The two noble brothers listened, growing increasingly uncomfortable as the document spelled out in no uncertain terms their duties and responsibilities while guests of the empire. When Alexius came to the oath of loyalty they were expected to swear, recognizing the emperor as the supreme sovereign whose authority the lords of the West held above all other earthly claims, they were aghast.

'Lord and Emperor,' pleaded Godfrey, 'begging your imperial pardon, we cannot possibly swear by such an oath.'

Alexius frowned. Godfrey hastened to explain. 'It is most unfortunate, lord, but we have already sworn fealty to the Emperor of the West: William, King of England. We cannot by any means swear fealty to another, less yet hold two sovereigns supreme. Therefore, we must beg to be excused this condition.'

'But you will not be excused, Godfrey of Bouillon,' Alexius said, his voice quiet with the awful weight of his disapproval. 'As God is One, there is but one Holy Roman Empire and Constantinople is its capital. There is but one sovereign lord upon the throne, the same lord you see before you; there are no others. We care not what the lords of the West may do in their own lands, but when they come to the capital of the empire which has given them life and nurture, they will swear an oath of allegiance to the sovereign under whose protection they thrive.'

The lords were dumbstruck. Never had they anticipated such an ungracious reception. They had travelled nine months and endured countless hardships in order to lend their aid to save the failing empire – only to have their noblest intentions thrown back in their faces over a trivial matter of loyalty. Come to that, did the emperor actually expect them to sign his contemptible document?

'Emperor Alexius,' Godfrey began, somewhat uncertainly, 'we find ourselves unable to abide by your request.'

'Do you refuse?' enquired the emperor.

'In no way,' Godfrey blustered, 'but it is simply not possible for us to sign the document you propose.'

Baldwin found his voice then, and added, 'Our word is our honour, Lord Emperor-and that is good enough for any man.'

Alexius bristled. 'Honour? We will not hear you debase that exalted word in our presence. We have seen enough of your honour to know that your word, so easily given-when it aids your purpose-is thrice easily broken when it suits you. In short, there is nothing to which you will not swear; likewise, there is nothing you will not forswear when the tide of circumstance begins to run against you.'

The emperor glared mightily at the two uncertain noblemen before him, and vowed, 'Truly, we will have your signatures on this treaty of allegiance, or you will never see Jerusalem.'

The brothers looked at one another hopelessly, but remained unmoved. Alexius decided to allow them time to reconsider. 'Go,' he said wearily. 'Return to your camps and hold council with your advisors. We will send for your reply two days' hence.'

With that, lords Godfrey and Baldwin were led from the emperor's presence. They walked as men condemned, for they saw all the glittering treasures they had claimed for themselves receding swiftly from their grasp. Desolate and confused, they very soon found themselves cast out from the opulent palace and thrown back into the stinking camps where they sat in forlorn contemplation of the inexplicable treachery of the devious Easterners.

Thus began a battle of wills which was to endure for many weeks. Upon the pilgrims' repeated refusal to sign the oath of allegiance, the emperor finally discontinued the delivery of supplies and provisions. From time to time, Alexius would send Count Hugh of Vermandois, as his personal envoy, to the crusader camp to try to persuade the lords to swear the oath of fealty so that their troops could enjoy the fresh provisions of food and wine awaiting them. Each time, they would decline the oath, and grimly watch the level of their remaining supplies dip ever lower.

The first warning that it was time to force the stubborn brothers' surrender came to Alexius with the return of the Varangian regiment assigned to conduct stray pilgrims to the capital. The commander of the regiment sought out the drungarius and quickly passed on a letter from the emperor's nephew, John, the Exarch of Dyrrachium. Dalassenus thanked the man, and hastened to the emperor, whom he found with his family at prayers in the palace chapel.

He entered quietly, approached the altar, knelt behind his kinsman and waited for Alexius to finish. When the archbishop concluded the prayer, the royal family rose and turned to see who had joined them. 'Dalassenus!' exclaimed the empress. Irene, a tall and elegant woman, smiled graciously and extended her hand to one of her favourite courtiers. 'We have seen so little of you these last days. I hope you will observe Easter Mass with us-and the feast afterwards, of course.'

'It would be my pleasure, basilissa,' he said, bending his head to kiss her extended hand.

'If you will excuse us now,' the emperor said, 'I believe Dalassenus has come on urgent business.'

'All these interminable discussions,' Irene chided. 'Whenever will it end? Come, children,' she said, gathering her brood, 'your lessons await.'

Alexius bade farewell to his wife and children, and then turned to Dalassenus. 'The Varangi have returned. The patrician brought this for you,' he said, passing the letter to the emperor.

Alexius broke the seal, unfolded the document and scanned the contents quickly. Dalassenus, observing the change in the emperor's demeanour, inquired, 'I’ll tidings, Basileus?'

'At least two more crusader armies have crossed our borders; they are on their way to the capital even as we speak,' Alexius said. He frowned and added, 'It seems one of these armies is under the command of our former adversary, Bohemond of Taranto.'

'Him!' growled the drungarius, 'I thought we had seen the last of Guiscard's miserable misbegotten son.'

'So had I, cousin,' the emperor agreed.

'And the other army?' the drungarius wondered.

'It is under the command of a man called Raymond, Count of Toulouse. They landed at Dyrrachium on the Ides of March, and John moved them quickly on. They could arrive at any time.'

Dalassenus fought down his growing rancour. 'I will alert the Pecheneg theme to watch the roads and bring word as soon as they are sighted. That should give us warning enough -'

'Better still,' suggested Alexius, 'instruct them to escort the Count and his troops to the capital at once. I do not want these marauding pilgrims pillaging any more towns along the way.'

'It will be done, Basileus,' the young commander replied. 'Does the exarch indicate how many we can expect to -

Before he could say more, the Captain of the Excubitori appeared at the door. He coughed politely, and when Alexius beckoned him to approach, he said, 'Forgive the intrusion, Basileus, but there may be a problem,' Nicetas announced. 'A riot has broken out in one of the markets outside the walls. The city scholae are dealing with it, but I thought you should know. Also, it appears the Romans are moving their camps further up the Golden Horn. They may be preparing an attack on the city.'

The emperor's frown deepened; he rubbed a hand over his face.

'What can they be thinking?' said Dalassenus, his brow lowering with exasperation.

Alexius drew a steadying breath and said, 'It may come to nothing. Nevertheless, we will be ready. Call out the archers, and have the Varangi man the walls.' To Dalassenus he said, 'Summon the Immortals.'

'Do you wish us to engage the pilgrims, Basileus?' asked Nicetas.

'No,' he decided, 'at least not yet. If they approach the gates, tell the archers to shoot over their heads. Go now, both of you. We will join you on the wall.'

The emperor rose and left the chapel, hastening to the royal apartments where he called Gerontius to summon his armour bearers. 'We will show these quarrelsome lords the folly of making war on their emperor.'