This was a ritual for them, for they both enjoyed this time together, these songs with nature at dawn.

"Now go to your lessons, so we may have breakfast in time," Helena told him when the song ended.

Constantine kissed his mother on the cheek and left the lute in its place. He passed under the arch of the garden and into the villa. It was a typical villa, with various pagan statues about, drapes in the corners of the rooms, and large open areas with brackets for candles.

The study chamber, however, was not typical. Uniquely designed and well lit with kerosene lamps, it was a small closed area with no view of the outside. Helena had made sure that the walls were covered with maps, arithmetic formulas, and the alphabets of the Latin and Greek languages. In the center was a marble desktop supported by stone legs in the shape of miniature longswords. One rounded-backed chair with black upholstery was the only other piece of furniture in the chamber. Helena herself had designed the stark room to ensure that the visiting tutors were always on their feet, and hence, always in a position to instruct. Split reeds, ready for writing, lay on top of a stack of papyrus sheets on the corner of the desk. The ends of rolled documents protruded from wicker baskets placed around the room. Everything was tidy and organized; it was a place for countless hours of study where Constantine had long ago discovered that knowledge is king.

As soon as he sat at his learning desk, Constantine began to work on his studies. From a young age, he had developed the habit of using his time well; procrastination was the enemy and a prelude to failure, which he intended to avoid. He was completing his assigned arithmetic problems, his most dreaded subject. He would scribble numbers, pause to extend one finger after the other, and then jot down the sum.

Immersed in his studies, Constantine didn’t notice when one of his tutors, Amynterius, entered the room through the open double doors. Wearing a kilt of scarlet wool, he walked across the room, his sandaled feet making almost no sound. A gold bracelet with silver studs, covered his wrist and lower forearm. On the hand holding the tutorial material for the day was a bronze ring with a large black sapphire. His black eyes focused on the material in front of Constantine.