The Plot Thickens

Political event

Constantine commands Syres to use his man on the inside, Basil Peteinos (a senator and wealthy man) to get further details on the upcoming coup hatched by his wife's two brothers Stephen and Constantine. Syres, meanwhile, enjoys the privileges of command and his position at court. Daily he sees the young Romanos II, the aging Romanos I, and is a constant companion of Emperor Constantine VII. When he discovers the full details of the plot, he and Constantine debate their next moves, deciding to wait and allow the two junior emperors to usurp their father. Meanwhile, Romanos I announces his intentions to betroth the young Romanos II to the daughter of Domestikos John Kourkouas, Euphrosyne.

Constantine isn't surprised by the perpetrators, being his own wife's brothers who wanted more power ever since their elder brother had died over ten years ago. Syres debates what to do about them and Constantine urges him to be patient and wait, allowing the details of their plot to unfold. Basil Peteinos is ordered to comply with the conspirators demands and orders, keeping Syres informed of their movements.   During the next few months, Syres enjoys a leisurely lifestyle, commanding troops and living within the royal palace as Constantine's head body-guard and companion. Here he helps to educate young Romanos II and his sister Zoe, making Helena relax a little more. She knows there is something going on between Constantine and Syres but she doesn't know what it is. At a ceremony celebrating Constantine's 30th year on the throne, Romanos I announces to his family and closes courtiers at a small banquet that he intends to marry his grandson, Romanos II to the daughter of Domestikos Kourkouas, Euphrosyne.   This visually angers the eldest of his sons, Stephen, and predictably, Stephen and Constantine (Romanos' son) opposed this decision, and prevailed upon their father, who was by this time who was aging and frequently ill. Meanwhile, Syres' informant returned to him only a month after the announcement with more details. The two sons were planning on overthrowing their father and Constantine VII in a coup. They were gathering their strength and slowly solidifying their alliances which surprised Constantine as he always imagined them both to be just as blunt and unrefined as their father. Helena overhears the conversation and eventually agrees to side against her own brothers in favor of her son, Romanos.   Later that year, after Constantine sent Syres to gather his own supporters in subtle, unassuming ways, the Emperor throws a huge Christmas-tide feast and festival in commemoration of the birth of Christ, and Romanos' 24th year on the throne. There are large celebrations and even foreign dignitaries are invited. Constantine uses this huge celebration to speak to various ambassadors, in secret, about throwing their support behind him in the future. The ambassadors and envoys from Amalfi, Gaeta, Rome, and Provence all agree as does the Ambassadors of Abbasid Empire, The Holy Roman Empire, and the newly founded Caliphate of Cordoba.