Thank you Alwyn! Chorsamantis was a real warrior for Belisarius and a very intriguing character, but not a lot remains written about him. I believe during his day he was an Audie Murphy type hero and larger than life. It's fun to speculate...Now a little update...
"I do hope your theatrical performance paid off Arsaces," said Probus as he was still glancing over one of the many documents on his desk. "My most esteemed Senator of course! I would never disappoint or fail you. I have much news of your daughter's latest adventure near her absolute favorite church where she often meditates..." Probus dropped the paper and his face looked like he was about to tear the heart out of a disloyal servant.
"Tell me everything and do not gloss over the details! I then want my daughter brought in and then stripped down to the level of clothing you saw her with this Uliaris. I don't care if she is naked!" Arsaces' face nodded in agreement trying to hold back a sinister smile.
As quickly as he had exploded his demeanor changed like the wind and continued with a mellow tone, "Now please begin Arsaces." Arsaces was not easily rattled and had anticipated the outburst of Probus and was not intimidated by him in slightest. If it came down to Probus' life or his own, Arsaces was a survivalist and trained in the arts of war beyond the capabilities of an aging has been consul. He possessed the skill set that Probus dreamed of, and was most aware of that fact. Arsaces used that fact to his advantage growing to become his master's most trusted adviser rather quickly and able to manipulate him seemingly at will. Juliana thought he was poison to her father, but neither she or her mother knew the depths of Probus' darkness. His wife got a taste of that darkness (she never revealed what he did to her to anyone) after they were newly married, and she never went against his wishes ever again. One can only assume that it was bad enough to shake her to her core.
Juliana, however, was a free spirited young woman who many men would be intimidated by. The fact that that Uliaris never felt threatened by that spirit of hers, only made him that much more attractive to her. She rarely saw equal eye with her father except on religious matters. When it came to marriage she detested the thought of arranged marriage. The idea of having a man forced upon her to marry sickened her. Juliana wanted to marry someone she truly loved, and her father told her that she was being selfish and that smart match would the best for the strength of their family. Juliana decided that she would at least live for the moment on her terms. When she met with Uliaris before he went off to war she not only went against her father's commands, but she followed her heart and would fight for her love. She convinced Uliaris to train her to use sword and dagger. She was a quick student and before long she was near his equal. Juliana was not going to be held captive and forced to marry while Uliaris was gone to war as long as she could do something about it. She convinced her self of this, though Uliaris was not as confident. He did admire her tenacity as well as her determination. He often told her she would make a great warrior had she been born a man. There last training session together right before they said goodbye she outmatched Uliaris in their duel. She was fond of trying out counter moves to what Uliaris had shown her and could translate these thoughts to action. Uliaris relied to much on his training and could not think as fast as Juliana. He told her after their contest, "You are my master now!" She replied, "Marry me!" Uliaris without saying a word embraced Juliana and they kissed more passionately than ever before. As soon as they parted ways, Juliana knew more than Uliaris what she was up against. A thought of Uliaris tragically dying on the frontier would rip her heart out, but simultaneously make her life easier as well as marry someone with more financial and political means as her father wanted. She quickly extinguished that thought and cursed it from entering her mind. She was in love, and believed that her love for Uliaris would find a way even if it meant her father's destruction.
The more Juliana had spun reasons to leave home to be with Uliaris, the more Probus suspected her with the man of lower station and was angered beyond reason. He had tried to get Juliana to admit her transgressions but to no avail. This is when Arsaces was hired when the others failed before him. Arsaces was a strix (ancient Greek mythological term similar to vampire) by nature, and was warned by colleagues of this nature. However, Probus welcomed this vice or as he considered it a virtue. He likewise considered his daughter at this moment his adversary in need of being subdued and broken.