Philopation
Philopation was a park north of the emperor's palace in Constantinople in the 9th century.
History
In 867, Emperor Basil I and his family had a lovely outdoor event, where he setup a hunt for wolves in the park,[1] only to escape the rumors that circulated of the assassination attempt against his son, Leo inside the palace's grounds.[2] Meanwhile, Empress Eudocia and Leo sat together while under the protection of the Varangian guards Thyra and Justin and the Byzantine Hidden One Hytham, posing as another Varangian guard. Hytham soon heard Basim's bird-call and left Leo and the empress in Thyra's hands. Upon seeing Basim, he noticed that Basim was beside a wolf, which was unexpectedly calm.[1]
After the hunters' voices left the vicinity, the wolf left Basim as both Master Assassin and his acolyte talked. Basim admitted to being distant in order to cool down[1] from Hytham's capture by the Order and disobedience,[3] but stated that his anger did not subside.[1] Readying their weapons, Basim and Hytham battled but it was one-sided due to Hytham's injuries. Ultimately, Basim won their match as he held his blade to Hytham's throat. Letting him go, Basim scolded Hytham for ignoring his orders and becoming too close to Leo. Hytham apologized but stated that he had followed every order but will not let Leo be a pawn.[4]
Basim explained that Hytham's care and protection of Leo made him jealous due to his rough childhood with his own father. He also admitted he could not lose Hytham, due to his value to the Hidden Ones and especially to him. Hytham responded by saying he values their friendship, too. Nevertheless, to deter Basil from killing his son again, Basim focused back on the mission. He revealed his plan to make Leo bait in order to draw Isaac and his fellow Order members to attack. Reluctant, Hytham agreed to follow his orders.[4]
Appearances
References
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