Alexis Konnaris - The Emperor Awakes

How long, Elli wondered, would the Marcquesa have waited for him, held hope of salvation, of a rescue, before she gave up and succumbed to the inevitability of her situation, of never seeing her loved ones again? And for Iraklios there was probably also guilt that he was spared. Why her and not him?

His emotional need to reconnect with his long lost little sister must have been intense and irresistible, the crack in his heart needing only to catch a glimpse of her to open up to her completely and unconditionally, and with apparently no space for anybody else anymore.

Perhaps he decided that he had given enough love to the rest of the family for so long, and the Marcquesa had been deprived of it for so long that Iraklios had to make up for it; from then on there was no space, no time for anyone else; his little sister deserved his undivided attention, dedication, loyalty and love.

That’s why he must have secretly distanced and excluded himself from the fold of the rest of his family and entered the Marcquesa’s fold, in spite of all he knew about her.

In his will Iraklios left his entire estate including his now 25 % holding in the Valchern Corporation to Aristo and Vasilis to be divided between them in equal shares. A letter arrived two days after the funeral explaining that his actions were driven by blackmail by the Marcquesa, but did not reveal why. He had given Elli the parchment in that cafe in Constantinople as his last act as guardian of the secret of the events in Cappadocia in 1453 A.D. to help her, at great risk to his life, if he was seen by the Marcquesa’s spies. He asked for Elli’s forgiveness.

Elli and the family left for Mount Ellothon on Elli’s yacht, the “Vanger”, to spend two weeks of much-needed rest to clear the mind and relieve the body after the excitement of their adventure.

But they could not rest for long, could they? They were soon bored and missing the crazy moments they recently had. They were desperate for another adventure to sharpen their skills of deduction and endurance, just in case they began to get rusty.