The weather was hot, so Vitus wore no armor. He rode slowly atop that white Arabian horse, with his own purple banner nearby—the Palaiologos Beta Banner, the purple double-headed eagle banner, and numerous army standards.
It was four in the afternoon, somewhat late. Vitus did not go to the docks to take a ship, but led the army to spend the night in the city.
Compared with its size during the campaign, the army was much smaller, numbering only twenty-three thousand men, including the Varangian Legion, the Sakarya Legion, and some cavalry directly under his command.
The artillery under his direct command moved too slowly overland to accompany them. Instead, it had boarded ships in Cilicia and was returning to Constantinople by sea.
On the journey back, Vitus heard many reports and rumors about Constantinople and also received letters sent by various parties.
Overall, no large-scale conflicts had erupted in the homeland. John VIII remained far removed from politics, while the various factions maintained a delicate balance of power.
At the beginning of the year, Demetrius had spent some time in Constantinople. In early February, he had supposedly quarreled with the empress dowager, then returned to Thessaloniki.
Of the remaining members of the imperial family, Theodore's household was in Cyprus, Andronikos was in Antioch putting the affairs of the diocese in order, and Constantine was at Ruse, a military stronghold on the banks of the Danube.
Vitus and Thomas had been away commanding troops for a long time. Romanus was in Konya, while Leo and Agnes remained in Bursa.
Likewise, the neighboring countries in the Balkans had made no move. Venice's mercenaries and fleet had gathered on Crete. Its army supposedly numbered more than ten thousand, yet it had never dared to start a war on its own.
"The shores