Tyranny of Steel

During the night that Honoria had escaped, she had stumbled across a prostitute who had taken pity on her. Despite taking an enormous risk, the woman promised to lead Honoria to the harbor and help her fulfill her wish. That wish was to escape her marriage to the effeminate prince of France and visit Austria, where she might finally get a chance to meet the man who could potentially be her destined partner.

With the prostitute's guidance, it did not take long for the two to arrive at the harbor where a merchant's galley was docked. It was a decent size ship and was fully capable of crossing through rivers like the Danube. After boarding onto the vessel, the duo noticed a man resting on its bow, where he had a book placed over his head and a large jug of wine near his feet.

However, as soon as Honoria and the prostitute saw the man sleeping on his ship beneath the starry sky above, the woman who had accompanied Honoria kicked the man in the shin and chastised him as she did so. 

"Agnellus, wake the fuck up!"

After receiving the impact from the woman's kick and hearing her shrill voice as she screamed at him, the man was instantly startled; as he awoke, the book fell from his face and onto the deck of the ship. The moment he looked over, he could see his little sister, whom he had not spoken to for some time, glaring at him as if he was some form of scum for simply resting during the night.

The man struggled to break free from his intoxicated state and began to rub his temples before he fully realized what was going on.

"Melissa? It has been some time... To what do I owe the displeasure?"

At this moment, the man noticed the beautiful young girl next to Melissa, and a lecherous grin appeared on his face. However, after seeing the look on his face, Melissa snapped at him.

"Wipe that disgusting expression off your ugly mug; she isn't some piece of street meat you can buy for the night! This is a noblewoman seeking passage to Austria, and you should show her some respect!"

When Agnellus heard that Honoria was a noblewoman, he quickly cleaned up his act and bowed his head while apologizing.

"Apologies, my Lady, it is just that with the company that Melissa tends to keep; I assumed you were in the same profession..."

Agnellus was smart enough to realize what would happen if he dared to lay his hands on a noblewoman and quickly got his act together. He might be a drunk and a lecher, but he wasn't a fool. Honoria merely nodded in response without saying anything. She was warned on the way over by Melissa that the less she said, the better. 

Agnellus just realized that Melissa said this young girl wanted to travel to Austria and immediately became suspicious. As such, he voiced his concerns.

"Austria? That is a long journey; even if you paid me to take you there, I would first have to know why. There is no way a noblewoman like yourself would hire a mere jewelry merchant like me to take you to a foreign country, especially without an escort. Just what kind of trouble have you brought to my doorstep, Melissa?"

Melissa folded her arms before criticizing Agnellus once more; she knew the man would never risk smuggling the princess out of the Empire; the risk was far too significant. Thus, she made up a half-truth about her identity. 

"She comes from a minor noble household, and they want to marry her off to some queer. So she's running away; if you know what is good for you, you will keep your mouth shut!"

Hearing this, Agnellus began to scratch his bare chin. This was a complicated situation he found himself in. However, when Honoria reached into her satchel and pulled out a large gold bracelet encrusted with diamonds, the man's natural greed instantly took hold. 

Honoria struggled to find her voice amid her anxious state before speaking.

"I... I don't have any money, but I can pay you in fine Jewelry, is this enough?"

Seeing such a high-quality piece of Jewelry, the merchant immediately gazed back and forth between Honoria and his sister with a glance of suspicion before questioning Melissa's statement.

"A minor noble household, huh? There is more going on here..."

Honoria had a worried look in her eyes as she stared at Melissa with a pleading gaze. After seeing how desperate the girl was, the merchant known as Agnellus sighed heavily before deciding. 

"Fine... I'll take her, but it is only because I am headed in that direction anyway. There is a lot of business to be had in that part of the world nowadays. Supposedly there is a booming jewelry market in Kufstein with designs that people have never seen before. Come aboard; you can stay in the captain's quarters; I guess I will live with the crew for the next couple of months."

Honoria quickly thanked the man before stepping aboard

"Thank you!"

afterward, she began to walk towards the captain's cabin. However, before she could do so, she ran back and grabbed ahold of Melissa where she hugged her as if she were a dear friend while thanking her.

"Thank you, truly from the bottom of my heart; I thank you for everything you have done for me. I promise never to forget your kindness so long as I draw breath!"

Melissa's cheeks began to flush as she heard such appreciation, and she immediately pried the princess off of her before responding.

"I am just helping out a kindred spirit; go, get on the ship and make yourself ready for the voyage. One last piece of advice is to try to hide in the captain's quarters for as long as possible. The crew members are not to be trusted."

Honoria looked at Melissa with a questioning gaze; she did not know what the woman meant by that. However, she quickly nodded and smiled before saying her farewells.

"Goodbye Melissa, I hope one day we may meet again!"

after doing so, Honoria entered the Captains' cabin, where she laid down on the bed while Heraclius perched on the desk, keeping a watchful eye over his master. Outside of the house, Agnellus began to interrogate his sister for the truth. He had many suspicions and needed to know the level of risk he was taking by smuggling the girl out of the Empire. 

"Who is she? What kind of shit have you gotten yourself into?"

Melissa immediately tried to dodge the question.

"I told you she is a minor noble-"

However, before she could finish her sentence, Agnellus cut her off.

"Bullshit! Did you forget that I am a merchant who specializes in trading fine Jewelry? The bracelet that she showed me is worth a fortune! At the very least, she would have to be the daughter of a very wealthy Strategos to afford such a thing. Tell me what I am dealing with and the level of risk I am taking for smuggling her out of the Empire!"

After thinking about it for a few moments, Melissa sighed before revealing the truth.

"She's Princess Honoria, and she is trying to escape a marriage. That part was genuine; she has told me she would rather die than marry that pillow-biter of a prince she is engaged to. You have to protect her, Agnellus! At least so long as she is on your ship... 

She has no idea how the real world works! She ran away from home to flee to Austria, hoping to meet with the Count of Tyrol because she had heard a few good stories about him and thinks he is some kind of prince charming! She has never even met the man!"

Agnellus could instantly feel a headache forming in his head, and as such, he placed his forehead in the palm of his hands before quietly scolding his sister.

" Jesus fucking Christ! You want me to smuggle the fucking princess of the Empire out of its borders? Have you gone mad!?! Do you have any idea what the palace guard will do to you when they find out you helped her escape? You will be lucky if all you get is a quick beheading! Why the hell would you help her?"

Melissa began to pout for a few moments before revealing her reasoning.

"Part of it is because I feel pity for her..."

Agnellus eyed his sister carefully before asking her for the remainder of her reasoning.

"And the other part?"

Melissa immediately stamped her feet in protest before blurting out her actual reason for helping Honoria.

"Just once, I would like to see a girl not get screwed over by her family. Is that too much to ask?"

Agnellus was conflicted when he heard this; He was well aware of the reasoning for why Melissa worked as a prostitute, and it essentially had to do with their parents. He rarely spoke to his sister, not because of her profession but because he could not very well look her in the eye after knowing that he had done nothing to stop her fate. As such, he sighed heavily before acquiescing to the request of his little sister.

"Fine, I will take her to Kufstein, and as long as she is on my ship, you have my word I will protect her. However, once she is in Kufstein, she is on her own. I suggest you get the hell out of the city before people realize she is missing! She is not exactly inconspicuous; she has bound to have left a trail to your doorstep!"

Melissa nearly jumped for joy as she latched onto her elder brother and hugged him dearly. Shortly after realizing what she had done, she let go and coughed to avoid the awkward atmosphere that had taken place.

"Thanks! I'll owe you one!"

Agnellus, on the other hand, merely scoffed as he responded to her statement.

"You can repay me by staying safe, seriously get out of town! Go to Athens! or Antioch, but whatever you do, do not stay in Constantinople!"

Melissa nodded her head and smiled before departing. After she left, Agnellus sighed before thinking to himself.

"Fuck me; I am too kindhearted in my old age..."

By the standards of the medieval era, he was, in fact, reasonably old; he was currently in his mid-thirties, and he had seen too much in this life to be considered young. Despite this, he still had a good nature and thus agreed to help Honoria. Partly because of the wealth he would gain from doing so, but more importantly, he too felt bad for the girl. 

As such, Agnellus quickly got to work rounding up his crew and preparing to set sail. After realizing who he was smuggling out of the city, he had no desire to stay within its borders longer than necessary. After an hour of preparation, the ship cast off, and for the time being, the crew was unaware that a beautiful young girl was staying in the captain's quarters. 

It would be a long journey to Kufstein, with many stops on the way. During this time, Honoria was bound to have some adventures of her own; when she finally reached Kufstein, she would be shocked to find out that Berengar had risen from the position of a Count to that of a Duke in such a short time. Perhaps Berengar would have elevated his title to a King by then; the future was uncertain. 

By the time the imperial family of the Byzantine Empire realized that Honoria was missing, she would be long gone, and their only clue which was Melissa would have long since disappeared. Where she ended up, nobody knew. However one thing was sure, she would be better off there than if she had stayed in the confines of Constantinople.