"You're a Latin, aren't you Reynard," the Prince of Hellas mused, leaning on the pommel of his blade as he looked across at the sandy-haired Knight; a man about a decade his senior--he was prodding him.
"Yes, and your sworn-brother, my Greek Prince," Sir Reynard Durand ribbed, offering a soft smirk, which Andronikos quickly matched; drawing himself up to his full height--he was tall already, at only 16, with dark blue eyes, olive skin, and overly curly auburn hair.
Both men were clean-shaven and broad-shouldered.
"You bring it up why, my Prince?" Reynard pressed, raising a brow, to which Andronikos dramatically stepped forward, and pressed two fingers into the map before them, as they stood in an open-air camp, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of soldiers moving back and forth.
They were in the borderlands between Thessaly and Attica; readying to march against the 'Duchy of Athens' and firmly reunite the mainland of Rhomania.
"Because you'd know how they think; you were raised in their manner," the Prince responded; his manner was nonchalant and uncaring--he lacked the austereness of his grandfather or the bluntness (some might say disguised anger) of his father.
"How do you expect them to react when we cross through Thermopylae, not as a mythical concept, but in reality? Will they muster men? Will they be waiting for us?" Andronikos continued, a brow raised questioningly.
Reynard chuckled, and waved his hand dismissively, "They'll not even consider it; they're uncouth Iberians, they don't even know a 'Thermopylae' exists, let alone that they could break off our advance with a mere '300 Spartans' there," came the reply, and Andronikos couldn't help but chuckle in turn, just as George of Aetolia walked in, and offered a look to both his fellow sworn-brothers.
"The men are ready my Prince,"
1364 to 1366
Venice was a much more competent enemy than Genoa had been; their navy more than capable of competing with that of the Romans across the Aegean, thus quickly shuttering supplies to Crete from the Empire.
The Latins of the Duchy of Athens too weren't idle; they'd attempted to raid into Morea several times by March, but had been turned back again, and again, at Corinth, although at great cost each time to the Romans.
Rather than take any more, Prince Andronikos would lead an army of roughly 10,000 directly through the Hot Gates of Thermopylae; striking deep into Attica, although the Latins had expected something like this; clashing with the Romans across Northern Attica throughout March; stalling their advance.
As this went on, Sir Reynard Durand would take a ship across the Gulf of Corinth to Morea, and from there rally the soldiers of the peninsula; numbering around 6,000, which he then moved across the Isthmus of Corinth--directly threatening the heartlands of the Duchy of Athens in one stroke.
Megara blocked the way though; a well-fortified and ancient site that forced Reynard to lay it to siege in late March--lest he get cut off in passing it. To tighten the siege, Reynard would lead the quick capture of the coastlands nearby Megara; robbing it of any attempts by the Latins to send supplies by ship.
To finalise this, the Knight would also order the construction of a simple fortification to the north of the Isthmus, on the shores of the Gulf of Corinth; intending to block off any sort of motions by the Latins.
The siege would drag on, as in May the Romans under Prince Andronikos would capture the city of Krissa; giving them access to the environs of Thebes, which Andronikos would quickly exploit--only to be stonewalled yet again by a well-managed Latin counter-offensive under the Vicar-General of the Duchy, Roger de Lluria. Twice the two would clash directly in battle within the lands of Boetia, but nothing would come of it.
May would pass, and June would come; the siege of Megara had stalled, and Andronikos was still being held back by de Lluria--while in Crete what had been intended as the quick reconquest of the city of Candia by the Venetians had too stalled, with the supplies delivered before the lines were cut having bolstered the defences enough to stymie the besiegers.
It would only be in August that Prince Andronikos had mustered enough men and material to put Thebes under siege; having to fight off constant raids by de Lluria all the while.
All three sieges would continue across the year, and into the next; with Megara breaking first in late February 1365--allowing Reynard to march his forces directly against Thebes to join Andronikos. With the added pressure, Thebes falls in less than a month; submitting to the Romans in March 1365.
As this goes on, the Emperor would be forced from Constantinople in June due to the increased raids by Murad into Roman Anatolia; one of Nikephoros' generals having been defeated badly, and thus the situation in John's eyes requiring his personal attention.
He would spend the next year and a half dealing with Murad's raids; unable to do much more than stave them off with so much of the army busy in Athens.
With Thebes taken, the Duchy of Athens only had Athens itself, and the Piraeus, on the mainland, alongside the isles of Salamis and Aegina--the latter two would be targeted next, as Reynard would muster a makeshift 'Hellas Fleet' to invade the two isles in April--returning to the mainland in June by the skin of his teeth, having barely avoided the Venetian Navy.
In July 1365 the two would then put Negroponte under siege; the Venetian city, and Venetian-held lands of Euboea, having been a great aid to de Lluria, who was now forced to lick his wounds in southern Attica.
Negroponte would prove to be an utter hassle; necessitating the aid of the Imperial Fleet to crush several Venetian supply efforts--before finally Andronikos had enough, and ordered the city proper bombarded, much to Reynard's displeasure.
Still, it would take until December before Negroponte finally gave in; with the Romans resting there tentatively for a week, before marching into Euboea, which shortly thereafter quickly surrendered.
Now all that was left was Athens and Piraeus.
Come January 1366, after mustering all they could in a reasonable time, Andronikos and Reynard would devise the fall of the Duchy--splitting their armies, with Reynard besieging Piraeus, and Andronikos Athens itself; intent on starving Athens of aid from her historic port.
Yet, the two would not break; the sieges dragged on--and on, and on; Andronikos badly wounded in a sortie headed by de Lluria, and thus forced to take a backseat at Athens. Venice, by now well into the war, and now fully aided by Sicily, which landed troops in Morea, would cause further problems.
While Venice's fleet kept the Piraeus supplied, the Sicilians ravaged the countryside of Morea--forcing Reynard to take a force back to the peninsula, as Andronikos stepped up to lead both sieges, despite his injuries--riding back and forth.
The Sicilians were led by Philip II, Prince of Taranto, titular Emperor of Constantinople and titular Prince of Achaea--who had joined the invasion alongside his retinue in a bid to regain his lands.
Reynard was forced to strip Morea of much of its garrison to meet them on the field--resulting in the Battle of Akova in April 1366, which saw Philip trampled to death in a charge, and Reynard badly wounded--but the Romans victorious. Reynard's young son, Roger Durand, would take over for his father, and lead the massacre of the fleeing Sicilians thereafter throughout late April.
News came then that further rocked the Romans, as they tried to muster morale from their close victory; Candia had finally fallen in June--and the Imperial Fleet had been soundly defeated at the Battle of Andros shortly thereafter; forcing them to flee to Lesbos.
In the aftermath of this, Basil of Lesbos would have the admiral in charge hung and then thrown in the sea--personally taking charge of the Fleet, and making moves to muster it once more.
Prince Manuel Palaiologos, now 15, would at his still-embattled father's request send a letter to his kinsman John II Palaeologus-Montferrat--asking for aid.
After much deliberation, Montferrat would finally answer the call in August 1366; mustering much of the fleet they'd 'inherited' from the Genoese and sailing it from their ports in Liguria and Corsica--meeting, and beating, detachments of the Venetian Fleet throughout the remaining year.
With the aid of the Montferratians, Basil of Lesbos would having enough breathing room to finally muster the Imperial Fleet in full again--meeting the Venetians, while aided by Montferrat, in the Battle of Naxos in September 1366.
The Battle took place over several days; costing all three sides dearly--but by the end, the Roman-Montferrat fleet had won, and the Venetians were firmly forced to flee from the Aegean.
2/3rds of the Imperial Fleet was gone, forcing Prince Manuel to pay out a donative to the Montferratians in order to assuage the stresses of thereafter being leaned on so heavily, as throughout October, and November, Basil would lead several naval invasions of the 'Duchy of Naxos'--finally ending the Duchy with the taking of Naxos itself by storm in early December 1366.
Finally, on December 24th 1366, de Lluria would surrender Athens, and the Piraeus to Prince Andronikos in a chivalric gesture, knowing he was cut off, and doomed; the Romans having a tense but cordial feast in Athens alongside de Lluria and his men for Christmas.
Come the New Year, the Catalans, and the broader Latins able and wanting to leave, would; taking to ships and departing Athens for good.
It is said that, as he departed, de Lluria would nickname Prince Andronikos 'the Eagle'--for his mannerisms, and seeming embodiment of the Empire he was Crown-Prince of.
The nickname would stick.