Podcasts about Rhodos

David har blivit en crossfitta. Linnea har varit på Rhodos och Love Lyssarides köar för Diddys rättegång. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. Hela veckans Morgonpasset i P3 hör du i Sveriges Radio Play.Linnea Wikblad har varit på Rhodos och klarar inte av hotelljargongen, David Druid spenderar all sin tid vid moneybarsen. Det är Stora ljudtekniker-tackardagen! Inga jobbar hårdare eller har fler shorts än dom! Matilda Rånges obekväma falska lilla hål: Rånges helg i Köpenhamn. Linnea har vält ur en buss i Grekland. Pinsamma fall - jao! P3:s korre Love Lyssarides rapporterar live från kön till P. Diddys rättegång. Matilda Rånge från P3 Nyheter om bögarnas raseri efter Thybergs avgång och det omtalade Beef Wellington-mordet. Best friend of the show Ewa Fröling är här! Vi snackar ”okej tack”-gate, priset hon precis fått – och varför hon hatar natur.Tidpunkter i avsnittet:17:34 Nyhetsfördjupning: Bögarnas raseri mot Thybergs avgång24:40 Diddys rättegång drar igång46:35 Nyhetsfördjupning: Omtalade Beef Wellington-morden1:09:14 Matilda Rånges obekväma falska lilla hål: Rånge har varit i Köpenhamn1:19:30 Ewa FrölingKapitellänkarna ovan leder till avsnittet utan musik i Sveriges Radio Play.Programledare: David Druid och Linnea Wikblad.

Denne episoden er spilt inn på Treningspoddens treningsreise til Rhodos! Pia har testet den lokale crossfit boxen og deler økta i episoden. Silje trener fortsatt mot maraton, der det meste er på stell, minus at føttene lider. Hvor mye ubehag skal man egentlig tåle på trening? Og hvordan herder man føttene til de lange løpeturene? En annen problemstilling som diskuterer (og kanskje en upopulær mening...?) Blir man asosial av å følge et strukturert treningsprogram? God lytt! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this solo episode, we journey to the Aegean island of Rhodes — once called Ophiussa, the serpent isle — to explore its forgotten role in anchoring Starfire Energy, housing Grail codes, and guarding the womb of Gaia's Solar Logos. From the Telchines to the Knights of St. John, from the fiery mountain of Tsambika to the cave temple of Lindos, this is a story written not in history books, but in soul memory and cosmic geometry.⚜️

Vi sänder vår sista morgon från Rhodos. Laila och Roger har shoppat och visar upp deras nya (unika) fynd, Darin är med oss på tråden där vi pratar om hans nya låt och Markoolio sprider fredags-feeling i vanlig ordning!

Hallihallo, liebe Nachteulen! In der neuesten Episode geht's um spannende Anekdoten aus der Luftfahrt, kulinarische Erlebnisse in Griechenland und die Tücken der Deutschen Bahn. Nils und Sebastian diskutieren die Lage am Flughafen BER, ihre Reisepläne von Albanien bis Malle und die Herausforderungen flexibler Dienstpläne. Natürlich darf der amüsante „Funkspruch der Woche“ nicht fehlen! Viel Spaß beim Zuhören!Chapters0:19 Willkommen im Podcast0:36 Urlaubspläne und spannende Reisen10:36 Deutsche Bahn-Bashing11:36 Kuriositäten im Alltag15:49 Funkspruch der Woche16:50 Neuigkeiten vom Flughafen19:59 A380 in Berlin24:46 Nachrichten aus der Luftfahrt27:51 Aufruf an die Zuhörer34:02 Gedanken zur großen Airline39:18 Abschied und AusblickWenn Ihr uns Supporten wollt, könnt Ihr uns hier einen Kaffee kaufen:https://buymeacoffee.com/atcpilothttps://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=7C3UFSEZU7UV6Vielen Dank!!! :-)Ihr habt Fragen an einen Piloten oder Fluglotsen? Oder Themenwünsche? Immer her damit: podcast@atcpilot.com oder über Instagram @ATCpilot_podcast - Wir freuen uns außerdem über positive Bewertungen des Podcasts und wenn Ihr uns weiter empfehlt :-) Schlagt uns auch gerne Eure Wünsche für zukünftige Gäste vor!

Vi har med oss Sigge Eklund på tråden som berättar allt om hans nya projekt och självklart är hela MorronZoo-gänget fortfarande på Rhodos och sänder!

Vi är tillbaka på Rhodos och sänder hela veckan från Grekland. Denna morgon får vi lära oss hur ofta man ska byta handduk, Laila bjuder på ett strand-hack och programpunkten "Den gemensamma nämnaren" har premiär på ön!

Vi säger hejdå till Lotta som gör sin sista sänding på ett tag, Roger har med sig en "brun" överraskning till hela gänget innan Rhodos resan och Markoolio är med oss denna morgon och sprider fredags-vibes!

Melina har vært i Rhodos og løpt maraton, 42 195 km! I denne episoden deler hun hele opplevelsen på godt og vondt. Og du lurer vel sikkert på hvilken tid hun fikk? Vel, det får du vite i denne episoden! God lytt

Was passiert eigentlich wenn wir ganz frei und unbeschwert nach uns selbst leben? Wenn Gedanken und die dazugehörigen Gefühle Wirklichkeit kreieren? Denn was wir denken, formt unsere Zukunft. Wir erschaffen unseren eigenen Kosmos an Grenzen und Möglichkeiten. Warum haben unsere Gedanken Einfluss auf unsere mentale und körperliche Gesundheit? Diese Folge ist eine ganz Besondere für uns. Denn wir reflektieren und teilen echte Geschichten und Momente aus unserem Leben, die einst als einfacher Gedanke begannen und später als Moment von uns erlebt wurden. Es geht um einen Steg auf Rhodos, ein Boot in Katar, ein Fahrrad auf Mallorca, ein neues Zuhause in Deutschland und ein Auto in Portugal. Jeder kann seine Wirklichkeit erschaffen. Wie das geht, warum man immer wieder auch scheitert und wie frei man sich fühlt, wenn man wirklich merkt, das man selbst Glück erschaffen kann.@luiandjay

Záujem o letné dovolenky je už teraz vysoký a kapacity sa rýchlo vypredávajú. Výrazne narastá dopyt po Turecku, Grécku či exotických destináciách. Ako sa menia cestovateľské návyky Slovákov? O trendoch v dovolenkovom segmente hovoríme s Tomášom Lazarovom, obchodným riaditeľom cestovnej kancelárie Hydrotour. „Cestovanie sa po pandémii opäť dostalo na popredné miesto v prioritách Slovákov. V roku 2023 a 2024 sme zaznamenali výrazný nárast záujmu o letecké zájazdy. Ľudia si začali viac vážiť možnosť vycestovať a venovať čas oddychu,“ vysvetľuje Tomáš Lazarov. Podľa neho sa v súčasnosti mnoho dovolenkárov rozhoduje pre skorý nákup zájazdov. „Obdobie od októbra do marca je hlavným časom predaja first moment ponúk. Klienti si tak zabezpečia najlepšie ceny, široký výber izieb a flexibilnejšie podmienky storna,“ dodáva. Medzi najžiadanejšie destinácie patrí Turecko, a to nielen tradičná Turecká riviéra, ale aj Egejská riviéra so strediskami ako Izmir, Bodrum či Dalaman. Veľký záujem je aj o grécke ostrovy, Cyprus, Španielsko či Kapverdské ostrovy. Zvýšený dopyt vedie k rýchlemu vypredávaniu kapacít. „Letecké spoločnosti majú obmedzené kapacity, výrobcovia lietadiel meškajú s dodávkami a hotelieri sa snažia rezervovať kapacity pre trhy, ktoré nakupujú v predstihu. To znamená, že tí, ktorí čakajú na last minute ponuky, môžu mať problém nájsť vyhovujúcu dovolenku,“ upozorňuje T. Lazarov. Podľa neho sa dnes Slováci snažia nájsť optimálny pomer ceny a kvality. Sú ochotní investovať viac, ak vidia pridanú hodnotu – kvalitnejšie služby, lepšiu lokalitu alebo exkluzívnejšie hotely Záujem Slovákov o cestovanie už nie je viazaný len na letnú sezónu. Stále populárnejšie sú exotické destinácie, najmä v zimných mesiacoch. „Vidíme rastúci záujem o Bahrajn, Katar, Omán či Kapverdské ostrovy. Tieto miesta ponúkajú príjemné podnebie, krátky časový posun a dnes už majú porovnateľné ceny s letnými dovolenkami,“ vysvetľuje obchodný riaditeľ spoločnosti Hydrotour. Mnohí cestovatelia si dnes kladú otázku, či sa oplatí organizovať dovolenku individuálne alebo využiť služby cestovnej kancelárie. „Cestovné kancelárie nakupujú veľké objemy ubytovania a leteniek, čím dosahujú výrazne lepšie ceny. Navyše, klient má istotu, že v prípade neočakávaných situácií, ako sú zrušené lety či extrémne počasie, sa o neho postaráme,“ hovorí T. Lazarov. Ako príklad uvádza pandemické obdobie či požiare na ostrove Rhodos v roku 2023, keď Hydrotour ako jediná cestovná kancelária poslala špeciálny let na evakuáciu klientov. Podľa T. Lazarova bude záujem o cestovanie ďalej rásť. „Ľudia dnes uprednostňujú investície do zážitkov pred materiálnymi statkami. Dovolenka sa stáva nevyhnutnou súčasťou psychohygieny a oddychu. Verím, že v najbližších rokoch budeme svedkami ďalšej expanzie cestovania, pričom dôraz sa bude klásť na kvalitu a zážitkovú hodnotu pobytov,“ uzatvára. Viac informácií sa dozviete v celom videorozhovore: https://www.trend.sk/biznis/slovaci-planuju-letne-dovolenky-predstihu-zaujem-rastie?itm_brand=trend&itm_template=listing&itm_modul=articles-rubric-list&itm_position=1

Sergej Enns, ein Familienvater, verschwindet während eines Urlaubs auf Rhodos spurlos. Ein letzter Spaziergang zum Strand endet in einem mysteriösen Rätsel, das seine Familie und die Behörden vor unerklärliche Herausforderungen stellt. Solltet ihr mich unterstützen wollen oder einfach Interesse daran haben den Fall visuell aufbereitet zu sehen, schaut einfach hier vorbei: https://www.youtube.com/insolito Ansonsten könnt ihr mich natürlich auch gerne bei Instagram abonnieren: https://www.instagram.com/insolito_yt/ Ich wünsche euch einen schönen Morgen, Mittag oder Abend

Den seneste udgave af Morgenkrydderen er nu klar som podcast, og denne udsendelse byder på en række spændende indslag med kunst i fokus, pressemøde på Louisana, nyt fra bibliotekerne, bogudgivelse og ugens billede. Alexej Jawlensky på Louisiana Vi bringer en reportage fra pressemødet på Louisiana i forbindelse med en ny udstilling af den russiske kunstmaler Alexej Jawlensky. Udstillingen kan opleves frem til den 1. juni 2025. Poul Erik Tøjner, direktør for Louisiana, byder velkommen, mens kurator Mathias Ussing Seeberg fortæller om udstillingen og dens betydning. Februar på Fredensborg Bibliotekerne John har været på besøg hos Julie fra Fredensborg Bibliotekerne, som deler informationer om bibliotekets aktiviteter i februar. Hun fortæller også om de faste arrangementer og tilbud, der er tilgængelige for borgerne. Vævekunst og historie John har desuden besøgt Fredensborg Vævekreds på Baunebjerg Skole i Humlebæk, hvor Gertrud Jensen fra forlaget Rhodos var på besøg. Hun har netop udgivet bogen Højskolevævning og kvindeliv i Askov, der omhandler vævningens historie og dens betydning for kvinders liv og uddannelse. Dengang og Nu: Ugens billedeI indslaget Dengang og Nu fortæller No Widding om ugens billede og giver et historisk perspektiv på Fredensborg gennem fortidens og nutidens billeder og ord. Oplev Fredensborg: KulturkalenderenSøren Hybschmann guider dig gennem den lokale kulturkalender og giver et overblik over de kommende begivenheder i Fredensborg. Lokale nyheder og CyberVejret Som altid bringer vi de seneste lokale nyheder fra Humleborg Online. Derudover kan du lytte til CyberVejret med Leif Jensen, der giver en opdatering på digitale trends og sikkerhed. Udsendelsen er sammensat af studievært Kurt Kammersgaard og kan nu høres som podcast. God fornøjelse!

⚠️ Content-Warnung: Diese Folge enthält Darstellungen von Gewalt (blutige Kampfszenen) ab Minute 30. Bitte hört sie nur, wenn ihr euch damit wohlfühlt. Folgenbeschreibung: Medea beschließt, hinter dem Rücken ihres Vaters, Jason zu helfen. Mit ihrer Unterstützung wagt Jason sich an die Aufgabe des Aietes: Auf dem Feld des Ares schirrt er die feuerspeienden Stiere an und sät Drachenzähne aus. Mit: Figuren: Medea, Jason, Aietes, Chalkiope, Argos, Mopsos, Absyrtos, Hera, Hephaistos, Eros, Hekate, Helios, Ares, Athene, Minos, Pasiphae, Ariadne, Theseus, Kadmos, Phrixos, Telamon, Aithalides, Hypsipyle, Orpheus, Eurydike, Hades, Persephone, Drakon Orte: Aia, Kolchis, Ebene des Ares, Kaukasus, Iolkos, Theben, Lemnos Autoren: Apollonios von Rhodos, Diodor, Palaiphatos Sonstiges: Goldenes Vlies, Argo, Argonauten, Drachenzähne, Prometheion, Orakel, Opfergaben, Unterwelt, Schwarzpappel, Elfenbein STEADY https://steadyhq.com/de/chaoskinder/about WERBEFREIER FEED https://open.spotify.com/show/5yF7oCMeJ9VuXNOKGI91ZS?si=6c90144399804043 PAYPAL https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=VB2QKC88H9NYJ LITERATUR https://steadyhq.com/de/chaoskinder/posts/b59d1093-cdff-4158-8dca-bc0ac992d47c MUSIK https://youtu.be/zfnRMIFHHrE WEBSITE www.chaoskinderpodcast.wordpress.com MAIL chaoskinderkontakt@gmail.com INSTA https://www.instagram.com/chaos.kinder/ FRANZÖSISCH "Le Chaos et ses enfants" https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lechaosetsesenfants

Der letzte Transport – wie jüdische Menschen von Rhodos nach Auschwitz deportiert wurden Am 27. Januar, dem Holocaust-Gedenktag, wird den Opfern des Nationalsozialismus gedacht. Weit über eine Million Menschen wurden allein im Vernichtungslager Auschwitz ermordet. Sami Modiano war 14 Jahre alt, als er im Sommer 1944 mit 2000 jüdischen Menschen von der Insel Rhodos quer durch Europa nach Auschwitz deportiert wurde. Er überlebte das nationalsozialistische Konzentrations- und Vernichtungslager und wurde am 27. Januar 1945 von der Roten Armee befreit.

Wir freuen uns euch Arkas und Elodie vorstellen zu dürfen! Elodie und Arkas kommen aus dem Tierschutz (SpecialDogs e.V.) und haben nun ganz offiziell bei uns ihr Zuhause gefunden. In dieser Special Folge beantworten wir euch alle Fragen, die ihr uns zu den beiden gestellt habt und wenn ihr mehr von ihnen sehen wollt, folgt uns gerne auf Instagram! "Elodie", Hütehund Mix, als Welpe mit ihren Geschwistern in Rumänien gefunden - bei Kai "Arkas" , Malinois, als Welpe mit Gesichtsverletzungen gefunden in Rhodos - bei Klara

Jason und seine Gefährten schippern weiter, beweisen sich im Faustkampf, besiegen die Bebryker und kommen dann zum blinden Seher Phineus, der sie bereits erwartet. Die Argonauten befreien den Alten von seinen Plagegeistern und erfahren durch eine Taube, ob sie weiterfahren können. Artikel zum Einbrecher in Rom: https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000233602/einbrecher-in-rom-festgenommen-weil-er-sich-in-buch-vertiefte Mit: Iolkos, Jason, Kolchis, Schwarzes Meer, Pelias, Lemnierinnen, Herakles, Propontis, Marmara-Meer, Eos, Amykos, Bebryker, Pollux, Kastor, Apollonios von Rhodos, Phineus, Harpyien, Boreaden, Kalais, Zetes, Iris, Styx, Bosporus, Bithynien, Mariandyner, Acheruisches Kap, Acheron, Thermodon, Amazonen, Euphemos, Poseidon, Olympische Gottheiten, Tiphys, Symplegaden STEADY https://steadyhq.com/de/chaoskinder/about WERBEFREIER FEED https://open.spotify.com/show/5yF7oCMeJ9VuXNOKGI91ZS?si=6c90144399804043 PAYPAL https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=VB2QKC88H9NYJ LITERATUR https://chaoskinderpodcast.wordpress.com/2022/06/27/quellen-und-literatur-auswahl/ MUSIK https://youtu.be/zfnRMIFHHrE WEBSITE www.chaoskinderpodcast.wordpress.com MAIL chaoskinderkontakt@gmail.com INSTA https://www.instagram.com/chaos.kinder/ FRANZÖSISCH "Le Chaos et ses enfants" https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lechaosetsesenfants

De groepsreis naar Rhodos die ik in september deed zal ik niet snel vergeten. Deze vakantie was vet! Ik deed dingen die ik nog nooit eerder deed en die ik alleen ook nooit gedaan zou hebben. Ik vertel je er alles over in deze aflevering: hoe de reis op mijn pad kwam, de organisatie, de activiteiten en de uitdagingen. Dank aan de organisatie en begeleiding van Groots Reizen. Meer informatie over hun aanbod vind je op de website: https://grootsreizen.com/ Mocht je willen reageren op deze aflevering, dat kan altijd. Vul het contactformulier in op de website www.sandervanmeerendonk.nl of stuur een e-mail naar info@sandervanmeerendonk.nl. Ik hoor graag van je! Er is ook een Facebook pagina van deze show: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057534635412 Ik vind het altijd leuk als je een review achterlaat op je favoriete podcast platform en als je over het bestaan ervan vertelt aan iedereen die er belang bij heeft. En als je geen enkele aflevering wil missen, abonneer je dan op deze show in de app waar je luistert. Vind je deze show echt vet en wil je mij als podcast maker steunen, doe dan een donatie. Dat kan al vanaf 2 euro per maand, of je kan ook een eenmalige donatie doen. Kijk hiervoor op www.petjeaf.com/gestructureerdechaos.

Je osm hodin ráno, slunce začíná pomalu pálit a já vycházím jako každý den na pláž. V ruce nesu karimatku, abych si na břehu Egejského moře zacvičila svou pravidelnou sestavu jógy. Z hotelu to mám tři minuty chůze, město Rhodos na severu stejnojmenného ostrova není nijak rozlehlé, do starého města plného středověkých památek, stejně jako na starověkou akropoli či na oblázkovou pláž je to kousek.

Je osm hodin ráno, slunce začíná pomalu pálit a já vycházím jako každý den na pláž. V ruce nesu karimatku, abych si na břehu Egejského moře zacvičila svou pravidelnou sestavu jógy. Z hotelu to mám tři minuty chůze, město Rhodos na severu stejnojmenného ostrova není nijak rozlehlé, do starého města plného středověkých památek, stejně jako na starověkou akropoli či na oblázkovou pláž je to kousek.Všechny díly podcastu Ranní úvaha můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

Mød vores nye græske midterforsvarer, der deler sin historie om opvæksten på Rhodos, en e-mail, der ændrede hans liv, og hans forventninger til tiden i København. Han er en markant personlighed, der har sluttet sig til klubben med ét mål for øje: at vinde titler.Tryk på linket og scroll ned i bunden for de mere end 50 andre Indersiden:Pluto TV - On DemandStøt Kvart I bold og bliv medlem:https://kvartibold.memberful.com/joinRedaktion: Stine Juul Lawaetz og Kasper Larsen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mød vores nye græske midterforsvarer, der deler sin historie om opvæksten på Rhodos, en e-mail, der ændrede hans liv, og hans forventninger til tiden i København. Han er en markant personlighed, der har sluttet sig til klubben med ét mål for øje: at vinde titler.Tryk på linket og scroll ned i bunden for de mere end 50 andre Indersiden:Pluto TV - On DemandStøt Kvart I bold og bliv medlem:https://kvartibold.memberful.com/joinRedaktion: Stine Juul Lawaetz og Kasper Larsen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Als Symbol für Triumph und Freiheit wurde der Koloss von Rhodos errichtet. Das Meisterwerk der antiken Bildhauerkunst thronte einst majestätisch über dem Hafen der Insel. Zum Wikipedia-Artikel: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koloss_von_Rhodos Produziert von Schønlein Media: https://schonlein.media Cover-Artwork Amadeus E. Fronk: https://amadeusamadeus.de/ Der Podcast ist unter der Lizenz CC-BY-SA 4.0 verfügbar.

Premiär för Hockeymorgon Extra, där vi tar ett djupare grepp om hockeyvärldens hetaste rubriker! Varje vecka får du insikter från de som var på plats, med fokus på det som verkligen händer utanför och på isen. I dagens avsnitt: Har SHL blivit för mycket som NHL? Vi diskuterar avsaknaden av färgstarka profiler som kan hota ligans framtid och hyllar Färjestads makalösa trupp. Gäst: Tomas Ros och Hans Abrahamsson Programledare: Erika Nielsen

In Libanon is de schok groot na de Israëlische aanvallen. Volgens Hezbollah heeft Israël alle rode lijnen overschreden. Israël spreekt op zijn beurt van een nieuwe fase in de oorlog. Is een grootschalige oorlog nog te vermijden? We volgen met correspondent Gilad Perez de laatste ontwikkelingen vanuit Tel Aviv. En correspondent Jenne Jan Holtland doet verslag vanuit de Libanese hoofdstad Beiroet.     (13:20) Allemaal naar Rhodos In de nieuwe Frontlinie neemt Bram Vermeulen ons mee naar Rhodos, het prachtige Grieks eiland dat wordt geteisterd door twee kwalen: ongecontroleerd massatoerisme en verwoestende bosbranden. Elke zomer, als het eiland bezwijkt onder de drukte, laaien de vlammen op. Maar krimp is geen optie, en de toeristen blijven in groten getale toestromen. Een reportage over het eiland van zon, zee en vuur. Presentatie: Sophie Derksen

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.The streets had been quiet as we’d passed, oddly subdued. The few people we saw had quickly ducked out of our way, though we were in our tunicae and sandals.Kostas’ place, I was happy to see, was lively. Drunken soldiers weren’t spilling out of the place, but there was enough of a crowd that we had to push our way past a few people. I led Helena to the back, where crusty old Kostas scowled from behind his bar.“Kostas,” I said, leaning against the bar. “I promised this Rhodian lady some pitaroudia. Are you going to disappoint her?”“Rhodian?” He said, suddenly a lot less grouchy looking.“From Lindos,” Helena said.We chatted for a bit, swapping the latest bit of island news that we had while Kostas poured us a couple of flagons of dark wine. The food would be ready in a few minutes, he told us.“She’s paying,” I said, when I spotted Kostas’ young son.The kid was coming back with an empty drink tray. I hooked him by the arm, leading him away. I put a silver coin in his hand, promising him another if he’d fetch something for me.Helena looked at me curiously, but I kept my mouth shut against her silent question.“Centenarius!” I heard a voice call. “Leontius!”I turned, already feeling a grin stretching my features. At a nearby table, five men were waving towards me. They wore happy smiles, their cheeks rosy with wine.“Sergius! You old bastard! What the hell are you doing here?”Sergius, a crusty old stratiotai with more scars on him than most had years, made a show of cupping one ear.“Can’t hear you so good, sir! Come here and whisper it to me.”The men at his table laughed. I did too, shaking my head.“Friends of yours?” Helena asked.“Men from my old cohort,” I said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”Helena’s body tightened. I saw that same expression flash across her features. Resignation? Consternation? I wasn’t sure. Even here, away from the dark street, I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d seen. It was gone too fast.“Sure,” she said, stepping forward and forcing me to move after her.The men rose to meet me, and I greeted each with a rough embrace and a few rougher words. Sergius, Gratian, Suda, Maurice and Niketas; as good a squad of stratiotai that had ever served in Justinian’s legions.“Boys, this is Helena,” I said as we sat in the chairs pulled over for us. “My shield mate. She guards the Empress with me.”Sergius blinked. Maurice choked on his wine while Suda and Niketas glanced at each other in disbelief. Helena, however, seemed to loosen. Her gaze flicked to me, and I saw the faint crinkle of something disappear from the corners of her eyes.Gratian, horse’s ass that he was, guffawed.“Come on, Centenarius,” he said. He was seated on Helena’s other side, and took the opportunity to drape one arm around her shoulders. “You can’t expect us to believe that sweet little thing fights beside you?”Whatever else I could say about Gratian, and there was a lot, I couldn’t fault his eye.Helena was in her tunica, cut in the same simple, utilitarian shape as my own. It was loose, ending just above her knees and doing nothing to accentuate the feminine curves of her body. However, unlike the wrinkled, slightly stained pale gray of my tunica, hers had been dyed a deep green.It was near to the cypress of her eyes. It made them appear brighter, and more vivid than I’d ever seen them. The green brought out the copper of her hair, deepening it and adding layers to those tumbling waves.She was beautiful; the field of grass after rain.“You think I’m sweet?” Helena said, lips curling into a small smile.“Sweet enough to eat,” he said. His eyes roved up and down her body. “How much?”Helena stayed relaxed. That small smile never left her lips.“I’m good, too.” Gratian insisted. “You’ll see. My phallus’s so good that you should be the one paying me!”He snickered through his leering grin. I shook my head when Sergius opened his mouth to interfere. Although I needn’t have. Because, an instant later, Helena’s fist crunched into Gratian’s throat.He gagged, falling backwards, his chair crashing to the ground. The tavern fell silent, all eyes on Helena as she slowly stood. Helena’s eyes swept the room. There was a heartbeat of silence, and then two. Her lip suddenly quirked.“Nobody touches before they pay.”The room exploded with laughter, covering the sound of Gratian’s moaning. Helena sat back down, while I moved to help the man pick himself off the floor.“I’ll kill her,” he choked. “I’ll fucking kill that bitch.”“Shut up,” I said, loud enough for the others to hear. “She’d gut you like a fish. And I’d cut off whatever bits my shield mate left of you.”I pulled him up, and made a show of checking him over. I hissed into his ear. “You stupid bastard. Helena’s the Empress’ personal guard. Do you want your head to the decorate palace walls?”Gratian’s face blanched. He started to stammer something but I pushed him away. “I told you to shut the fuck up. Go get us some more wine.”“Whatever Kostas hasn’t pissed in for me,” Helena called.Sergius grin was wide. “Good punch, that. It's the only way to get him to shut his hole.”“Aye,” Niketas said, draining his cup. He burped. “Finally, some fucking peace.”“Centenarius,” Maurice said, leaning forward. “No offense to your lady, but a shield mate? Are you sure about this?”“This lady,” Helena said. “Can speak for herself. Look me in the eyes and tell me what you mean.”Maurice complied. “You’re a woman. You’re real pretty, I’ll give you that, but you don’t know what this means.”“I don’t need a phallus to piss standing up. Why would I need one to hold up a shield?”Maurice smirked. “Cute. But it's more than that, it's,”"Wait, you can piss standing up?” Gratian interrupted, returning with two clay pitchers of wine. “Seriously?”The others groaned.“That wasn’t the point, Grat,” Suda said. “Although, now I am a bit curious,”"It's easy,” Helena said, throwing him a wink. “And I guarantee that I can piss better than Grat fucks.”Laughter rolled around the table. Even Gratian snickered, though heat crawled up his face. He started pouring the wine, filling Helena’s cup and then mine.“So, what the hell are you talking about, then?”“If she can really be Leo’s shield mate,” Maurice said. “If she can fight.”“She knows what it means, Maur,” I said. “She’s good, too. Fast. And she’s got some sense, unlike you thick-headed bastards.”“Good enough for me,” Sergius said. “What do you say boys, we gonna keep her around?”“Let's drink!” Niketas said, grabbing his cup.Sergius banged the table, hoisting his own cup into the air. “To Helena!”“Helena!” We roared, slamming our empty cups down a few moments later.Helena joined in, her smile wide and her cheeks flushed a happy red. Our pitaroudia arrived, and we fell to bickering over the platter of fried balls. They were delicious; tomato, onion and bits of a leafy herb mixed into a patty of ground chickpea.These were rough men that lived rough lives. They were soldiers; killers that earned their coin in the grinding crush of the shield wall. They respected a foul mouth, a hard fist and loyalty to one’s brothers.They were stratiotai.And when Helena clacked her cup with a still sheepish looking Gratian; I saw them start to think of her as one too.“Leo never told me that he was a Centenarius,” Helena eventually said.I snorted. “That’s because I’m not. These idiots just call me that.”“The crest on the helmet don’t make the Centenarius,” Suda drawled. “Ain’t that right, Serg?”“You’re damned right about that, lad,” the older man replied. “Some wise words there.”I rolled my eyes, the rest of the boys snickering into their cups. Sergius liked to share whatever kernels of wisdom popped into his head. We’d all heard this particular one a hundred times already.“We call him that because of Callinicum,” Sergius continued, answering Helena’s question.“Ah,” she said. “You were all there?”Sergius nodded, “and my bones would be decorating some Persian’s trophy shelf if it wasn’t for the Centenarius here. All of ours would.”The mood sobered, each of us remembering. I looked down to my hands; seeing the flecks of old, old blood beneath my fingernails. The ones I could never seem to clean.“Was it bad?” Helena asked.“Aye,” Sergius answered. “The old Centenarius was a right stupid prick. He got himself killed in the first charge of the Sassanid horsemen. Leontius here took over after that. Things were real shaky for a bit, but he kept us from scattering and being cut to pieces. And when the general decided he’d had enough of watching us die, Leo got us retreating.”Nobody spoke for a while, memories holding us. Some of us put wine to our lips. I just stared out at nothing with unfocused eyes. The mood remained dark until Gratian, bless his fool soul, blurted out;“Fuck, but Centenarius Demetrius was a prick.”That brought out a few chuckles. Niketas let out another burp, and Maurice swatted the back of his head. Most of us felt lighter after that. It didn’t do any good to dwell on the past. The things we’d done, the friends we’d lost, It wasn’t good to remember. Stratiotai had to live for the moment.Maybe that was why I’d always been such a terrible soldier.Midnight guard duty.It was approaching midnight when Sergius hauled himself to his feet. He blinked bleary eyes, motioning to the others.“Right boys, we’ve got patrol in the morning. Let’s get moving.”The men swallowed their last mouthfuls of wine, said their goodbyes and stumbled away with various levels of coordination.Sergius watched them go with a shake of his head. He riffled through a pouch at his side for a moment before turning back to me.“I’ve got something for you here, Centenarius. It got to the barracks a week or so ago.”He held a folded envelope out towards me. It had my name on it, written out in my mother’s blocky hand. I snatched it from him, quickly stuffing it away and out of sight. I didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to ruin this night.“It was good to see you, Leo,” Sergius said. He pulled me to my feet, and pounded my back in a rough embrace. “Don’t forget about us rankers while you’re dining with nobles.”“Take care of yourself, Serg,” I said, returning his embrace. “And, thank you.”“We’re on garrison duty,” the old soldier grinned. “What’s going to happen in the capital?”Sergius surprised Helena by pulling her into a hug next. “Keep your shield tight to his. Our Centenarius always seems to be around when shit is the deepest.”“I’ll keep him the sword from his back,” Helena said. “Though, it might loosen him up a bit.”The older man laughed. “It was good to meet you, lass. And remember, you’ve got a brother in old Sergius.” With a last little wave, he ambled out and into the deepening night.“You were right,” Helena said, settling back. She popped the last of the pitaroudia in her mouth. “This is a great place.”“Even with Grat here?” I asked with a smile.“Even still,” she said, her lips curling upward. She put her elbow on the table, leaning her heads against her palm. “I’m happy that you introduced me to your friends. I didn’t think it would be this, nice.”“It was,” I said. I shifted in my seat, wanting to move my chair closer to her. But the movement jostled the letter in my pocket. Suddenly, my mother’s words weighed more than a boulder. I shifted again, an awkward jerk of my body that accomplished nothing.Helena’s smile softened. She took pity on me, scooting over until her leg pressed against mine. I let out a breath, leaning back in my chair. We sat in silence for a while. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth, and the quiet murmur of the few remaining patrons.“This was always my favorite part,” I said, after a while. I opened my eyes to find Helena watching me, waiting for me to continue.“A place like this,” I said. “With the others; once the campaigns done. It’s,”I trailed off, trying to order my thoughts. How could I explain this to someone who’d never been to war? How did I tell her of the constant tension; of the anxious expectation that came with knowing that somewhere, beyond the light of your campfire, someone wanted you dead.Kill or be killed; there was none of that here. I could drink with my friends, without wondering which of them I would lose. Or what I would have to do.It was just; "different,” I finished.Helena didn’t laugh. She didn’t smile or tease. She just watched me with eyes that took in so much of me. I caught a glimpse of it; the edge that wondrous vastness behind her cypress gaze. She leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder and letting out a long breath.“Different,” she said. “I like that.”My eyes suddenly prickled. I blinked furiously, trying to clear the wetness seeping into them. I turned, leaning my chin against her hair; breathing in the scent of her. I shifted my arm to pull her closer, my mother’s letter forgotten.“Leo,” she said. “What would you do if you weren’t a soldier?”“I, I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve always been a soldier.”“But could you do it for ten more years?”“What else would I do? My father was stratiotai, and his father and his father. I don’t know anything else.”Helena shifted against my shoulder, her hair tickling my neck.“What was your plan once you retired?”I bobbed my shoulders in a small shrug, careful not to disturb her. “Go back to Rhodos. My mother is a seamstress. I’d help her run the shop.”“And marry a ‘good’ woman?” She said, her tone edged with mocking.I didn’t answer, though I tightened my grip on Helena. For a heartbeat, her body was stiff. Then, she let out another long breath, relaxing against me.“What about something like this?” She asked, gesturing around us. “A tavern.”“Running a Winehouse?”She pushed off of me, suddenly more animated. “Why not? You could open a soldier’s tavern on Rhodos; make a place for old stratiotai.”“A peaceful place,” I murmured.“Exactly!” She grinned. “It's a good idea, right?”“I’d have to learn how to make pitaroudia,” I said, feeling a smile tug at my lips.“I’m sure Kostas will give you his recipe.”I laughed. “I’m a solider, Helena, not a cook. I think I even burned water once.”“You are a soldier,” she said. Her eyes held mine. “But you can be something else.”I looked away, swallowing.“You’ll think about it?”“Sure,” I forced some lightness into my tone. “But only if you promise that you’d go out and catch fish for me every day.”Helena stiffened, her face suddenly bright red. Not the reaction I’d been expecting. Her eyes flicked over my face, searching. “You don’t think I’d be better as the cook? Or serving drinks?”“No,” I said, not having to force my smile. “You belong on the sea, right?”Her eyes were so wide. I felt my heart start to beat faster. That vastness, it was there, rising to the edge of her; on the verge of breaking through.“Leo,” she murmured. “I,”She was interrupted by the thump of a pouch onto our table. I looked over to find Kostas’ son standing by our table. The kid looked exhausted, but triumphant."You found what I asked for, then?” I said.He nodded, holding out a grubby hand.“Good man,” I grinned, flipping him a silver coin. He disappeared without another word. I quickly disengaged myself from Helena to put the lumpy, medium sized pouch away.“It's a surprise,” I told her. “For later.”She arched an eyebrow, but didn’t press me. She downed her last mouthful of wine, letting out a happy sigh. “We have to come back here.”I nodded, bringing my own wine to my lips.“It's nice to see that you can relax without my cunny in your mouth.”I choked, spraying out a mouthful of wine. Helena laughed, that deep, joy-filled sound. She pounded my back as I coughed myself hoarse. My face blazed, and I felt the eyes of everyone turn towards me.“Leo,” she said. “You’re defenseless.”I coughed, glaring at her through watery eyes.“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get back to the palace.”We walked out into the night, breathing in the city’s quiet. Although, it did not last long. We were but a handful of blocks from the Winehouse, when, out of the dark, we saw the fire.And heard the baying of the mob.A past shared with the Empress.The baying of the mob. The glow of fire.After a few moments of debate, Helena and I decided to move towards it. There were no screams of pain, no real sounds of violence coming from the streets ahead. We would see what there was, we decided, before returning to the Empress.We came into a square; one with a small, torch-lit church planted solidly at the northern end. A few squads of armored stratiotai, perhaps forty men, stood before the single door. They were imperial legionaries, though I did not recognize any of the grim-faced men. They all looked outward, swords drawn.Surrounding them, was the mob.The seething body of humanity was all around them. They totally filled the square; men, women, children. The old and the

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.The streets had been quiet as we’d passed, oddly subdued. The few people we saw had quickly ducked out of our way, though we were in our tunicae and sandals.Kostas’ place, I was happy to see, was lively. Drunken soldiers weren’t spilling out of the place, but there was enough of a crowd that we had to push our way past a few people. I led Helena to the back, where crusty old Kostas scowled from behind his bar.“Kostas,” I said, leaning against the bar. “I promised this Rhodian lady some pitaroudia. Are you going to disappoint her?”“Rhodian?” He said, suddenly a lot less grouchy looking.“From Lindos,” Helena said.We chatted for a bit, swapping the latest bit of island news that we had while Kostas poured us a couple of flagons of dark wine. The food would be ready in a few minutes, he told us.“She’s paying,” I said, when I spotted Kostas’ young son.The kid was coming back with an empty drink tray. I hooked him by the arm, leading him away. I put a silver coin in his hand, promising him another if he’d fetch something for me.Helena looked at me curiously, but I kept my mouth shut against her silent question.“Centenarius!” I heard a voice call. “Leontius!”I turned, already feeling a grin stretching my features. At a nearby table, five men were waving towards me. They wore happy smiles, their cheeks rosy with wine.“Sergius! You old bastard! What the hell are you doing here?”Sergius, a crusty old stratiotai with more scars on him than most had years, made a show of cupping one ear.“Can’t hear you so good, sir! Come here and whisper it to me.”The men at his table laughed. I did too, shaking my head.“Friends of yours?” Helena asked.“Men from my old cohort,” I said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”Helena’s body tightened. I saw that same expression flash across her features. Resignation? Consternation? I wasn’t sure. Even here, away from the dark street, I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d seen. It was gone too fast.“Sure,” she said, stepping forward and forcing me to move after her.The men rose to meet me, and I greeted each with a rough embrace and a few rougher words. Sergius, Gratian, Suda, Maurice and Niketas; as good a squad of stratiotai that had ever served in Justinian’s legions.“Boys, this is Helena,” I said as we sat in the chairs pulled over for us. “My shield mate. She guards the Empress with me.”Sergius blinked. Maurice choked on his wine while Suda and Niketas glanced at each other in disbelief. Helena, however, seemed to loosen. Her gaze flicked to me, and I saw the faint crinkle of something disappear from the corners of her eyes.Gratian, horse’s ass that he was, guffawed.“Come on, Centenarius,” he said. He was seated on Helena’s other side, and took the opportunity to drape one arm around her shoulders. “You can’t expect us to believe that sweet little thing fights beside you?”Whatever else I could say about Gratian, and there was a lot, I couldn’t fault his eye.Helena was in her tunica, cut in the same simple, utilitarian shape as my own. It was loose, ending just above her knees and doing nothing to accentuate the feminine curves of her body. However, unlike the wrinkled, slightly stained pale gray of my tunica, hers had been dyed a deep green.It was near to the cypress of her eyes. It made them appear brighter, and more vivid than I’d ever seen them. The green brought out the copper of her hair, deepening it and adding layers to those tumbling waves.She was beautiful; the field of grass after rain.“You think I’m sweet?” Helena said, lips curling into a small smile.“Sweet enough to eat,” he said. His eyes roved up and down her body. “How much?”Helena stayed relaxed. That small smile never left her lips.“I’m good, too.” Gratian insisted. “You’ll see. My phallus’s so good that you should be the one paying me!”He snickered through his leering grin. I shook my head when Sergius opened his mouth to interfere. Although I needn’t have. Because, an instant later, Helena’s fist crunched into Gratian’s throat.He gagged, falling backwards, his chair crashing to the ground. The tavern fell silent, all eyes on Helena as she slowly stood. Helena’s eyes swept the room. There was a heartbeat of silence, and then two. Her lip suddenly quirked.“Nobody touches before they pay.”The room exploded with laughter, covering the sound of Gratian’s moaning. Helena sat back down, while I moved to help the man pick himself off the floor.“I’ll kill her,” he choked. “I’ll fucking kill that bitch.”“Shut up,” I said, loud enough for the others to hear. “She’d gut you like a fish. And I’d cut off whatever bits my shield mate left of you.”I pulled him up, and made a show of checking him over. I hissed into his ear. “You stupid bastard. Helena’s the Empress’ personal guard. Do you want your head to the decorate palace walls?”Gratian’s face blanched. He started to stammer something but I pushed him away. “I told you to shut the fuck up. Go get us some more wine.”“Whatever Kostas hasn’t pissed in for me,” Helena called.Sergius grin was wide. “Good punch, that. It's the only way to get him to shut his hole.”“Aye,” Niketas said, draining his cup. He burped. “Finally, some fucking peace.”“Centenarius,” Maurice said, leaning forward. “No offense to your lady, but a shield mate? Are you sure about this?”“This lady,” Helena said. “Can speak for herself. Look me in the eyes and tell me what you mean.”Maurice complied. “You’re a woman. You’re real pretty, I’ll give you that, but you don’t know what this means.”“I don’t need a phallus to piss standing up. Why would I need one to hold up a shield?”Maurice smirked. “Cute. But it's more than that, it's,”"Wait, you can piss standing up?” Gratian interrupted, returning with two clay pitchers of wine. “Seriously?”The others groaned.“That wasn’t the point, Grat,” Suda said. “Although, now I am a bit curious,”"It's easy,” Helena said, throwing him a wink. “And I guarantee that I can piss better than Grat fucks.”Laughter rolled around the table. Even Gratian snickered, though heat crawled up his face. He started pouring the wine, filling Helena’s cup and then mine.“So, what the hell are you talking about, then?”“If she can really be Leo’s shield mate,” Maurice said. “If she can fight.”“She knows what it means, Maur,” I said. “She’s good, too. Fast. And she’s got some sense, unlike you thick-headed bastards.”“Good enough for me,” Sergius said. “What do you say boys, we gonna keep her around?”“Let's drink!” Niketas said, grabbing his cup.Sergius banged the table, hoisting his own cup into the air. “To Helena!”“Helena!” We roared, slamming our empty cups down a few moments later.Helena joined in, her smile wide and her cheeks flushed a happy red. Our pitaroudia arrived, and we fell to bickering over the platter of fried balls. They were delicious; tomato, onion and bits of a leafy herb mixed into a patty of ground chickpea.These were rough men that lived rough lives. They were soldiers; killers that earned their coin in the grinding crush of the shield wall. They respected a foul mouth, a hard fist and loyalty to one’s brothers.They were stratiotai.And when Helena clacked her cup with a still sheepish looking Gratian; I saw them start to think of her as one too.“Leo never told me that he was a Centenarius,” Helena eventually said.I snorted. “That’s because I’m not. These idiots just call me that.”“The crest on the helmet don’t make the Centenarius,” Suda drawled. “Ain’t that right, Serg?”“You’re damned right about that, lad,” the older man replied. “Some wise words there.”I rolled my eyes, the rest of the boys snickering into their cups. Sergius liked to share whatever kernels of wisdom popped into his head. We’d all heard this particular one a hundred times already.“We call him that because of Callinicum,” Sergius continued, answering Helena’s question.“Ah,” she said. “You were all there?”Sergius nodded, “and my bones would be decorating some Persian’s trophy shelf if it wasn’t for the Centenarius here. All of ours would.”The mood sobered, each of us remembering. I looked down to my hands; seeing the flecks of old, old blood beneath my fingernails. The ones I could never seem to clean.“Was it bad?” Helena asked.“Aye,” Sergius answered. “The old Centenarius was a right stupid prick. He got himself killed in the first charge of the Sassanid horsemen. Leontius here took over after that. Things were real shaky for a bit, but he kept us from scattering and being cut to pieces. And when the general decided he’d had enough of watching us die, Leo got us retreating.”Nobody spoke for a while, memories holding us. Some of us put wine to our lips. I just stared out at nothing with unfocused eyes. The mood remained dark until Gratian, bless his fool soul, blurted out;“Fuck, but Centenarius Demetrius was a prick.”That brought out a few chuckles. Niketas let out another burp, and Maurice swatted the back of his head. Most of us felt lighter after that. It didn’t do any good to dwell on the past. The things we’d done, the friends we’d lost, It wasn’t good to remember. Stratiotai had to live for the moment.Maybe that was why I’d always been such a terrible soldier.Midnight guard duty.It was approaching midnight when Sergius hauled himself to his feet. He blinked bleary eyes, motioning to the others.“Right boys, we’ve got patrol in the morning. Let’s get moving.”The men swallowed their last mouthfuls of wine, said their goodbyes and stumbled away with various levels of coordination.Sergius watched them go with a shake of his head. He riffled through a pouch at his side for a moment before turning back to me.“I’ve got something for you here, Centenarius. It got to the barracks a week or so ago.”He held a folded envelope out towards me. It had my name on it, written out in my mother’s blocky hand. I snatched it from him, quickly stuffing it away and out of sight. I didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to ruin this night.“It was good to see you, Leo,” Sergius said. He pulled me to my feet, and pounded my back in a rough embrace. “Don’t forget about us rankers while you’re dining with nobles.”“Take care of yourself, Serg,” I said, returning his embrace. “And, thank you.”“We’re on garrison duty,” the old soldier grinned. “What’s going to happen in the capital?”Sergius surprised Helena by pulling her into a hug next. “Keep your shield tight to his. Our Centenarius always seems to be around when shit is the deepest.”“I’ll keep him the sword from his back,” Helena said. “Though, it might loosen him up a bit.”The older man laughed. “It was good to meet you, lass. And remember, you’ve got a brother in old Sergius.” With a last little wave, he ambled out and into the deepening night.“You were right,” Helena said, settling back. She popped the last of the pitaroudia in her mouth. “This is a great place.”“Even with Grat here?” I asked with a smile.“Even still,” she said, her lips curling upward. She put her elbow on the table, leaning her heads against her palm. “I’m happy that you introduced me to your friends. I didn’t think it would be this, nice.”“It was,” I said. I shifted in my seat, wanting to move my chair closer to her. But the movement jostled the letter in my pocket. Suddenly, my mother’s words weighed more than a boulder. I shifted again, an awkward jerk of my body that accomplished nothing.Helena’s smile softened. She took pity on me, scooting over until her leg pressed against mine. I let out a breath, leaning back in my chair. We sat in silence for a while. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth, and the quiet murmur of the few remaining patrons.“This was always my favorite part,” I said, after a while. I opened my eyes to find Helena watching me, waiting for me to continue.“A place like this,” I said. “With the others; once the campaigns done. It’s,”I trailed off, trying to order my thoughts. How could I explain this to someone who’d never been to war? How did I tell her of the constant tension; of the anxious expectation that came with knowing that somewhere, beyond the light of your campfire, someone wanted you dead.Kill or be killed; there was none of that here. I could drink with my friends, without wondering which of them I would lose. Or what I would have to do.It was just; "different,” I finished.Helena didn’t laugh. She didn’t smile or tease. She just watched me with eyes that took in so much of me. I caught a glimpse of it; the edge that wondrous vastness behind her cypress gaze. She leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder and letting out a long breath.“Different,” she said. “I like that.”My eyes suddenly prickled. I blinked furiously, trying to clear the wetness seeping into them. I turned, leaning my chin against her hair; breathing in the scent of her. I shifted my arm to pull her closer, my mother’s letter forgotten.“Leo,” she said. “What would you do if you weren’t a soldier?”“I, I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve always been a soldier.”“But could you do it for ten more years?”“What else would I do? My father was stratiotai, and his father and his father. I don’t know anything else.”Helena shifted against my shoulder, her hair tickling my neck.“What was your plan once you retired?”I bobbed my shoulders in a small shrug, careful not to disturb her. “Go back to Rhodos. My mother is a seamstress. I’d help her run the shop.”“And marry a ‘good’ woman?” She said, her tone edged with mocking.I didn’t answer, though I tightened my grip on Helena. For a heartbeat, her body was stiff. Then, she let out another long breath, relaxing against me.“What about something like this?” She asked, gesturing around us. “A tavern.”“Running a Winehouse?”She pushed off of me, suddenly more animated. “Why not? You could open a soldier’s tavern on Rhodos; make a place for old stratiotai.”“A peaceful place,” I murmured.“Exactly!” She grinned. “It's a good idea, right?”“I’d have to learn how to make pitaroudia,” I said, feeling a smile tug at my lips.“I’m sure Kostas will give you his recipe.”I laughed. “I’m a solider, Helena, not a cook. I think I even burned water once.”“You are a soldier,” she said. Her eyes held mine. “But you can be something else.”I looked away, swallowing.“You’ll think about it?”“Sure,” I forced some lightness into my tone. “But only if you promise that you’d go out and catch fish for me every day.”Helena stiffened, her face suddenly bright red. Not the reaction I’d been expecting. Her eyes flicked over my face, searching. “You don’t think I’d be better as the cook? Or serving drinks?”“No,” I said, not having to force my smile. “You belong on the sea, right?”Her eyes were so wide. I felt my heart start to beat faster. That vastness, it was there, rising to the edge of her; on the verge of breaking through.“Leo,” she murmured. “I,”She was interrupted by the thump of a pouch onto our table. I looked over to find Kostas’ son standing by our table. The kid looked exhausted, but triumphant."You found what I asked for, then?” I said.He nodded, holding out a grubby hand.“Good man,” I grinned, flipping him a silver coin. He disappeared without another word. I quickly disengaged myself from Helena to put the lumpy, medium sized pouch away.“It's a surprise,” I told her. “For later.”She arched an eyebrow, but didn’t press me. She downed her last mouthful of wine, letting out a happy sigh. “We have to come back here.”I nodded, bringing my own wine to my lips.“It's nice to see that you can relax without my cunny in your mouth.”I choked, spraying out a mouthful of wine. Helena laughed, that deep, joy-filled sound. She pounded my back as I coughed myself hoarse. My face blazed, and I felt the eyes of everyone turn towards me.“Leo,” she said. “You’re defenseless.”I coughed, glaring at her through watery eyes.“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get back to the palace.”We walked out into the night, breathing in the city’s quiet. Although, it did not last long. We were but a handful of blocks from the Winehouse, when, out of the dark, we saw the fire.And heard the baying of the mob.A past shared with the Empress.The baying of the mob. The glow of fire.After a few moments of debate, Helena and I decided to move towards it. There were no screams of pain, no real sounds of violence coming from the streets ahead. We would see what there was, we decided, before returning to the Empress.We came into a square; one with a small, torch-lit church planted solidly at the northern end. A few squads of armored stratiotai, perhaps forty men, stood before the single door. They were imperial legionaries, though I did not recognize any of the grim-faced men. They all looked outward, swords drawn.Surrounding them, was the mob.The seething body of humanity was all around them. They totally filled the square; men, women, children. The old and the

Cleopatra would have blushed in this Empress' presence.Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.“I will die before I let them take the purple that robes me. For never will I see the day where those I meet do not call me Empress.”Leontius is stratiotai, a soldier of Rome's armies. He has lived a decade and more of war, staining his boots with the dirt of nations that have dared to raise their blades against the Empire. It's left him tired. So, when given a chance to step from the battlefield and into Constantinople's Imperial Palace, he takes it.Leontius enters the service of Empress Theodora, a woman unlike any other, who rose from the capital's meanest brothels to sit as co-ruler of the Mediterranean's mightiest Empire. But the city writhes in her grip. As embers of rebellion flare into conflagration, Leontius will find that there exists a life beyond what he has known. A path he sees reflected in the smile of a guardswoman with wild, cypress eyes.This is a story set in the Imperial court of the Byzantine Empire in the year 532 AD. It is the tale of a young soldier inducted into the guard of a very horny Empress.“Tell God that He made a mistake, dear father, when He only gave me three holes for pleasure.”I turned those words over in my head, shifting uncomfortably in my seat. I swear, those words had nearly killed my mother when she’d first heard them. She was a tough, tight-lipped seamstress that could heave a bolt of satin over one shoulder with one hand, while she slapped a lesson into me with the other.“What sort of woman would say that?” She’d rail, before clapping her hands over my ears. “Close yourself off to such things,” she’d warn me. “They are not for folks like us.”Those were for the people of the capital, where the streets teemed with prostitutes and silk covered actresses. Not for the goodly, simple folk of Rhodos and my mother’s shop.Despite myself, I felt my lip quirk into a small smile. Of course, the capital was exactly where I was. I stood and kept my eyes lowered until I’d made my way to the nearest window. I stared out into the afternoon sun, breathing deeply of the summer air that was heavy with the scent of nearly half a million people. Constantinople, golden capital of the Eastern Roman, Byzantine Empire and center of the world.I was looking out over the Hippodrome’s track and out into the thousands of domes and roofs of the city. There was no city quite like it in all the world, and even now, a month after having arrived, I still often got lost in its crooked streets.I heard a polite cough behind me, and I turned to find one of the armored guards nodding to the seat I had just vacated. Evidently, I was supposed to wait there.I gritted my teeth, but obeyed. They were just doing their jobs. It wasn’t their fault that I was nearly twitching with restless energy.I adjusted myself on the chair, shifting around in vain to try and find a comfortable position. In all fairness, my discomfort wasn’t the furniture’s fault either. This was, without a doubt, the finest chair I’d ever sat it. Its cushion was thick, held up by four intricately carved legs of scented wood.The rest of the small antechamber was just as luxurious. Everywhere I looked, I saw gold and marble and fine pottery. Even the large door, so diligently guarded by the two armored Excubitors, was carved and inlaid with gold.What in God’s name was I doing here? I was a soldier; my hands calloused by the sword. I was stratiotai, an infantry man. My place was in the shield wall, my sandals stained with the dirt of kingdoms that dared raise their blades against Rome.At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.I heard the muffled sound from behind the guarded door. It made me think back to my mother, to those words that she’d so hated to hear.“Three holes for pleasure,” I murmured to myself.I coughed, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. I shifted again on this damnable chair. What would my mother think if she could see me now? Her only son, her soldier, her little lion; invited to the Imperial Palace.I think that those words would be the first thing she thought of. I think that she would once again clap her hands to my ears so that I would hear no more from the woman that had so famously uttered them.This woman; she who’d been crowned Augusta. A woman who’d come from the flea ridden pallets of the city’s meanest brothel and had risen to command the wealth of half the world. A woman upon who’s words rested the fate of millions. The most powerful woman on earth; co-ruler of the Mediterranean’s mightiest empire and who’s beauty and ruthless intelligence were already being woven into legend.Theodora; Empress of Rome. The woman that I was to meet.The door guarded by the two Imperial Guards suddenly swung open. I leapt to my feet, my spine snapping into a salute.“Ouch,” I heard a woman laugh. “What do you think boys, is his back is straight enough?”The two Excubitors chuckled. I blinked, and found myself facing not the Empress, but a woman in the armor of a guard. The breastplate she wore was of plain, functional steel. She carried with her a heavy, iron-rimmed shield with a short-sword and dagger strapped to the belt at her waist.This was a stratiotai’s kit, standard issue amongst the Emperor’s legions. It was the twin of the one I’d worn nearly every day since my sixteenth birthday; right down to the helmet she held in the crook of her arm.She moved towards me, her hobnailed boots loud against the marble floor. My mind was blank and only a decade’s worth of military discipline kept my mouth from gaping open like the world’s largest fish.Woman weren’t soldiers. They couldn’t be soldiers.A woman’s place was married, tending to a home or shop or farm. From crib to hearth to crib to grave; my mother would say while pinching my cheek. A good woman could be happy nowhere else, she’d insisted.And yet, here one was, grinning at me with her emerald eyes.“Loosen up,” she said. “My back hurts just looking at you.”I obeyed the note of easy command in her voice, staring up and over her left shoulder as I would any Centurion.It was easier than trying to work through my confusion.I felt her eyes on me, taking note of the muscles beneath my light tunica. She swept her eyes down my arms and made an approved sound when she saw the callouses on my open palms. I felt her take note of my scars next, her eyes lingering on each one.My face flushed, my heart beating faster.I wasn’t used to being around women, at least not ones that I hadn’t paid for their company. They were hard to find in a legions camp. This guardswoman was strong, confident, and my awkwardness wasn’t helped by the fact that she was intensely beautiful.Her bright green eyes were the most striking, though it was far from the only thing that made her a rarity. Her hair was held back at her forehead by a band of cloth; a wave of copper-colored hair that curled down to her shoulders. And though her skin was bronzed by the summer sun, she had the sort of complexion that was rare to find in the capital since the loss of the Empire’s western provinces.“So, you’re the one who won the foot-race,” she said. “Leontius, right? I watched you come into the Hippodrome. You’ve got good form.”Was she a runner too? Judging from the lean muscles of her arms and legs, she very well could be. And why the hell not? Apparently, women could be soldiers here, why couldn’t they run naked with the rest of us in the athletic events?I heard the rising voice of my mother’s outrage in my head, but I pushed it and all my swirling confusion to the side. I was a soldier, and I knew how to deal with the dangers of the present before I worried about the future. And right now, the danger was that I’d been staring at this guard’s shapely thighs during a long moment of still stretching silence.“Ahem,” I cleared my throat, my face suddenly burning. “Thank you, sir!” I coughed again, “ma'am”She laughed; eyes sparkling. She had a deep, full-bellied laugh; one that thrummed through my chest and made my toes tingle.“Sir is fine,” she said. “For now. I know that you legion boys have a hard time with change.” She winked.“Ah, yes sir,” I swallowed. “Thank you, sir.”“Alright, then. Are you ready to meet your Empress?”“Yes, sir!” I said, snapping off another salute.She smirked, and led me through the open door and into the short hallway beyond. I followed her towards the door at the other end.“You won the Emperor’s foot-race,” she said. “And you’re a soldier; that means that the Emperor has granted you the chance to join the Empress’ Guard.”“Yes, sir.”I tried not to remember that race. I love to run, but that had been brutal. I’d run for almost an entire day, hammered by the summer sun, racing against the thousand others that had decided to sign up.But I’d won, and the Emperor, Justinian himself, had come down from the Imperial box to put the laurel upon my head. I don’t remember much of that day, though I’m sure that beneath the pain and intense dehydration I’d been proud. I had to have been.The guardswoman glanced over her shoulder at me. “It's just a chance; an interview. Remember that. The Empress has the final say.”My face must have flickered, because she spoke again. “You have a question, soldier?”“No, sir.”“Yes, you do,” she said. “Spit it out.”“Sorry, sir, it's just that I thought that it was the Emperor that chose his Excubitors.”Her lip quirked. “We’re not Excubitors. They guard the whole palace, and the Emperor, sure. Our duties are to the Empress, nobody else. That clear?”“Yes, sir!” I said, though of course, her answer had just raised a hundred more questions in me. “Clear as the giant’s foot.”I immediately cringed as the words slipped out. Now wasn’t the time for a damned joke! But to my relief, she laughed once again.“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”We were at hallway’s only other door now, the one that presumably opened into the Empress’ chambers. She turned to regard me with an expression that made the heat rise to behind my neck.“Sorry, sir!” I said. “It's an expression from my home. God as my witness, I meant no offense.”“Your home,” she said. “Rhodes, right?”“I,” I blinked. "Yes, sir.”She grinned. “I knew that there was a reason I liked you. I’m from Lindos, on the eastern side of the island.”“Yes, sir. I know it.”I shoved that information into the same corner of my mind as my now screaming mother. I had family in Lindos, had visited it as a boy. To find out that we may have crossed paths once before was just too much.“I’m from Rhodos,” I said instead. “The city. Though I haven’t been back since I joined the legions.”“It’s been a long time for me as well,” she said.She reached for the ornate handle, pausing to look back at me.“A word of advice,” she said. “The Empress will not be what you expect. Obey her, and remember that while you’re in that room, you’re as responsible for her life as I am.”Without giving me a chance to respond, the armored woman threw open the door and marched me into Empress Theodora’s private chambers.Her sitting room was large, airy, kept cool by an open balcony and several wide windows. The walls were of stone, festooned with tapestry, art and the many other sort of golden things that the rich liked to collect. Beautifully carved wooden chairs, couches and divans were spread throughout the space.And lounging on one, a book held delicately in one hand; was the Empress Theodora.“Highness,” the guardswoman said. “Here’s the man that won the Emperor’s Race.”“Your Majesty,” I said. I dropped to my knees, keeping my eyes on the stone floor. “It would be an honor to serve you.”“Would it, now?” I heard her say in a voice that was tinged with a smile. “Stand up, solider. Let me get a good look at you.”I obeyed, keeping my eyes downcast. I heard the rustle of fabric.“How do you expect to guard me if you’re always looking at the floor?”I flushed, feeling the heat crawl up my neck. I hurriedly looked up, and I swear that for several long heartbeats, I couldn’t breathe.The beauty of the Emperor’s wife was spoken of everywhere her name was known. I had heard her described a thousand different ways; heard a hundred different versions of how she’d come to be named Augusta.Born on faraway Cyprus, she’d come to Constantinople as a child. Her father had trained bears for the circus, and when he’d died, her family had been doomed to the worst sort of poverty. She’d survived as many a young woman had; by trading her body for a roof and something to eat.She’d worked at a brothel, and later as an actress, which many said were the same sort of profession. Constantinople’s taverns were full of men who’d claim to have known her then. They’d wax about the times they’d had her, for one night or many. Others would reminisce about her time on stage, their eyes faraway as they’d recount the day they’d seen her dance clothed in nothing but a long, red-ribbon.I’d heard every story, though none could prepare me for the sight of her. She’d set her book down, her body still draped over the divan. She was young, I realized, barely past her third decade. She wore a thin, silky sort of dress, the material clinging to a figure that had retained its dancer’s strength.Her feet were bare, and she stood in one smooth motion. Her smile was pleased as she glided towards me, her curves tight against the cloth of her dress.Dark, intelligent eyes watched me from above a long neck. It swept of gracefully from her tight chest, a golden chain disappearing into the space that divided it. I wondered what was hidden there, safe and out of sight. How warm the gold must be, cradled against the smoothness of her skin.The Empress smirked. I wrenched my eyes back to the floor, mortified. What in God’s name was I doing? My face burned, and I was opening my mouth to stammer an apology when the Empress spoke.“I did not say that you could look away, soldier.”“A thousand apologies, my Empress,” I said.I lifted my gaze back up to hers with some difficulty. Her eyes were wrinkled in a smile. The rest of her skin was smooth, a warm brown that was a only a few shades lighter than the thick, wavy tresses of hair that cascaded down past her shoulders.She’d stopped an arms-length from me, examining me in the same manner as her guard had a few minutes before. My flush deepened.“Am I making you uncomfortable?”“N, No, your Majesty,” I managed to say.“Good,” her smile widened. “Because I am impressed with you, stratiotai Leontius. And that is without taking into account your victory in my husband’s race. You fought in Persia, did you not?”“Ah, yes, your Majesty. I fought in general Belisarius’ army.”“Indeed,” she said. “You shared in his great victory at Dara, and in his defeat at Callinicum a bare few months ago.”I did not want to remember those battles, that campaign against the Sassanid Persians; neither the baking sun and trenches of Dara or how their cavalry had swept through us at Callinicum.“Yes, your Majesty,” was all I said.“I’ve spoken to many of your fellow soldiers, since Belisarius and his army have trickled back to the capital. You are well regarded by your comrades.”I ducked my head, “thank you, your Majesty.”“A thoughtful man, they all say. One serious about his duty. You had few friends amongst your cohort, yet all respected you.” The Empress continued. “You enlisted at sixteen years of age. You’ve served a decade already, and I believe that you would have served another one if you’d not caught my husband’s attention.”I nodded, ignoring the twist in my stomach.“An exemplary man,” she said. “In most things.”The Empress started to move, circling me. She made a little sound with her throat. “He’s quite handsome as well, is he not?”“I thought so too, Highness,” the emerald-eyed guardswoman said.“Lean,” the Empress continued. “A runner, obviously. Well-muscled, though his shoulders are a little too small. I’m not sure about the beard either, though the jaw beneath looks strong.”“I rather like it, Highness. It's just a dusting of whiskers, but it suits him nicely.”“Yes, well, you’ve always liked them rather savage, Helena. Your Rhodian blood, no doubt.”The other woman, Helena, grinned. “He’s Rhodian too, Highness.”The Empress sniffed. “Figures. I suspect that he will be as uncivilized as you are, then.”Her smile made light of her words, though I was still incredibly uncomfortable. I sweated beneath the attention of the two beautiful women. I kept my back ramrod straight, knowing that I’d be squirming like a virgin at a brothel if I let myself relax.“Now,” the Empress said. “Lie down. On your back.”The order confused me. But she was my Empress, and so I obeyed; lowering myself onto my back, the stone cool through the linen of my tunica.She smiled down at me. “Your obedience is commendable, soldier. And fear not, you’re down there for a reason.”Cloth rustled and sighed, her bare feet making no sound at all as she stepped around me. She was beside my chest now, her large, dark eyes twinkling as she kept her gaze on my face. Inexplicably, I felt my cheeks redden. I averted my gaze.“Look at me,” I heard her snap.My eyes, wide with sudden panic, flew back to her face. Her smile was gone, replaced by a downward twist of her lips.“Your, Your Majesty.” I stammered, frozen, like a rabbit beneath the eagle’s shadow. “Forgive me. Please, I didn’t,”Her smile returned, softening her features and a better companion to the sparkle that had never left her eyes."Shush,” she said. “There’s nothing to forgive.

Cleopatra would have blushed in this Empress' presence.Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.“I will die before I let them take the purple that robes me. For never will I see the day where those I meet do not call me Empress.”Leontius is stratiotai, a soldier of Rome's armies. He has lived a decade and more of war, staining his boots with the dirt of nations that have dared to raise their blades against the Empire. It's left him tired. So, when given a chance to step from the battlefield and into Constantinople's Imperial Palace, he takes it.Leontius enters the service of Empress Theodora, a woman unlike any other, who rose from the capital's meanest brothels to sit as co-ruler of the Mediterranean's mightiest Empire. But the city writhes in her grip. As embers of rebellion flare into conflagration, Leontius will find that there exists a life beyond what he has known. A path he sees reflected in the smile of a guardswoman with wild, cypress eyes.This is a story set in the Imperial court of the Byzantine Empire in the year 532 AD. It is the tale of a young soldier inducted into the guard of a very horny Empress.“Tell God that He made a mistake, dear father, when He only gave me three holes for pleasure.”I turned those words over in my head, shifting uncomfortably in my seat. I swear, those words had nearly killed my mother when she’d first heard them. She was a tough, tight-lipped seamstress that could heave a bolt of satin over one shoulder with one hand, while she slapped a lesson into me with the other.“What sort of woman would say that?” She’d rail, before clapping her hands over my ears. “Close yourself off to such things,” she’d warn me. “They are not for folks like us.”Those were for the people of the capital, where the streets teemed with prostitutes and silk covered actresses. Not for the goodly, simple folk of Rhodos and my mother’s shop.Despite myself, I felt my lip quirk into a small smile. Of course, the capital was exactly where I was. I stood and kept my eyes lowered until I’d made my way to the nearest window. I stared out into the afternoon sun, breathing deeply of the summer air that was heavy with the scent of nearly half a million people. Constantinople, golden capital of the Eastern Roman, Byzantine Empire and center of the world.I was looking out over the Hippodrome’s track and out into the thousands of domes and roofs of the city. There was no city quite like it in all the world, and even now, a month after having arrived, I still often got lost in its crooked streets.I heard a polite cough behind me, and I turned to find one of the armored guards nodding to the seat I had just vacated. Evidently, I was supposed to wait there.I gritted my teeth, but obeyed. They were just doing their jobs. It wasn’t their fault that I was nearly twitching with restless energy.I adjusted myself on the chair, shifting around in vain to try and find a comfortable position. In all fairness, my discomfort wasn’t the furniture’s fault either. This was, without a doubt, the finest chair I’d ever sat it. Its cushion was thick, held up by four intricately carved legs of scented wood.The rest of the small antechamber was just as luxurious. Everywhere I looked, I saw gold and marble and fine pottery. Even the large door, so diligently guarded by the two armored Excubitors, was carved and inlaid with gold.What in God’s name was I doing here? I was a soldier; my hands calloused by the sword. I was stratiotai, an infantry man. My place was in the shield wall, my sandals stained with the dirt of kingdoms that dared raise their blades against Rome.At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.I heard the muffled sound from behind the guarded door. It made me think back to my mother, to those words that she’d so hated to hear.“Three holes for pleasure,” I murmured to myself.I coughed, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. I shifted again on this damnable chair. What would my mother think if she could see me now? Her only son, her soldier, her little lion; invited to the Imperial Palace.I think that those words would be the first thing she thought of. I think that she would once again clap her hands to my ears so that I would hear no more from the woman that had so famously uttered them.This woman; she who’d been crowned Augusta. A woman who’d come from the flea ridden pallets of the city’s meanest brothel and had risen to command the wealth of half the world. A woman upon who’s words rested the fate of millions. The most powerful woman on earth; co-ruler of the Mediterranean’s mightiest empire and who’s beauty and ruthless intelligence were already being woven into legend.Theodora; Empress of Rome. The woman that I was to meet.The door guarded by the two Imperial Guards suddenly swung open. I leapt to my feet, my spine snapping into a salute.“Ouch,” I heard a woman laugh. “What do you think boys, is his back is straight enough?”The two Excubitors chuckled. I blinked, and found myself facing not the Empress, but a woman in the armor of a guard. The breastplate she wore was of plain, functional steel. She carried with her a heavy, iron-rimmed shield with a short-sword and dagger strapped to the belt at her waist.This was a stratiotai’s kit, standard issue amongst the Emperor’s legions. It was the twin of the one I’d worn nearly every day since my sixteenth birthday; right down to the helmet she held in the crook of her arm.She moved towards me, her hobnailed boots loud against the marble floor. My mind was blank and only a decade’s worth of military discipline kept my mouth from gaping open like the world’s largest fish.Woman weren’t soldiers. They couldn’t be soldiers.A woman’s place was married, tending to a home or shop or farm. From crib to hearth to crib to grave; my mother would say while pinching my cheek. A good woman could be happy nowhere else, she’d insisted.And yet, here one was, grinning at me with her emerald eyes.“Loosen up,” she said. “My back hurts just looking at you.”I obeyed the note of easy command in her voice, staring up and over her left shoulder as I would any Centurion.It was easier than trying to work through my confusion.I felt her eyes on me, taking note of the muscles beneath my light tunica. She swept her eyes down my arms and made an approved sound when she saw the callouses on my open palms. I felt her take note of my scars next, her eyes lingering on each one.My face flushed, my heart beating faster.I wasn’t used to being around women, at least not ones that I hadn’t paid for their company. They were hard to find in a legions camp. This guardswoman was strong, confident, and my awkwardness wasn’t helped by the fact that she was intensely beautiful.Her bright green eyes were the most striking, though it was far from the only thing that made her a rarity. Her hair was held back at her forehead by a band of cloth; a wave of copper-colored hair that curled down to her shoulders. And though her skin was bronzed by the summer sun, she had the sort of complexion that was rare to find in the capital since the loss of the Empire’s western provinces.“So, you’re the one who won the foot-race,” she said. “Leontius, right? I watched you come into the Hippodrome. You’ve got good form.”Was she a runner too? Judging from the lean muscles of her arms and legs, she very well could be. And why the hell not? Apparently, women could be soldiers here, why couldn’t they run naked with the rest of us in the athletic events?I heard the rising voice of my mother’s outrage in my head, but I pushed it and all my swirling confusion to the side. I was a soldier, and I knew how to deal with the dangers of the present before I worried about the future. And right now, the danger was that I’d been staring at this guard’s shapely thighs during a long moment of still stretching silence.“Ahem,” I cleared my throat, my face suddenly burning. “Thank you, sir!” I coughed again, “ma'am”She laughed; eyes sparkling. She had a deep, full-bellied laugh; one that thrummed through my chest and made my toes tingle.“Sir is fine,” she said. “For now. I know that you legion boys have a hard time with change.” She winked.“Ah, yes sir,” I swallowed. “Thank you, sir.”“Alright, then. Are you ready to meet your Empress?”“Yes, sir!” I said, snapping off another salute.She smirked, and led me through the open door and into the short hallway beyond. I followed her towards the door at the other end.“You won the Emperor’s foot-race,” she said. “And you’re a soldier; that means that the Emperor has granted you the chance to join the Empress’ Guard.”“Yes, sir.”I tried not to remember that race. I love to run, but that had been brutal. I’d run for almost an entire day, hammered by the summer sun, racing against the thousand others that had decided to sign up.But I’d won, and the Emperor, Justinian himself, had come down from the Imperial box to put the laurel upon my head. I don’t remember much of that day, though I’m sure that beneath the pain and intense dehydration I’d been proud. I had to have been.The guardswoman glanced over her shoulder at me. “It's just a chance; an interview. Remember that. The Empress has the final say.”My face must have flickered, because she spoke again. “You have a question, soldier?”“No, sir.”“Yes, you do,” she said. “Spit it out.”“Sorry, sir, it's just that I thought that it was the Emperor that chose his Excubitors.”Her lip quirked. “We’re not Excubitors. They guard the whole palace, and the Emperor, sure. Our duties are to the Empress, nobody else. That clear?”“Yes, sir!” I said, though of course, her answer had just raised a hundred more questions in me. “Clear as the giant’s foot.”I immediately cringed as the words slipped out. Now wasn’t the time for a damned joke! But to my relief, she laughed once again.“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”We were at hallway’s only other door now, the one that presumably opened into the Empress’ chambers. She turned to regard me with an expression that made the heat rise to behind my neck.“Sorry, sir!” I said. “It's an expression from my home. God as my witness, I meant no offense.”“Your home,” she said. “Rhodes, right?”“I,” I blinked. "Yes, sir.”She grinned. “I knew that there was a reason I liked you. I’m from Lindos, on the eastern side of the island.”“Yes, sir. I know it.”I shoved that information into the same corner of my mind as my now screaming mother. I had family in Lindos, had visited it as a boy. To find out that we may have crossed paths once before was just too much.“I’m from Rhodos,” I said instead. “The city. Though I haven’t been back since I joined the legions.”“It’s been a long time for me as well,” she said.She reached for the ornate handle, pausing to look back at me.“A word of advice,” she said. “The Empress will not be what you expect. Obey her, and remember that while you’re in that room, you’re as responsible for her life as I am.”Without giving me a chance to respond, the armored woman threw open the door and marched me into Empress Theodora’s private chambers.Her sitting room was large, airy, kept cool by an open balcony and several wide windows. The walls were of stone, festooned with tapestry, art and the many other sort of golden things that the rich liked to collect. Beautifully carved wooden chairs, couches and divans were spread throughout the space.And lounging on one, a book held delicately in one hand; was the Empress Theodora.“Highness,” the guardswoman said. “Here’s the man that won the Emperor’s Race.”“Your Majesty,” I said. I dropped to my knees, keeping my eyes on the stone floor. “It would be an honor to serve you.”“Would it, now?” I heard her say in a voice that was tinged with a smile. “Stand up, solider. Let me get a good look at you.”I obeyed, keeping my eyes downcast. I heard the rustle of fabric.“How do you expect to guard me if you’re always looking at the floor?”I flushed, feeling the heat crawl up my neck. I hurriedly looked up, and I swear that for several long heartbeats, I couldn’t breathe.The beauty of the Emperor’s wife was spoken of everywhere her name was known. I had heard her described a thousand different ways; heard a hundred different versions of how she’d come to be named Augusta.Born on faraway Cyprus, she’d come to Constantinople as a child. Her father had trained bears for the circus, and when he’d died, her family had been doomed to the worst sort of poverty. She’d survived as many a young woman had; by trading her body for a roof and something to eat.She’d worked at a brothel, and later as an actress, which many said were the same sort of profession. Constantinople’s taverns were full of men who’d claim to have known her then. They’d wax about the times they’d had her, for one night or many. Others would reminisce about her time on stage, their eyes faraway as they’d recount the day they’d seen her dance clothed in nothing but a long, red-ribbon.I’d heard every story, though none could prepare me for the sight of her. She’d set her book down, her body still draped over the divan. She was young, I realized, barely past her third decade. She wore a thin, silky sort of dress, the material clinging to a figure that had retained its dancer’s strength.Her feet were bare, and she stood in one smooth motion. Her smile was pleased as she glided towards me, her curves tight against the cloth of her dress.Dark, intelligent eyes watched me from above a long neck. It swept of gracefully from her tight chest, a golden chain disappearing into the space that divided it. I wondered what was hidden there, safe and out of sight. How warm the gold must be, cradled against the smoothness of her skin.The Empress smirked. I wrenched my eyes back to the floor, mortified. What in God’s name was I doing? My face burned, and I was opening my mouth to stammer an apology when the Empress spoke.“I did not say that you could look away, soldier.”“A thousand apologies, my Empress,” I said.I lifted my gaze back up to hers with some difficulty. Her eyes were wrinkled in a smile. The rest of her skin was smooth, a warm brown that was a only a few shades lighter than the thick, wavy tresses of hair that cascaded down past her shoulders.She’d stopped an arms-length from me, examining me in the same manner as her guard had a few minutes before. My flush deepened.“Am I making you uncomfortable?”“N, No, your Majesty,” I managed to say.“Good,” her smile widened. “Because I am impressed with you, stratiotai Leontius. And that is without taking into account your victory in my husband’s race. You fought in Persia, did you not?”“Ah, yes, your Majesty. I fought in general Belisarius’ army.”“Indeed,” she said. “You shared in his great victory at Dara, and in his defeat at Callinicum a bare few months ago.”I did not want to remember those battles, that campaign against the Sassanid Persians; neither the baking sun and trenches of Dara or how their cavalry had swept through us at Callinicum.“Yes, your Majesty,” was all I said.“I’ve spoken to many of your fellow soldiers, since Belisarius and his army have trickled back to the capital. You are well regarded by your comrades.”I ducked my head, “thank you, your Majesty.”“A thoughtful man, they all say. One serious about his duty. You had few friends amongst your cohort, yet all respected you.” The Empress continued. “You enlisted at sixteen years of age. You’ve served a decade already, and I believe that you would have served another one if you’d not caught my husband’s attention.”I nodded, ignoring the twist in my stomach.“An exemplary man,” she said. “In most things.”The Empress started to move, circling me. She made a little sound with her throat. “He’s quite handsome as well, is he not?”“I thought so too, Highness,” the emerald-eyed guardswoman said.“Lean,” the Empress continued. “A runner, obviously. Well-muscled, though his shoulders are a little too small. I’m not sure about the beard either, though the jaw beneath looks strong.”“I rather like it, Highness. It's just a dusting of whiskers, but it suits him nicely.”“Yes, well, you’ve always liked them rather savage, Helena. Your Rhodian blood, no doubt.”The other woman, Helena, grinned. “He’s Rhodian too, Highness.”The Empress sniffed. “Figures. I suspect that he will be as uncivilized as you are, then.”Her smile made light of her words, though I was still incredibly uncomfortable. I sweated beneath the attention of the two beautiful women. I kept my back ramrod straight, knowing that I’d be squirming like a virgin at a brothel if I let myself relax.“Now,” the Empress said. “Lie down. On your back.”The order confused me. But she was my Empress, and so I obeyed; lowering myself onto my back, the stone cool through the linen of my tunica.She smiled down at me. “Your obedience is commendable, soldier. And fear not, you’re down there for a reason.”Cloth rustled and sighed, her bare feet making no sound at all as she stepped around me. She was beside my chest now, her large, dark eyes twinkling as she kept her gaze on my face. Inexplicably, I felt my cheeks redden. I averted my gaze.“Look at me,” I heard her snap.My eyes, wide with sudden panic, flew back to her face. Her smile was gone, replaced by a downward twist of her lips.“Your, Your Majesty.” I stammered, frozen, like a rabbit beneath the eagle’s shadow. “Forgive me. Please, I didn’t,”Her smile returned, softening her features and a better companion to the sparkle that had never left her eyes."Shush,” she said. “There’s nothing to forgive.

Dänzer-Vanotti, Irene www.deutschlandfunk.de, Tag für Tag

BONUSAVSNITT! Berra har hittat ett knep hur man flyger billigare, Anis har köpt en dyr resväska och nostalgi från Rhodos bargata!

Tento díl není veselý, ale stále zbývá HOPE!Speciální díl, věnovaný situatci na Slovensku, které jsme věnovali v epizodách na herohero a zejména naši slovenští posluchači nás žádali o možnost sdílet tyto epizody se svými blízkými, kamarády a kolegy. Na podzim tam vyhrál volby Robert Fico, který spolu s ruskou pátou kolonou sestavil vládu a dal se do demontáže demokratického právního státu. Následovaly prezidentské volby, ve kterých zvítězil vládní kandidát Peter Pellegrini. A proto jsme se rozhodli udělat souhrn toho, co se na Slovensku v posledních měsících stalo a co lze celkem jasně označit za tzv. State capture, tedy zabrání státu, konkrétně Ruskem a to nevojenskými prostředky. Pokládáme to za důležité nejen proto, že se to stalo u našich nám nejbližších sousedů, ale zejména proto, že se to může stát za rok a půl i nám. Užitečné odkazy:Výzkum Globsec, podle kterého by většina slováků klidně vystoupila za NATOFicovy vazby na italskou mafii (investigace_cz, sme_sk, idnes_cz)O propojení italské a ruské mafieJak Zeman jezdil na Rhodos za peníze KremluFico šíří proruskou propagandu už hodně dlouhoProč musel zemřít Jan Kuciak?Fico sice ujistil Shmyhala, ale to je úplně jednoAnne Applebaum o autoritářích, kteří chtějí zničit demokracieInterview Lucie Tomanové s Janisem Carlsbergem, vedoucím centra pro strategickou komunikaci NATOSlovenský “Dárek pro Putina”Podpořte Project HOPE Tomáše Kriššáka!Podpořte nás na https://www.herohero.co/kanarcivsiti . A nebo si kupte naše trička na https://www.neverenough.shop/kanarci . Podcast pro Vás připravují @alexalvarova a @holyj . Hudba a sound engineering: Psyek a deafmutedrecords.com . Twitter Spaces moderuje @jiribulan .Najdete nás na www.kanarci.online

Taylor Swift! Kattproblem på Rhodos! Garpens gåtor! Christopher Garplind berättar saker för Hanna Hellquist. Zoopedagogen Martin Hammarsten berättar om Hannas och Christophers favoritämnen i ett - djur och parning! Lana Zand från P3 Nyheter om Grindr anklagas för spridning av känslig hiv-info. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. Programledare: Christopher Garplind och Hanna Hellquist.

Anis & Berra berättar om sina galna utlandsäventyr som ungdomar, Berra testar Apple Vision Pro och blir chockad, världens fulaste statyer sågas, och vad skulle dem sagt till sitt 18 åriga jag?

Pompl, Moritzwww.deutschlandfunk.de, Umwelt und Verbraucher

Die Pyramiden von Gizeh, die Zeusstatue des Phidias, der Artemis-Tempel, die hängenden Gärten von Babylon, der Koloss von Rhodos, der Leuchtturm von Pharos und die aktuelle Folge Baywatch Berlin! Das sind sie, die sieben Weltwunder. Unglaublich, eben ein echtes Wunder, dass es nur einen (!!!) Tag nach der FloridaTV Weihnachtsfeier überhaupt möglich war, einen Podcast aufzunehmen. Die Stimmung in der Ausnüchterungszelle von Studio Bummens ist entsprechend angespannt. Aus Bruchstücken wird zu nächst die Weihnachtsfeier rekonstruiert, bis ein Programmpunkt sogar genauer seziert werden muss. Schmitti sieht in der, zum Amüsement zur Verfügung gestellten, Schlittschuhbahn eine spiegelglatte Projektionsfläche der Eitelkeiten. Hier werden charakterliche Eigenheiten freigelegt, wie sonst nur Knochen nach einem schweren Sturz. Klaas lenkt geschickt ab, um die Stimmung zu retten. Ihm ist etwas zugestoßen, was einem auf dem 510.000.000 Quadratkilometer großen Erdball, ausschließlich in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg passieren kann. Ein Streit über Musik, den Schmitti mit sich selber anzettelt, führt dazu, dass Jakob erzählt, wie er vor 100 Jahren Britney Spears und die Backstreet Boys studiert hat, um auf den ersten Partys seines Lebens eine gute Figur abzugeben. All das hat wie immer keinen logischen Zusammenhang und darf sich auch genau deswegen als Laber-Podcast beschreiben. Dennoch macht besonders diese Folge, ähnlich wie das Leben von Jan Ullrich, in ihrer kruden Zusammenstellung erst wütend und dann traurig. Du möchtest mehr über unsere Werbepartner erfahren? Hier findest du alle Infos & Rabatte: https://linktr.ee/BaywatchBerlin

Teil II mit Nicole Krein und Thorsten Sperschneider, die beide für Meeting Point Hellas auf Rhodos tätig sind. Es gibt keinerlei Einschränkungen aufgrund der vergangenen Waldbrände auf Rhodos. Besuch die traumhafte Urlaubsinsel, genieß Sonne, Gastfreundlichkeit und griechische Köstlichkeiten. Dein nächster Urlaub: https://www.fti.de/urlaubsangebote/urlaub-rhodos.html Plus: Treffe deine persönliche Reiseleitung von Meeting Point Hellas vor Ort und profitiere von dem ausgezeichneten Service und Gästemanagement. Die Themen: Nicole lebt seit 17 Jahren auf Rhodos; Thorsten kam mit der Familie nach Rhodos; Griechisches Essen ist sensationell auf Rhodos; Zusammenhalt, Familie, Wohlfühlen; Gelebte Gastfreundschaft; Familiengeführte Hotels bis Luxus der Extraklasse; Für kleines und großes Budget, für Sportler, für Abenteurer, für Seelebaumelnlasser; Sonneklar Tv live von Rhodos; Shopping in der Altstadt und Neustadt; Akropolis von Rhodos Dir stehen folgende Informationsquellen und Kontaktmöglichkeiten zur Verfügung: https://www.fti.de/service/reisehinweise.html https://www.fti.de/blog/reiseberichte-und-tipps/expertentipps/urlaub-corona-einreisebestimmungen/ Schreib uns deine Fragen, Reiseerlebnisse und Reisetipps an hello@washeldentun.de

Host Dominik Hoffmann ist mit Nicole Krein und Thorsten Sperschneider verbunden, beide für Meeting Point Hellas auf Rhodos tätig. Es gibt keinerlei Einschränkungen aufgrund der vergangenen Waldbrände auf Rhodos. Besuch die traumhafte Urlaubsinsel, genieß Sonne, Gastfreundlichkeit und griechische Köstlichkeiten. Dein nächster Urlaub: https://www.fti.de/urlaubsangebote/urlaub-rhodos.html Plus: Treffe deine Reiseleitung von Meeting Point Hellas vor Ort und profitiere von dem ausgezeichneten Service und Gästemanagement. Die Themen: Saisonale Feuer nicht jedes Jahr; Unterstützung der Gäste durch die einheimische Bevölkerung; Evakuierung von 19.000 Menschen innerhalb von einem Abend; In den Waldgebieten hat es gebrannt; 90% der Inselfläche unversehrt; Krisenmanagement; Nur zwei Hotels bleiben vorerst geschlossen; Gastfreundschaft und Sicherheit noch stärker als vor dem Feuer Dir stehen folgende Informationsquellen und Kontaktmöglichkeiten zur Verfügung: https://www.fti.de/service/reisehinweise.html https://www.fti.de/blog/reiseberichte-und-tipps/expertentipps/urlaub-corona-einreisebestimmungen/ Schreib uns deine Fragen, Reiseerlebnisse und Reisetipps an hello@washeldentun.de

Är det oförskämt att ge bort ett gymkort i present? Ska man spola med stängt eller öppet lock? Varför åker de flesta utomlands på sommaren när det är varmt i Sverige? Ha nu en Baila Chiki Chiki-vecka och ställ dina frågor på @thefragaratenkompisofficial på instagram

Aktuell jagt ein Klimarekord den nächsten. Wir sprechen über die Auswirkungen der Klimakrise auf Sicherheit und globale Kooperation. Und entdecken: Der Klimawandel ist bedrohlich, birgt aber auch Chancen.

Hosté: Václav Černohorský, zpravodaj ČT Jan Lipavský /Piráti/, ministr zahraničí Pavel Pešek, ředitel konzulárního odboru MZV Ladislav Miko /LES/, poradce ministra životního prostředí, bývalý ministr životního prostředí Pořadem provázel Michal Kubal. https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1096898594-udalosti-komentare/223411000370724/

Rhodos v plamenech. A nejen on, taky Korfu a hořelo i u Athén a na dalších místech. Jak velké škody požáry způsobují, jak velká rána je to pro místní a nemělo by se Řecko připravit, že čím víc bude v létě vedro, tím častěji mohou vznikat požáry? Na to odpovídá Soňa Dorňáková Stamu, spolupracovnice ČRo v Řecku.Všechny díly podcastu Vinohradská 12 můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

Snak om James Cameron, Hornfisk og Rhodos.

Na řeckém ostrově Rhodos zuří požáry. „Základním pravidlem je vyhýbat se krizovým oblastem. Oheň se šíří neuvěřitelnou rychlostí,“ varuje specialista na zvládání extrémních situací a instruktor kurzů přežití. Co podle něj patří do evakuačního zavazadla a co s sebou vždycky nosí on sám? Jak by vybavil své děti do lesa? Co by nemělo chybět v domácnosti, dobře připravené na krizové situace? Co použít při blackoutu místo ledničky? A stačí často uvažovat jen selským rozumem?Všechny díly podcastu Blízká setkání můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

Es ist ein Horrorszenario im Sommerurlaub: Plötzlich ziehen dunkle Rauchwolken auf, im nahen Wald lodern Flammen. Für zigtausende Feriengäste wurde das am Wochenende auf der griechischen Insel Rhodos Realität. Im Podcast spricht STANDARD-Korrespondentin Adelheid Wölfl darüber, wie die Betroffenen diese gefährlichen Stunden erlebt haben und ob Hitze und Feuer den Griechenland-Urlaub bald unmöglich machen. Anna Giulia Fink aus dem Chronikressort erklärt, ob auch Österreich von Waldbränden bedroht wird und was es beim nächsten Ausflug in die Natur deshalb zu beachten gilt. **Hat Ihnen dieser Podcast gefallen?** Mit einem STANDARD-Abonnement können Sie unsere Arbeit unterstützen und mithelfen, Journalismus mit Haltung auch in Zukunft sicherzustellen. Alle Infos und Angebote gibt es hier: [abo.derstandard.at](https://abo.derstandard.at/?ref=Podcast&utm_source=derstandard&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_content=podcast)

Evakuace českých turistů z Rhodosu pokračuje, vláda však zatím speciály nevyšle. Ministerstvo zahraničí ani nevydá plošné doporučení necestovat na Rhodos, situace na ostrově se podle tamních hasičů zlepšuje. Ačkoliv probíhá evakuace některých turistů, na ostrov stále přilétají noví lidé. Je bezpečné nyní na Rhodos letět – a do jakých přesně oblastí? Pokud chceme zrušit náš zájezd na Rhodos, máme nárok na vrácení peněz? A jaká je situace na Korfu? Pořadem provázel Jiří Václavek https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/11412378947-90-ct24/223411058130724/

Dvacet tisíc lidí, včetně českých turistů, uteklo před požáry na řeckém ostrově Rhodos. Policie označila evakuaci za největší v historii. Ministerstvo zahraničí nedoporučuje do postižených lokalit na ostrově Rhodos cestovat. Zároveň vyzývá k registraci do systému DROZD. Parlamentní volby ve Španělsku podle prvních odhadů vyhráli konzervativní lidovci. Informují o tom průzkumy zveřejněné po zavření volebních místností. Druhá podle nich skončila levicová koalice v čele se socialisty premiéra Sáncheze. Samotní lidovci, kteří byli dosud v opozici, pravděpodobně nebudou mít většinu v třísetpadesátikřeslovém parlamentu. Dosáhnou ji podle některých z prognóz pouze, pokud postaví koalici s krajně pravicovou stranou Vox. Krajní pravice by se tak k moci dostala poprvé od dob diktátora Franca. https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/11412378947-90-ct24/223411058140723/

I kvällspasset idag så vill jag höra allt om den där semestern som blev nåt helt annat än det du hade drömt om. Semestern som helt enkelt gick åt helvete. Jag vill höra allt, dela med dig! Blev du magsjuk första dan eller lyckades du helt enkelt bryta ett ben så att bad blev helt otänkbart? Kanske såg du framför dig en romantisk resa med din partner istället bestämde sig dina svärföräldrar för att följa med till paradisstranden för att ”förgylla” er samvaro..Kanske är du en av de som sitter fast på Rhodos under fruktansvärda omständigheter och längtar hem? Hör av dig! Förvandlades drömmen om en skärgårdssegling till en katastrof då segelbåten havererade!Idag vill jag höra allt om den där semestern från helvetet! Dela med dig på 020-22 10 20, Jag är med dig med start 17:37!

Auf der griechischen Ferieninsel Rhodos wüten verheerende Waldbrände. 19'000 Menschen mussten vor den Flammen in Sicherheit gebracht werden – Ministerpräsident Kyriakos Mitsotakis sprach von der «grössten Evakuierungsaktion, die es jemals in Griechenland gegeben hat». Weitere Themen: (01:01) Verheerende Brände auf Rhodos – Tausende evakuiert (11:00) Spanien steht vor einem Richtungsentscheid (16:16) Eine Wahl ohne Wahl in Kambodscha (18:57) Studie zu Alzheimer-Medikament macht Hoffnung – zu Recht?

Die omnipräsenten Farben Griechenlands fallen als erstes ins Auge: Strahlend weiße, niedrige Gebäude, die die Natur im Fokus stehen lassen und den Gast mit puristischer Architektur unter einem gern wolkenlosen, blauen Himmel auf der größten Hellasinsel begrüßen. Die moderne Eleganz des Gennadi Grand Resorts auf Rhodos zieht sich wie ein roter Faden durch die gesamte Anlage. Viel Weite. Überall Licht.