mother Honoria did when she first entered Kufstein all those years ago, which brought a tear to Berengar's eye as he remembered the past with fondness.

However, Helena was no pirate queen, nor a free spirit like her mother. Instead, she spent most of her time in her room back in Kufstein. If anything, the girl was what one would consider a nerd. She enjoyed playing tabletop role-playing games with friends, and writing fantasy novels, where the main character was almost always inspired by her father in some way or another. 

When she saw her father finally visit constantinople, she and her younger sister jumped into the man's arms, and hugged him tightly as they welcomed the man to their mother's ancestral home. 

"Father, you're finally here! It's been so long since I last saw you. Did you miss me?" 

Berengar scoffed when he heard this. All of his daughters were like this, and in a way greatly resembled their mothers in that regard. If he was away for just a few weeks, they would get all excited when he finally returned to them.

Today was no different. It was only a fortnight ago that Honoria took her children to Constantinople to visit their grandfather one last time before the old man finally croaked. Yet, here the girl was pretending it had been a year or longer. However, Berengar did not mind this treatment, and instead pet both of his daughter's heads, as he accepted their affection..

"Indeed, I did. Tell me, what have the two of you been up to while your elder brother is preparing for his coronation?" 

Helena and Valeria looked at one another for a brief second, before the two girls wore a coy smile while responding at the same time, with the same words. 

"It's a secret!"

Berengar simply shook his head and noticed that Alexandros was rather impatiently waiting for him to conclude such a pointless conversation. With a heavy sigh, he broke away from his daughters' embrace before walking towards his son, but not before leaving one final statement. 

"Well, I'm sure I'll be surprised then when you finally reveal it to me. Now, if you girls don't mind, I have an important meeting with your brother and grandfather." 

After saying this, Berengar followed Alexandros throughout the Byzantine palace until they finally arrived at the main bedroom, where Vetranis lay in his bed, narrowly avoiding death. Once outside the front door, the byzantine prince stopped his father, and gave him one warning before permitting entry. 

"Grandfather is very sick and is on the verge of death. Please, don't say anything startling to the man or he might very well die on the spot..." 

Berengar nodded his head in silence before opening the door, where he saw the old Byzantine Emperor lying on his bed. The man had clearly been withering away these past few months because he was as gaunt as a skeleton. 

When Berengar first learned of his father-in-law's diagnoses, he figured the man would be dead within a month. And yet, stubbornly, the old bastard held on for three whole months, waiting for his grandson to take the throne, so that he could die knowing that his Empire was in good hands. 

Thus, Berengar was not surprised that the man was in such dire straights, and simply knelt down by the side of his bed, waiting for the Byzantine Emperor to notice his arrival. Several moments passed before a bony hand reached for Berengar's own, while a raspy voice called out to him. 

"So... You have come at last..." 

---

If you're not reading this on Webnovel, consider supporting me by donating at https://ko-fi.com/zentmeister