The Golden Bough

[chris2c4u]

The crowd was mostly made up of apprentices. They jostled one another for a view from the unglazed window at the top of the Palace of Constantinople.

"Who's won?" a voice came from the back.

The tall apprentice to the scrivener blocked the view to the Hippodrome and the chariot racing and others complained and he squatted down a bit. Though they could see half the track they couldn't be sure of the result unless they listened to the cheering for Venetii or Prasinoi.

"Shhh...listen..." the small crowd of young men fell silent until it was clear the blues, the Venetii, were the victors. There was a mixture of laughter and groans and a few small denomination coins changed hands.

Standing a little aside from the main group was a slightly older man. Not so long before he had been an apprentice too but now had served his time and was a journeymen - making him someone to aspire to but also a little cut off from the friends he had had as his status now didn't allow him to be quite so free and easy.

Christophorus Angelus was now fully fledged assistant to the court astrologer and he held in his arms a sheaf of manuscripts that he was supposed to deliver from the library to his master, Symeon Comnenus. Something was certainly afoot - of late the astrologers had been working long hours at the request of the Emperor - someone or something's fate seemed in the balance.

He smiled and took his share of the winnings and headed down from the high room while the others waited for the next race to start. Christophorus was a tall dark haired young man and his strong legs took the spiral stone staircase steps two at a time, slowing when he neared the hall he approached. Here there might be courtiers and he was far from exalted, even though he bore the name of a previous Emperor's family. In reality hs was a distant twig on that grand family tree, more closely related to the olive growers of the Greeks, though there were those who looked at him sullenly and thought he had reached his position at court through family influence rather than hard work, though the latter was more true.

He hugged one of the painted walls of the hall that thronged with courtiers, bureaucrats, traders and petitioners and headed for the recesses of the palace, to the astrologer's rooms.

One there he quickly took the documents to his master's desk. The older, thin man looked up from a chart he was constructing and nodded at Christophorus. He asked his young assistant to sit by him as he pointed out to him the forthcoming conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter.

The master stopped curling a bony finger in his beard and pointed at his assistant. "I think you should have a part in the work," he said and Christophorus smiled. His master shook his head.

"I am glad to see your enthusiasm but this work..." he tapped the chart, "seems to indicate - dark things." He sighed. "Go - fetch the mathematical tables from next door and you can help me."

"Yes, thank you." Christophorus turned excitedly for the door.

His mind, understandably, was on these higher matters. Perhaps it explained why he turned left at the door and walked straight into the Lady Viviana Karantes.

A thread for Luna-fey and myself; feel free to comment in PM's about the story.

 

[Luna-fey]

Lady Viviana Karantes

“Of course that can’t be him,” exclaimed Lady Viviana Karantes adamantly in a hushed whisper.

Anna giggled. She was three years older, married, and she delighted in teasing the younger sister who had sometimes tortured her in her own youth.

“Oh, Mother would never allow it. He doesn’t have nearly enough assets,” chimed in Theodora, imitating her mother’s lofty tone. Theodora was two years older than Anna and had inherited their father’s plucky sense of humor.

“He’s so old,” sighed Viviana, peering at him through her veil.

“Not necessarily a bad thing,” teased Theodora, “If he dies you’d be an exceptionally young widow—“

“Thea!” Anna chided, stifling a laugh.

“—if you survived the wedding night,” continued Theodora with an evil grin, “I wonder where else on his body he has such dreadful moles.”

The women were speaking of Bardos Asanos, a wealthy merchant, who was eagerly watching the chariot race and scratching nervously behind his left ear. He was in his early forties and had a thick beard that did not quite hide the obtrusive mole on the bottom right hand corner of his lip.

The crowd eagerly hailed the Venetii as the victors. “Paulus will be pleased,” mused Theodora, referring to her husband. “I’d better get back to him before he gets to the wine. I at least want my share,” she added mischievously.

The sisters headed back toward the palace. Viviana kept glancing toward Bardos and she could not quite mask her worry.

“Don’t worry, Viviana,” Anna comforted her, “Thea’s right; Mother wouldn’t accept him for you. He hardly has a title. And Papa’s sensible enough to make a good choice.”

Viviana was not so certain. She had just turned eighteen and it was important she married. She was the youngest of six sisters. Six! Lord Alexios Karantes made it clear enough that, although he dearly loved his “six muses,” no father should have the agony of safely wedding six daughters. The Karantes women were famed for their beauty and Viviana’s sisters had done well for husbands; she was the only one left unwed.

Alexios Karantes favored his youngest daughter. Viviana had a quick mind and an often “too agile” tongue. She was the daughter that was finally supposed to be a son. Alexios had indulged his daughter’s natural curiosity. He doted on her to the displeasure of Viviana’s mother who felt that the girl was far too precocious for her own good. As a child, Alexios would allow her to play while he studied and read. It wasn’t long before she was in her father’s lap, pointing at the letters on the manuscript. He had taught her letters, philosophy, the old stories of gods and heroes, mathematics, and astronomy. Viviana’s education was a family secret. The more she learned, the more she craved to know.

Viviana still struggled with some of the more ancient manuscripts and she wanted to achieve greater fluency. She was also fascinated by the movements of the heavenly bodies and their astrological interpretations. If she didn’t tell her mother, Alexios had promised Viviana a tutor.

Viviana was far more excited about her studies than she was about the prospect of her marriage. She hoped it took time for her parents to find a suitable suitor.

“You’d better hurry, Viviana,” said Anna, “Isn’t Mother waiting for you?”

She was. Viviana was to have a lesson in the proper way for a wife to meet and greet the dignitaries and guests of her husband. Viviana suppressed a sigh.

She hurried down the hallway toward her mother’s chambers. In the court, she was permitted to walk around without her veil, which she hastily removed. Viviana had a lovely heart shaped face and long, wavy chestnut colored hair that was neatly plaited. As she passed an archway, she collided with another figure who was also in a hurry: Christophorus Angelus.

Viviana’s hands braced his chest reflexively as their bodies made contact.

“Excuse me!” she exclaimed, with a faint note of irritation in her voice. She was going to be late.

 

[chris2c4u]

Christophorus managed to stop himself before he knocked the young woman over and his hands went to hers as they rested gently on his chest. His clear blue eyes met her gaze before he realised, as she did, the difference in their social standing. He had committed so many trespasses of the rules of etiquette in just a few seconds!

He released her hands quickly and stepped back, dropping his gaze.

"No, sorry it was my fault entirely," he murmured as he glanced around hoping no one had seen him embarrass the young woman. He stepped back and left just as she stepped to the right...then they both danced back together the opposite way. The determined Viviana stood still and almost put her hands on her hips to defy him but somehow managed to remain lady like until he had managed to flatten himself against the wall for her to walk past. As she did so he could see her fall in with the other woman she was walking with and he thought he heard giggles as they continued on their way. He studied them sureptitiously for a few moments, watching their hips sway until the other woman glanced back at him and covered her mouth, though her eyes still crinkled in amusement as she whispered to Viviana. He didn't see if she looked around too as he blushed and headed into the room to collect the tables.

****

The work was long and sometimes tedious; the calculations could be complex and he could afford no mistake. Everything was double checked and as the chart built up even more senior astrologers were called into the room and crowded around the dark wood table on which stood parchment, rulers, compasses, quills. Often he was sent to the library for books and when he returned the mood always seemed to grow more sombre.

From what he could tell this horoscope seemed to portend something not just for the Emperor or even his family - it seemed to be something for the city itself - perhaps even the Empire. As evening drew on and candles and torches lit the work seemed to slow as minds became sluggish. Some retired to their homes, some to taverns until few were left. His master stood looking out at the aquamarine evening sky and he turned to Christophorus, with a look of self chastisement in his eyes.

"My boy, I'm sorry - I should have told you earlier. There is another task for you - don't worry, it's not tonight now, we're all tired. Earlier before I became embroiled in this -" he pointed to the papers, "this business, a friend of mine came to see me. The Karantes family - well, let us say Alexios Karantes wants a tutor in the arts of astronomy and astrology for one of his children. I suggested your name and said you would see him and the child this afternoon. Obviously it is too late to go now and anyway he seemed quite concerned that the matter of a tutor be kept private between you, he and the child. Perhaps tomorrow...Ah! Well - perhaps we don't need to wait so long!"

Christophorus looked around at where his master's gaze led and he saw a tall middle aged man standing in the doorway. Symeon had gone to him and greeted him and made some gestures towards Christophorus. The middle aged Karantes looked in the young man's direction and again consulted with Symeon, who gestured for Christophorusto come over.

"You say he is a journeyman now?" Karantes said. "And - trustworthy?"

"Very, a fine lad, I have known him now some eight years."

Karantes made a rumbling in his large chest and waved a scented cloth beneath his nose as if offended by even the odour of the young man.

Finally he spoke. "You think you can teach the rudiments of your craft?" he suddenly said to Christophorus, who blinked and eventually nodded. "Yes, sir, I can." He was rightly confident; Symeon had not had an apprentice do so well in years.

"This is a - delicate - matter. Your pupil must come to the astrologer's chambers for lessons and must not be late back to my house for - personal reasons."

Christophorus nodded. "Of course sir."

Karantes clicked his fingers and around the corner of the open door walked Viviana. The eyes of the two young people met and both blushed.

 

[Luna-fey]

Aside from the soft flush on her cheeks, Viviana managed to look as cool and nonchalant as possible in the presence of Christophorus Angelus. Of course she had recognized him immediately as the man who had quite literally nearly knocked her off her feet earlier. THIS was to be her tutor? Viviana threw a skeptical glance at her father. The man simply looked too young; he wasn't a boy, yet expertise in the craft of astrological study took many years and the integration of a variety of fields.

Of course, Viviana knew that she did not have the luxury of choice. She was fortunate enough to have a father as good natured and indulgent as Karantes was toward her.

Karantes threw his daughter a rapid glance that seemed to say, "Behave yourself!" Viviana merely nodded and smiled at her father.

There was an awkward pause.

Symeon Comnenus interjected and made the formal introduction.

"Lady Viviana Karantes, allow me to introduce you to Christophorus Angelus. He shall be tutoring your ladyship in the discipline of astrology." Symeon made a formal bow and Christophorus did the same, although his eyes never quite left Viviana's face.

Viviana merely nodded. In her mind, she dreaded the fun that Theodora and Anna would have at her expense when they learned about her handsome tutor.

"Viviana," Karantes said to his daughter, "I'm going to have a few words with Symeon to discuss the details of the arrangment and allow you two," he motioned to Christophorus, "to get briefly aquainted. "Unfortunately, we can spare Viviana for a few brief moments today."

Karantes and Symeon stood speaking in hushed tones in the doorway only a few feet away.

Viviana looked around the room. The wooden table was practically covered in books and parchment. There were instruments associated with the craft on the table, some which she recognized, and some which she did not.

"Which aspect do you think is of greater benefit in the natal chart, Signor Angelus," blurted out Viviana, "the trine or the sextile?"

Viviana spoke what was in her head at that moment. It was a trait she tried to suppress but it is difficult to quelch one's essential nature and she was prone to say what was on her mind. She was also throwing down the proverbial gauntlet. She was curious to draw an opinion about his qualifications. She also wanted him, for some odd reason, to see that there was a mind behind the dark blue eyes and chestnut curls.

It was the first of many challenges that she would propose for the esteemed scholar.

 

[chris2c4u]

Christophorus looked at his young pupil-to-be as his master and her father talked. Her eyes glittered with intelligence and she looked around the room before suddenly saying, "Which aspect do you think is of greater benefit in the natal chart, Signor Angelus, the trine or the sextile?"

He smiled, pleased to be able to speak of matters he knew about.

"I don't see them as one being more influential than the other," he said, moving away from the table on which the sensitive work of judicial astrology for the Emperor was in progress. He led her to another table with a simple chart, pointing out how the aspects between various planets would be drawn.

"The trine is, of course beneficial," he said looking at her as she nodded. "Very beneficial indeed on occasions - though too many can lead to evil." He shrugged, "at least so some authorities say. While the sextile -" he drew a finger across the parchment indicating 60 degrees, "can be equally beneficial for some." He looked again at her. "Perhaps like yourself."

She made an enquirying face with a small look of encouragement for him to continue.

"It requires more - effort, to achieve the reward. I sense you are one who enjoys effort - who wishes to learn. Clearly - you do or you would not be here." His words, probing her character challenged the differences in their status, though Christophorus spoke without guile, simply saying what he saw.

After their exchange there was a deep chuckle and Christophorus blinked and looked around seeing the figure of Karantes and Symeon behind him.

"I see you were right Symeon, he seems a natural teacher. And you, Viviana - will he do?" Her father's eyes twinkled with humour as he saw his daughter supress a smile and she nodded.

"Very well - let us say tomorrow. I will have a maidservant escort my daughter here and if you can spare the young man, he will teach her your mysterious arts!" Again he chuckled and slapped Christophorus on the back making him exhale and stumble forward. He saw Viviana looking back over her shoulder as he wheezed for breath.

****

His sleep that night was disturbed with images of Viviana's face mixed with floating charts and a gathering cloud over the city. He awoke to a dawn that was just breaking and turned on his back on his straw pallet high among the towers of the Palace. He was as yet still unused to not being in the apprentice's dormitory though he enjoyed the room he now had to himself. He sat up and rubbed his face, looking at the letter he had yet to finish to his father and mother in the province of Anatolia. Had it really been almost a year since his last visit?

He rose from his bed naked and poured some water into a jug. He wondered for a moment before taking the small precious piece of scented soap he saved for special occasions and washing himself carefully with it; perhaps later he would go to the public baths and meet his friends and tell them of the beautiful high born woman who doted on his every word. He chuckled to himself as he opened his razor; unusually for the men of the city he shaved regularly in the old Roman manner. He looked in the polished bronze of his mirror as the light grew in the sky.

After dressing in his best tunica and dalmatica he went to find some breakfast in the bazaars that were already beginning to throng with people, where languages from all over the world buzzed in the air. Nubians mixed with Scandanavians around the slaves who hauled chests of treasures unknown to Christophorus, but soon they would be traded and on their way again or split open and distributed in the city.

He bought himself some milk and a spiced bread and was eating when a cavalry man was heard approaching, using his crop to beat his way through the crowd, men and women falling away on either side of him. He was olive skinned but the dust of miles covered his face. From the leather jerkin at his side blood of an old wound was encrusted. He approached the gates of the Palace and dismounted, clearly in discomfort and he called to the guards to open the doors.

Only then did Christophorus notice the imperial purple in his cloak and his heart skipped. A son of the Emperor! But - bloodied. Were the charts right then, predicting some calamity? Or had it already come to pass? He looked at the sky as the sun slowly crawled into view. Hurriedly he turned away, wanting to think only of Viviana and the pleasures of teaching as the morning sun turned the waters past the Golden Horn into an image of a sea of blood.

 

[Luna-fey]

After the brief meeting with her new tutor, the rest of Viviana's day dragged on with creeping slowness. Her mother, Lady Maria Karantes, was in an especially stormy mood as Viviana was three minutes late for their appointment.

"Papa needed me to run an errand," improvised Viviana as she stepped into her mother's chambers. "It's my fault--you know how I chatter..."

Maria sighed. She appraised her daughter's appearance with hawk-like scrutiny.

"You are the most beautiful of all of my daughters. You have intelligence, Viviana. You could wed so well. A nephew or a cousin of the Emperor, even. But you set your sights on foolishness! Your youth and beauty will not last forever. Believe me. You need to strike now, while the iron's hot!"

The remainder of the afternoon was spent learning about courtly traditions, duties, and practices of a devoted wife. Viviana did all she could not to yawn and would only let one escape when her mother wasn't looking.

As Viviana went to bed that night, she stood looking out her window at the city. There were so many exotic places she wanted to see. Perhaps she would be wed to an ambassador and then get to travel. It was unlikely but she could hope. The rest of her life seemed to depend so strongly on her future husband. Her heart felt heavy. She wished she could remain a maiden forever, make use of her father's library, visit with her sisters, and futher her studies. She felt as if her freedom were slipping away a little bit more as each day passed.

Viviana slept fitfully. When she awoke, the sun had not quite yet risen and everything was covered in the dusky glow of dawn. In the half-light, Viviana took parchment and pen and wrote out a formula she had been considering in the calculation of the ascendent. It was a simple forumla and principle but one she had never seen applied and she thought she might share it with Christophorus at their next meeting. Perhaps he could clear up her questions.

When she was escorted to her tutor that day, Viviana had a delicious sense of mischief coursing through her veins. What she was doing was forbidden; it made it all that more alluring and she found her spirits rising.

The scholar was leaning over the table when she entered, his fingers resting on his forehead. Christophoro's brow was furrowed and he did not hear her enter the room, so deep was his concentration. She took the brief moment to study his face. He had a kind face. She saw determination in it, too. Honesty. Viviana had a sense that this man didn't have a deceitful bone in his body. Yet how could she make these observations!? She hardly knew him, she reasoned.

When he looked up at her, Viviana spoke softly, "You looked so intent; I was reluctant to disturb you, signor."

Viviana leaned forward a bit to peer at the myriad of papers in front of him. As she did so, the wide sleeve of her dress knocked over an ink bottle. Reflexively, they both reached forward to save the black ink from spoiling the parchment and their fingertips touched for the briefest of sconds.

The ink did not spill but in that fleeting millisecond, Viviana felt as if she had been tipped over instead of the ink bottle. A flurry of butterflies flitted in her stomach. Why was there such a strange awkwardness between them, she wondered. She hoped that as they got to know one another that it would disappear.

And yet, she had never quite felt anything like this before.

 

[chris2c4u]

Christophorus was studying the chart Symeon had given him to work out as part of the astrological work for the Emperor. He had also learned that the Emperor's son who he had seen returning earlier had indeed brought news of battles; still distant but worryingly coming closer to the city.

It was, then not surprising that he didn't immediately become aware of Viviana, whose chaperone, a trusted household slave had been left outside with the fiction that only certain people could enter and vaguely hinting at the strangeness of astrologers. He was excited in anticipation of her visit but when he did look him his face was clouded for a moment with his thoughts and concerns before he smiled as she stepped forward.

"Please, come in - you should have spoken M'lady - my work for now is to teach..."

"You looked so intent; I was reluctant to disturb you, signor."

They moved closer and somehow the phial of ink was upset and they both quickly reached to stop it spilling. Her fingers were cool and slender and Christophorus felt her accidental touch, letting his hand get caught up with hers. Such a gesture, even accidental, from one so lowly to one so exalted was a severe breech of etiquette and he mumbled his thanks for saving the parchment and his apologies for his clumsy hands. He was relieved when she smiled a little.

"Well. Shall we...begin..." He led the way deeper into the study and she drew out the scraps of paper on which she had drawn her formula, thinking it a good place to start.

"Yes, I see your father has already been teaching you - you must always remind me if I speak at too basic a level for you."

Asking permission he took the paper from her hand - carefully - and looked at the figure and the numbers. He glanced up to her eyes and down again.

"You - you say you came up with this yourself?" She nodded and to Christophorus it seemed as though she sought some confirmation that her work was worthwhile.

He nodded and smiled and, leading her further into the room indicated a celestial globe and began to talk of the formula in ways that showed he saw in her a very promising student.

For the next few days they continued to meet as and when she could be "spirited out from under the nose of my darling Mama," as she put it one day, making him smile, ejoying her impish sense of humour. Slowly she began to tell him of her dreams to do more with her life than marry some noble (the man with the warts was mentioned and despite himself he laughed at the way she made a face at the very thought of him).

"It's possible, you know - there have been several women who became adept at astrology and in letters. Perhaps..." He shrugged then he turned his face to her, his smile lighting it as they sat at a desk together.

"Perhaps...for now," he continued, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "you would like to see the world?" She tilted her head, a frown of puzzlement on her forehead but her eyes sparkling with pleasure. He stood up and walked towards the door, looking back and indicating she should follow.

They left the astrologer's chambers and he led the way higher into the Palace, towards the large wooden doors of the great library. She gasped.

"Strictly speaking, non-Guildsmen are not allowed in...sooo..." He walked quickly away from the doors down a curving passageway and she followed until they came to another small door with the word Scriptorium on a small plaque above it. Reaching into the purse at his belt, Christophorus withdrew a key and asked her to wait for a moment until he checked inside. After a moment he popped his head out and gestured for her to follow him.

Inside there was a smell of leather and vellum in the air; a touch of damp too. The light from glazed and leaded windows was slight and around them loomed wooden stacks with many bound volumes chained in place. With the knowledge that many years wandering in this place, a place he considered almost as sacred as Hagia Sophia, he led her quickly towards a lecturn beside one of the stacks where many large books stood, their spines decorated with words, each in a different language.

He reached up and drew down a heavy tome, its long chain slithering and clanking after it so they stopped and held their breath in case anyone should come. When they did not Christophorus placed the text on the lecturn and stroked the leather surface lovingly. The read the words that adorned the front. Ptolemy Geographica.

With a smile as broad as she had seen him give he opened out his hand.

"Behold. The world." He opened the atlas and they studied together, the hand coloured pages of maps, wandering each land, enthralled. Suddenly he realised how close he was to the Lady Karantes, how she was craning her pale beautiful neck so close to him, how her chestnut curls fell towards the pages they studied and how she breathed the names of places far away. Her cheeks seemed flushed with pleasure as the pages were turned, each revealing some new treasure.

He shared stories about the places, pointed out the pictures of the strange and some said mythological creatures that travellers claimed to have seen. They fell into the beauties of exotic places, travelling the globe without moving from the jewel of the world, Constantinople. He did not even realise he had placed his hand casually against the small of her back as they huddled close and whispered magical tales of foreign lands.

 

[Luna-fey]

Christophorus was a master of his craft, Viviana soon realized. He was everything a good tutor should be. Most of all though, Viviana found herself enjoying his smile and his stories. He was often so formal with her so it was especially refreshing to huddle conspirationally over the Ptolemy atlas. The afternoon sun gleamed its ruddy golden light through the wide windows, bathing them both in its retiring warmth.

He told her the story of Hermes and Argus. Jealous Hera had turned one of Zeus' loves (Io) into a heifer and had her guarded by the powerful being Argus who had one hundred eyes. Hermes, the clever son of Zeus, that bright winged messenger, lulled the watchful Argus into a deep sleep by playing the lute for him. It took a long time for every one of those eyes to close but Hermes was patient and persistent. Once asleep, Hermes was able to defeat Argus and rescue Io. Legend says that to honor the memory of her servant, Hera had Argus' eyes placed into the tail of the peacock.

Viviana was entranced. It wasn't until the end of the tale that she noticed her teacher's hand resting softly upon the small of her back. Even worse, Viviana found herself leaning toward him. The realization made her cheeks burn and her heart race.

Christophorus was circling a region of the map in front of them and speaking excitedly to her. But Viviana did not hear him.

She stood up and interrupted him abruptly.

"We must not," Viviana said cooly, "forget ourselves--I mean--the time. I should go."

Christophorus seemed puzzled at first; he was so caught up in their discourse. But then Viviana could tell that realization had dawned upon him of their breach of etiquette.

Viviana knew that she should have admonished him for his behavior. But she found herself incapable of doing so.

Did he know, she wondered? Did her softness betray the feelings that were developing in her heart?

Viviana was about to say more when the door opened.

 

[chris2c4u]

Symeon stood in the doorway a tight lipped humourless smile on his face. He gave Viviana a small bow and then looked at Christophorus harshly.

"I'm sorry M'lady, your tutor seems to think this is a teaching room..."

"Sir, the blame is not his. I entreated - insisted - that we might look upon the library," Viviana said quickly. The old astrologer sniffed and could not deny her words publiclly but was determined to speak to his young journeyman later. Viviana continued to pour oil upon the troubled waters until his ran his fingers through his beard and ushered them out, locking the door himself.

When they reached the rooms downstairs her sister was waiting for her but before she left the young woman was sure to make another appointment with her teacher for the following day, again imploring Symeon not to be harsh on Christophorus.

After they had gone Symeon turned to his younge charge. "It seems you have won the friendship of a powerful person." Christophorus blushed. "Don't let it go to your head," Symeon said as gruffly as he could muster. "And dont play any more tricks like that again."

No sir," Christophorus said meekly.

****

That night the young astrologer tossed and turned in his bed. It wasn't the coolness of the night breeze that kept him awake but the mixture of emotions going through his head - and body. He replayed time and again his unconscious touching of the noblewoman's back, of their joint pleasure in pouring over the maps. Then he kept remembering how he felt when he realised what he was doing; the mixture of shame and - yes, excitement.

Viviana's words though were proper, cool and aloof. Yes, he should have known his place. But then - her defence of him and taking the blame for the unauthorised entry into the library. It was so - spirited - and she had made sure that they would meet again the following day. He looked out of the window at the slowly lightening sky and groaned; a day not long off and he had hardly slept.

He turned on his side and the perfume of the Lady Viviana Karantes came unbidden into his mind. The heat of her back on his palm. Her smile. His hand slid down in the bed and with a certain embarrassment at the mix of emotions that caused it, he found his erection and held it. He thought of her hair, hanging down, the sparkle of her eyes...and thought of her body over his as he wondered what her breasts would look like as she rode his body. He moaned...

****

He went early to confession in a small church outside the Palace environs. He was chastised for his self abuse and for his lust and began performing his penance immediately. He returned slowly, enjying how the streets filled with people as the sun rose. He wandered back through the bazaars and made his way to the astrologer's rooms to begin some work before Viviana arrived. He was surprised to see several others there already surrounding Symeon in a small group.

As he was still new to the court astrologers as a fully trained practitioner he was hesitant of just going to join them until he was asked over by a red bearded man, Justinian, an astronomer.

Symeons face was gloomy as he repeated the news that had begun to filter down from the close council of the Emperor. There was news of a Crusade; a holy war that could, like a great tornado suddenly veer away from its intial targets.

"As yet, they still claim to fight near the Holy Land - but the army is alerted should they turn their gaze further east." Symeon sighed. "It is very much as the charts are showing and now the great conjunction draws near..." He shook his head and they all consoled themselves with prayer and setting about their work.

 

[Luna-fey]

Viviana strolled outside the palace with her elder sister. Theodora was pregnant again and she was determined to enjoy as much of the fresh air as she could in the ensuing months before being forced to keep a low profile due to her condition. Viviana was dressed in a brilliant shade of purple that was almost a deep azure blue. The dye that had been used on her dress was precious but the color complimented her light skin and long chestnut curls to perfection. As pleased as Viviana was to receive the beautiful garment, it worried her. She knew it meant that her parents had decided upon a husband for her. He was somewhere in the court, sizing her up when she was not aware. Viviana found herself suspiciously appraising any marriageable man in her vicinity. The certainty of her impending betrothal made her even more passionate in her studies. She knew her time of freedom, her time to study was growing short.

Theodora astutely suspected her sister's attraction toward her tutor.

"A secret flirtation is natura, Viviana," she whispered to her sister, "what lady hasn't had one if she's honest with herself? But if anyone, even a single person, notices--it's deadly for your reputation. You must be careful."

"There's no flirtation," insisted Viviana, "it's a meeting of the mind's. There's a natural affinity between us since we share a common interest."

Theodora snorted. "Have you looked at him? I'D fancy a rendezvous with him if I knew I could get away with it!" she chuckled. "Handsome. And his aloofness only adds to the overall charm. I would cover for you if you needed me to."

"Thea!" Viviana laughed, pretending to be shocked. She was not entirely certain if her sister was teasing her or if she were serious. With Theodora, it was hard to tell.

******

Viviana found Christophorus in his usual pensive mode of scanning through books and reading complicated charts when she entered. He looked at her intently for a brief moment when she entered and then seemed suddenly preoccupied with avoiding her gaze.

They studied a series of constellations from a book. Their conversation was at first quiet and timid. But as always, as the hours wore on and so did their inhibitions.

He was telling her about Saggitarius, the Archer. It was one of the constellations visible during this season. Viviana watched him. His hands moved eagerly as he spoke; his face was bright with excitement as he explained the signs qualities and properties to her.

"Show me," Viviana whispered. Christophorus motioned again toward the book between them but she shook her head.

"No," she smiled playfully. "Out there." Viviana motioned to the ceiling, indicating the skies. "I could get away tonight--the east balcony. It's always secluded. I know; I sometimes sit out there when I can't sleep."

"Lady Viviana--"

"Will you come? At midnight?" she pleaded urgently.

 

[chris2c4u]

"Lady Viviana--"

"Will you come? At midnight?" she pleaded urgently.

Christophorus looked at the young woman and felt his heart thump quicker. He swallowed. He nodded before he had chance to think about the words of warning he was about to murmur before she entreated him again. His nod drew the reward of her dimpled smile.

"It will be so much fun," she said with a laugh in her voice. "Now - you know where I mean?"

"Y..yes." He cleared his throat unable though to clear his head of all the worries and anticipation that filled it, so much so that he made silly slips in the rest of the lesson but she did not bother to correct him - as later, he thought to himself, he felt she was more than capable of doing.

They remained in their role of tutor and pupil until her sister, Theodora arrived to escort her from the astrologer's rooms. With a single glance Viviana managed to confirm their illicit rendevous that evening.

After she had left Christophorus paced a little, his palms sweaty wondering what he had agreed to. In turns he wanted to go to Symeon and tell him that he should no longer tutor the young woman, put an end to this - whatever it was - and get back to his work.

But what was it...a voice prompted him and he remembered his fantasy of the young woman he'd had that morning but quickly screwed up his eyes and put it aside. There was no possibility - she couldn't be interested in him except as a tutor. It was clear she would soon be married off and she, from such a high born family would realise her place in society was to comply with her family's wishes, extend their influence through marriage. From what he had seen her father was not the sort to ignore her wishes - it was why she was with him now - so she would surely get a good match. Perhaps someone with a library, with time for her interests...

Christophorus whimpered and paced a little more. She did have a lovely smile.

You could be thrown out of the guild for this, the voice came back to taunt him and he sat down and buried his head in his hands. Then he looked up, looked at the seat she had sat in until just recently.

Only if we're caught, he said back to them, the adrenelin making his heart pump faster and a tingle run down his spine.

****

Why was it the sun took so long to sink, he asked himself after he had eaten, again away from the palace, wandering the streets that were now being lit with torches. He had spent the day in dreary calculation and daydreams; not always conducive one to the other but he had hatched his plan. He had contrived to search out the labyrinthine stairways to some of the floors that the richer noble families were allowed to keep in the palace and the way he could get to the eastern rooms of the Karantes.

The sky grew slowly inky and he checked that the stars were visible before picking up the device on his table and a rolled up chart. He swallowed and quietly closed the door to his room and set off into the silent corridors of the palace.

There was no guard at the entrance he approached though he still looked around nervously ready with his plan should he be challenged; he had to make observations...that's what he would say.

The thick wooden door that confronted him bore the seal of the Karantes and his heart fell. Of course there was no need of a guard - these doors remained firmly locked. Dispiritedly he tried it anyway, his heart sinking as the grate of metal felt the firm opposiion of a lock. He sighed and then his heart flew to his mouth as he felt the lock released from within.

He had walked this way simply by the light of a bare one third moon and when the door opened he scuttled back into the inky shadows. A woman's figure looked around and he breathed again, whispering, "Viviana..."

The figure turned to his voice and came over. "No," the woman's whisper said merrily, "but I know where she is." Grasping his wrist, Theodora pulled him through the door and locked it behind them.

****

She didn't speak as they padded quietly along until he was pushed out onto the balcony. He looked around at the city bathed in the moonlight; a few fires glittered and distant voices occasionally spoke or laughed. A dog barked. Christophorus paced, once more, that day.

"Astrologer," the voice came to him and made him jump. He turned to see Viviana emerge onto the balcony. The moonlight caught her dark eyes and illuminated the silks she had adorned herself with.

"M'lady," he breathed as she stepped close and he feel her warmth as he kept his eyes on hers in a most unseemly manner for a servant. He wondered if she could tell he had again used his precious scented soap and hoped that the light was not strong enough to let her see his blush.

"Shall..we begin?" he said hesitantly. She did not answer as he mumbled something about bringing an astrolabe to show the positions of the stars.

"But you have no lantern," he said, as he again looked at her.

She smiled with a little shake of her head.

"Sagittarius..." he looked out over the rooftops of the city and pointed towards the soft glow of the milky way that ran through the sign of the archer.

He looked at her. "You know the characteristics of the sign..." he said as he looked into her eyes.

"Philosophy," she said slowly, glancing at the sky then back to his face.

"Generosity," he murmured.

"Romance," she said.

"Pleasure," he said as he kissed her, his mind lost in the words, in her nearness. He ran his hands up over her hips when she did not flinch away from his kiss and he moved closer. His fingers slid up her back feeling her warmth and sofness beneath the silks even as their mouths relaxed and opened and they tasted one another.

This was wrong. He should stop...he didn't hear the voices of his conscience any more he just felt a young woman who happened to be a lady of the court, who happened to love things of the mind. Who he wanted more of but knew they had to take care...

His hand ran into the chestnut curls and his breathing deepened as they kissed still, their mouths moving against one another as he slowly took her kissable lower lip in his own lips, suckling her, feeling the soft swell of her breasts against him as they stood between the stars of heaven and the moonlit streets below.

 

[Luna-fey]

Viviana did not just receive Christophorus' kisses; she responded to them. Her arms slid up around his neck, entwining her hands. She welcomed the warmth of his body and the touch of his fingers in her hair. She had been kissed before--shy, awkward kisses from flattering young men. But she had never been kissed like this. His kisses made her feel dizzy, as if she had drunk too much wine, yet without the haziness of thought. Her mind was clear and awake. Her body trembled and tingled with sensations that she had never experienced.

Their lips met repeatedly under that starry sky. The Archer was forgotten. Another's arrows streaked through the heavens that night, the golden arrows of a precocious winged youth.

Viviana rested her head against her tutor's shoulder and he held her. She closed her eyes and buried her face in this chest. She did not want to speak, lest the moment be stolen away. They stood like that, pressed against one another, for many moments.

Reluctantly, Viviana shifted and looked up into Christophorus' exquisite eyes.

"I was wrong to put you at such risk, astrologer," Viviana sighed sadly. When she called him "astrologer" there was intimacy and affection in her voice and a hint of playfulness despite her seriousness.

"I would risk it again, Lady Karantes."

She smiled. "I didn't intend for this to happen. I feel things for you that I have no business feeling--let alone articulating. And yet I cannot seem to stop myself. I've never been good at hiding my feelings but with you I'm even more feeble at it than usual. Tell me--did you come tonight only for the benefit of my studies?."

Christophorus' eyes twinkled. "No," he admitted honestly. He cupped her chin in his hands and drew her face toward his. "Did you ask me here soley for the benefit of your studies," he teased. He stroked her cheek with his thumb.

Viviana shook her head.

"We should stop this," she murmured gently.

"Yes," he assented, "but we should break the habit gradually."

They kissed again. Viviana parted her lips instinctively and shivered as his tongue tasted between her lips. She did the same and their tongues danced an ageless dance. She moaned against his mouth, her breath intermingling with his. He pulled her closer. Viviana felt the evidence of his arousal against her thigh and it thrilled her.

There was an unquenchable tingling between her thighs that seemed to spread deliciously throughout her body and she flushed with pleasure.

 

[chris2c4u]

Viviana's body was pliant against him as he felt her mouth open, their tongues play. He pressed close knowing she felt his excitement. He ran a hand up her back as he sighed into the kiss, pulling her close feeling the swell of her breasts caught against his chest, feeling her breathing harder as they continued to explore the kiss before breathlessly breaking away, each then breathing hard.

She took his hand and with a small smile led the way back into the room where a single candle burned next to her bed. They moved quietly and sat on its edge where again they kissed, this time his arm sliding around her waist as he turned to her and his lips tasting her neck listening to her suppress a moan as he trailed down her skin to meet the fabric that covered her shoulder.

Viviana's hand moved to the ties of his shirt and tugged one open as she leaned closer.

"We must be - careful," she said in a whisper near his ear before she suckled the lobe. His ran a finger through the silk over her breasts, and he nodded to her. Their world would surely come to an end if they were found to have made love or should a child result; hers socially his more than likely by being put to the sword.

In silence he found the fastenings that held her top and with a trembling hand he opened one then looked in her eyes. She didn't stop him and the silk now hung loose over her skin before he slowly pushed it away down over her arms. If she was nervous or embarrassed he didn't detect it as he moved closer and bent to taste her neck again and then her shoulder. She continued to untie his shirt as she did so her fingers slid inside it onto his skin, pushing back the fabric until she could lean in and suck on his nipple making him bite back a moan.

Together then leaned back on the bed and again kissed, long and slow. His mouth slipped easily down to the curve of her breasts to suckle her to tease her nipples and take them slowly and deeply into his mouth as his hand slid to her hips and inside her clothes to her soft skin...

****

The servant had awoken Symeon before dawn to tell him that Outside his chamber stood a traveller, another astrologer from the city of Zara. Dust still begrimed his face and neck and his clothing was ragged. He apologised but said what he had to say could not wait and he wanted the astrologers to hear even before he went to the Emperor's court.

"The knights - they came, a month ago. The crusade has failed to make for Jerusalem and it turns back, west, raping and pillaging. Our city is sacked...our library destroyed. I fear, sir, the are seeking out the greatest prize of all."

Symeon nodded grimly. "Constantinople."

Symeon told his servant to awaken Christophorus who should then go and assemble the other astrologers in their hall where they must decide what was to be done. He thanked the traveller, who retired to wash and change before going to the court to tell his news. The servant returned to tell Symeon that Christophorus was not in his room. The old man's face glowered; if the young man was off in the city as he had done before - at a time like this...

"Then go yourself, rouse the astrologers. Have them meet here. Then find him. Christophorus."

 

[Luna-fey]

Viviana had never been so close to a man, had never been touched like this before. She did not pause. She did not think. Instinct, desire, and passion overruled logic and decorum. In those moments pressed so intimately against the body of her lover, she relinquished herself completely to the sensations buzzing in her body and soul.

His mouth on her neck made her shiver. Biting her lips to suppress a moan, she tipped her head back. Her mouth and lips sought the warmth of his skin under his shirt. She took in the sight of his broad chest and shoulders. His body, so different from her own, intrigued her. The scientific part of her nature wanted to discover the secrets that would bring him the same pleasure he created in her
and she wished that they had many more hours to explore one another.

"Christophorus...," Viviana breathed his name in between their kisses. When his hands slid underneath her clothes and made their first contact with her bare skin, she could not suppress a gasp. She wanted his hands on her so badly.

They worked together on the intricate laces of her dress, laughing softly as their fingers collided, their eyes meeting, and exchanging mutual smiles that made her heart flutter in the candlelit room.

A knock at the door sent the lovers bolting upright. In panic, Viviana snuffed the candle and tiptoed to the door, her lover shrouded in the darkened room.

It was Thea, looking as panicked as she felt.

"They're looking for him, Viviana," she whispered. "Something's happened. "Astrolger," she called softly, "hurry...come with me."

There was no time to say goodbye. Viviana slipped back into her room. It was dark save for the moonlight straining in from the window but her eyes had become accostomed to the darkness. She sat down on her bed, knowing she would not sleep. The room seemed cold and lonely now. She could still smell the scent of the soap he used on the sheets.

Viviana paced the room. She kept imagining all kinds of calamities. What if he were discovered? What if Thea was somehow implicated? What would be made of the astrologer and her sister running through the court together before dawn? What a terrible risk they had taken!

He could be killed. Viviana covered her face in her hands. How foolish she was for asking him to come to her tonight! If anything happened to him, she had herself to blame for it.

"This must end," she thought to herself. "I cannot see him again." She would wait up, hoping for a word from Theadora. In the morning she would find some way to message the astrologer that their meetings would end. Her eyes blurred with tears at the thought of what she must do.

She knew she certainly could no longer let him tutor her--for she could not trust herself to be near him again.

 

[chris2c4u]

Christophorus' heart pounded as he kissed Viviana, as his hand slid against her skin. The feel of the woman next to him had aroused him and he knew she too had responded. They shared smiles and laughter but he was aware that he was unlacing the ties of her clothing, about to reveal her skin to his fingers, his gaze.

He kissed her neck again as the clothing loosened before he glanced down to see the swell of her breasts released from the fabric. He wondered how much she knew of the art of love, wondered how to please her. The women of the street who he had been with seemed to care little for any skill and his training had left no time for girlfriends - even if any could have been bothered with one so poor as an apprentice to the astrologers.

He returned to the present as their lips met and melted once more peeling away from each other slowly. His breathing deepened as he looked at Viviana in the candlelight, wisps of hair falling down from the elaborate curls it was pinned into. He wanted her; he didn't want to be careful any more. He kissed her again and his fingers snaked under her silks to her flesh, to the curve of her hips and he moaned - then jumped at the sound -

Thea whispered in the darkness and then there was no time to say goodbye; Viviana's sister held his hand and they retraced their steps through the dark corridors. She put her finger to her lips when they reached the main door. She opened it and looked around - there was no one and she gestured for Christophorus to come forward. He took her hand and gently pulled her inside.

"I know my way from here, I'm safe - thank you." He finished tying his shirt as he whispered to her.

Thea nodded and quietly waited to lock the door behind the astrologer. He slipped into the shadows. In his mind every one of the few moments he had spent with Viviana were replayed; he could almost feel her skin at his fingertips, taste the oils she had used after bathing on his tongue as he recalled the way her nipples rose in his mouth. He groaned and couldn't wait to see her again.

He made his way to the workrooms, where torches flickered banishing the darkness.

"There you are -" Symeon said gruffly as he walked in. He didn't have time to chastise the young man but set him to work on some calculations. Christophorus didn't ask but it was obvious that some news had come to them and as he worked on the figures he could see that they were not going to make for a pleasant chart. He checked his working again as he was distracted by lustful thoughts for the young noble woman he had so recently been with; luckily everyone was tired and anyone seeing him rubbing his temples assumed he was simply trying to make his brain work against fatigue.

He delivered his work to the conclave of senior astrologers and saw that all had finished; now they stood around and looked at one another.

"We must warn the court," said one. Others nodded.

"The city must prepare for siege," another voice opined and again there was nodding among the assembled experts. Symeon moved among them.

"We must, I fear, prepare for the worst - while our army is strong and the walls are thick, if this crusade has already turned against Christian cities and taken them as our friend said -"

He didn't want to finish the thought and no one else wanted to. Christophorus knew it meant the city could be taken. Sacked.

Slowly the astrologers dispersed, the most senior saying he and another would go to the court officials, perhaps even the Emperor himself and warn him; by then he would have heard the news from the astrologer who had come to them.

"No one must speak of this to anyone outside our ranks," the tall senior astrologer warned, looking around at them all. Everyone nodded in assent, akin to making a vow in their brotherhood.

Christophorus made it to his bed as the sun was beginning to rise. It was approaching the spring equinox; the city was waking. He looked out of his narrow shuttered window and thought again about Viviana and thought he must warn her of the threat but then remembered he had been instructed to say nothing.

Then he remembered something else. He had left the astrolabe on the balcony where they had first kissed. He drew in a sharp breath though the worry quickly passed. She could bring it back to him that very morning or say he had lent it to her for study. He went to bed to dream of Viviana.