The Crossroads

*pshh* *pshh* *pshh* *pshh*

The sound of men marching as their armor vibrated with each step, with some even singing short songs for their long walk. Horses galloping filled the background of their sympathy creating an orchestra to pass the time. Their destination was sixteen kilometers away (ten miles) which would take over two hours of marching to reach, it might've been almost noon as they had left three hours after the sun had risen, if things had gone according to plan, they would've been off towards Morea by now.

"Halt!" rings out a voice from the front of the column.

A man on a white steed armored from front to back holds out his hand in accordance with his command, he then motions for another man on a horse, he wore heavy plate armor similar to those of the Western knights, something not commonly adopted in the Eastern Roman Empire as not many had the funds to do so unless they were mercenaries or of high noble families.

"Domianus, I believe we will be coming upon the enemy soon. Scouts from before said that their movement was from the West on the way towards Constantinople." says Constantine as he looks at the area before him

Domianus looking at the intersection of roads replies, "Yea, they'll probably be arriving soon, the only other roads here are towards Constantinople and Selymbria, unless they're following a rural path."

Constantine looks out towards the West and then towards the East, empty. Nothing on the roads, dead and uninhabited. It wasn't always like this, Constantinople used to be filled with caravans coming in and out of the city with the roads here being filled with people passing by each other. Trade was at an all time high, up until the disasters of the 4th crusade and the Ottomans. It's also rare to even find caravans of farmers coming to sell their produce, unless of course their farm is situated near the city, it would be too dangerous being out in the less defended areas of the empire as they'd be prone to bandits and Turks attacking their settlements. Constantinople is a bit different however, as the city has farmlands inside of its walls incase of the city being sieged, which, has happened before. The Turks have tried multiple times before, such as in 1391, 1394, 1411, and in 1422 where Constantine himself fought against the Turkish invaders.

That siege was something unforgettable, large bronze contraptions that fired out balls of metal. The city was threatened to fall with Constantine, his brothers, and his father working together to push the enemy back, many would say that Theotokos (Mother of God) saved them that day, however, it was clear that Maneul II's previous investment into Küçük Mustafa, the brother of Murad II, helped in saving the empire from possible defeat.

Constantine was disrupted by his thought by the shouting of a man named Alexios, Alexios was a bodyguard of his, a man hovering over 1.8 meters tall (6 feet) and was the strongest man in Constantine's retinue. He was Constantine's second in command and would help advice him in times of war, he would also lead the Skoutotai and Kataphraktoi at times.

Alexios, attempting to gain Constantine's attention yells out, "Kephale! I see the enemy, to the West!"

Constantine quickly shifts his eyes over to the West to see a cloud of dust and dirt making its way toward them, however, they soon come to a stop after a large force blocks the roads Eastward. The large force of cavalrymen then begin to form up into a large line of cavalry.

"Men! Form up immediately! Prepare for any possible attacks! Skoutotai (infantry) in the center, Kataphraktoi (heavy cavalry) on the flanks! Toxotai (archers) in the front! Domianus, command the Kataphraktoi! Alexios, to the Skoutotai!" commands Constantine

The large force of 430 men begin to shift in their formations from a column to organized formations. In the end lay 180 cavalry on the flanks, 200 infantry in the center, and 50 skirmishers/archers in the front. The opposing side sends out a large contingent of what appeared to be horse archers to skirmish with the Toxotai.

What proceeded were waves of arrows being fired from each side, the number of casualties were low, but the winner of the skirmish would help with morale. Each battle has a phase, and this phase was an important one to win....

Time would pass, almost thirty minutes in total, about a dozen or two on each side dead from each other's volleys, it almost looked like the Roman side was about to win, well... up until the cavalry charged.