Chapter 33: ...In The Avalanche

''Sigurd Trondsson's arrival in Constantinople coincided with a period of upheaval for the Byzantine Roman Empire. While Trondsson's actions cannot be blamed for the death of Emperor Michael IV, as he had been ill for years, there is no question to the fact that his arrival, and subsequent introduction of tamed dragons into the intricate politics of the Empire, elevated an already tense situation to new heights. While it is generally agreed that his initial political awareness was minimal, this made matters worse in many ways, as he made alliances and promises without awareness of the deeper waters that he was treading over. When, precisely, he shifted from pawn to player is still a matter of some debate, but there is a general consensus that his first year in the Empire was a period of great shock and growth to the previously coddled young man.''

—The Dragon Varangians: A History Of The Vikings Of Byzantium, 1882

Foreshadowing
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Epigraph Tie-In

 * The epigraph mentions that Sigurd's first year in Constantinople was a period of great shock and growth. The chapter shows the first of these shocks in Michael V demanding Sigurd give Hookfang to him.

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