"God bless you, Lady Zoe, your support truly came at the perfect time."
On the corpse-strewn battlefield, Metropolitan Ilarion, surrounded by monks and warriors, approached Zoe, his words full of gratitude, and he made the sign of the cross towards her.
The Metropolitan was covered in blood, but it was all from the rioters and pagans; he had practically "bathed" in the enemy horde just moments ago, and without his sturdy armor, he would have died countless times over.
"It was merely what a believer in God should do."
Zoe humbly lowered her head, speaking formalities, while both parties understood the true underlying reasons in their hearts, but these were not to be spoken aloud.
"The greatest source of chaos in Kiev has been resolved, so shouldn't we begin to restore order to the city?"
Zoe said to the Metropolitan, watching her subordinates slaughtering the wolf-skin warriors who were incapacitated by the pagan drugs.
Metropolitan Ilarion raised an eyebrow; this request was quite intriguing, as it meant completely binding him to Rostislav. But it didn't matter; the Metropolitan's mindset had already changed. Returning to the wilderness was fine; he would once again embark on the path of asceticism. As for siding with Rostislav, he should have realized long ago that he only had this choice, instead of constantly evading it.
"Of course, I will send all the Church's forces to assist you; order in Kiev must be restored."
Hilarion said to Zoe with a smile, and Zoe returned his smile; thus, the two reached a mutual understanding.
——————
The news of the great victory in front of Saint Sophia Cathedral spread like wildfire throughout Kiev, as if carried by the power of the Wind God.
The Veche Militia, once defeated by the rebellious Nomad army, began to gather in the square, and some citizens also took up arms and left their homes. The chaos could finally end, which was what people most yearned for, so they enthusiastically supported it. Often, what the people needed was merely a backbone, and with a backbone, things would naturally get done.
Even the powerful nobles, who had been holding out in their fortified mansions, sent warriors to clear the rioters around their residences. The Vladimir Palace, seeing the situation stabilize, also dispatched their forces. The suppression of the rioters began accordingly, with militiamen traversing street after street, executing anyone they saw committing evil deeds, and then hanging their bodies as a deterrent.
Although the various factions were carrying out the clean-up, their cooperation was very poor due to various political and economic reasons. If the Old Warlock were still alive, he would have exploited the lack of coordination and cooperation among the factions to mobilize his forces, concentrating troops to first rout one side, after which the morale of the remaining forces would naturally dissipate, perhaps even allowing chaos to once again dominate the streets of Kiev. But now he was dead, and there was no one to organize the rioters.
In fact, on the night the Old Warlock died, as the news spread, most smart people had already fled. They clearly realized that what would follow would inevitably be a purge and slaughter of the instigators of the rebellion. If they didn't run now, they would truly lose their lives. The rebellious Black Hat Army also fled; Nomads have always been sensitive to danger.
Those who remained in Kiev now were either fools or greedy individuals, mostly the kind of people who couldn't be reasoned with and were essentially walking dead. So now they were all dead, their bodies hung for public display, issuing a silent warning to all potential troublemakers.
Many others were imprisoned, but this was not good fortune for them; it merely meant they would be executed a few days later.
Normal life in Kiev was thus able to resume. Citizens cautiously emerged from behind their cottage doors, conversing with neighbors about how they survived those crazy days, and then, under the organization of the Veche, joined in the removal of bodies and the clearing of rubble.
Some people were still crying, as many had lost relatives and friends in the upheaval, but their tears were quickly dried as they continued to busy themselves for tomorrow. This was a difficult era, and people did not find death hard to accept, for tomorrow would always continue.
It was under such circumstances that the Ross Army returned to Kiev, only to find not the anticipated chaotic settlement, but a city in the process of restoring order.
——————
"What? You said Zoe saved the Metropolitan, and that she restored order in Kiev with him?"
Rostislav's cavalry unit was the first to charge into Kiev. They had been prepared for a massacre but instead encountered Veche Militia on duty and a visibly stable city, showing no sign of the chaos reported. And in conversation with the militiamen, Rostislav received news, news he could never have imagined.
"This, this, this… this is truly…"
After receiving affirmative confirmation from the militiamen once again, Rostislav was somewhat incoherent; he was simply too astonished. His wife, whom he had always thought of as a mere vase, had actually become the key figure in the pacification of Kiev.
"Jan, Gvaran, I'm leaving the troops to you two; I need to go home!"
Rostislav threw out these words to the standard-bearer and the Captain of the Guard, then, without caring whether they heard him or not, he simply ran off, leaving the two men to look at each other, feeling awkward.
However, they could understand Rostislav's feelings; if they were in the same position, their reaction would probably be similar.
——————
Prince Rostislav galloped through the streets of Kiev. Fortunately, the chaos had only recently subsided, and there were few people on the streets. Otherwise, given Kiev's usual population density, hitting or even killing someone would have been a certainty.
When Rostislav abruptly pushed open the door of the Red Mansion, all the warriors and servants who saw their master return immediately knelt down. Normally, Prince Rostislav would gently bid them to rise, but now he was not in the mood.
"Zoe!"
Prince Rostislav rushed into their marital chamber, seeing Zoe, who was somewhat surprised by her husband's sudden return. Zoe was wearing a long white dress, her face free of makeup, looking as if she was about to rest.
Joy immediately appeared on the young lady's face, the delight of seeing her husband return safely. But before she could say anything, Rostislav pinched her face.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous what you did that night was? How could you, a woman, go to such a place?"
Rostislav's words carried both anger and heartache. He was angry that his wife would take such a great risk, and he was also heartbroken that his wife would take such a great risk.
"I know… Stop pinching me! It hurts so much!"
Zoe's tone was full of grievance. She had expected praise from her husband, but instead, she was met with such accusations and had her face pinched like that by her husband. Tears welled up in her eyes immediately, and all the grievances and fatigue of these past days rushed to her heart.
Seeing his wife like this, Rostislav's heart softened. He released his hand from his wife's face and then placed it on her head, gently stroking her. At first, Zoe resisted, but soon, a comfortable expression, like that of a young animal being petted, appeared on her face.
——————