This is the last story in the Emperor of Rome series. Enjoy!

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He didn't want to wake up that evening, swathed warmly in his sheets and blankets as the sun set on the horizon. Then again, who did want to wake up on a Saturday? There were no visitors tonight; Larry had gotten them a nice, week long vacation for a sort of "holiday" break. There would be a new movie every night in the lobby, nice, peaceful suppers with the museum family, and plenty of time for fun and relaxation galore.

And the relaxation was what he wanted the most that evening. It had been about a week since the business with the new generals had been seen to, and he was still recovering from his injury. He felt much better, he had to admit; the recovery was going quite quickly. That was a good thing, because then he could get back to commanding his men.

Lepidus had been doing a good job of commanding the men in his place, since Marcus was not around to do it. The old veteran had decided to go back into active service, filling in the temporary command of acting general while his old comrade recovered. He'd proven that he was fit for the job; he was a fine soldier, and now that he wasn't living in the shadow of Antonius he could pride himself in that.

As he laid there for a few more minutes, his mind drifted over to the events that had unfolded in that time period. Jedediah had told him that Marcus was dead, but the general couldn't accept that. Marcus was dead in spirit only. There was still a chance of getting him back, he just needed to convince Ahkmenrah to let him use the Tablet. The Mayans had been subdued enough, it shouldn't be hard to reverse whatever the priest had done.

But that wasn't the only thing on the Roman's mind as he laid awake, staring up at the white plaster ceiling above him. Jedediah had been a source of thought for a while too. His arm was fine, it had healed quite quickly since the bullet had missed the bone, and it was a clean wound. But it wasn't his injury that concerned the general. It was what he'd told him.

He hadn't spoken much about the dreams he'd had lately, but it was still evident that they still bothered him. He came to visit the general every night, telling him about this and that, about how his men were faring and the latest news from Larry about the other exhibits, the norm. He would occasionally talk to him about the weather, or maybe what weird or interesting thing he'd discovered earlier that night.

But tonight would be different, Octavius decided, sitting up slowly. He winced very slightly, then smiled as he twisted himself sideways, feeling very little of the pinching effect the wound had caused him. It was time he got up. He stood up and carefully got dressed, deciding against wearing his armor for the time being. The tunic was comfortable enough. He smiled, reached for the door, opened it, and coughed.

He quickly closed the door again, rushing over to the side of his bed where a small bowl had been placed by one the medic. He spat the goopy liquid out and cringed at the greenish coloration. He coughed a few more times, until he was sure he'd gotten it all up. He cleared his throat to once to be sure. This had been happening for a while now, but it was probably just the common cold. Nothing more.

He shoved the bowl under the bed, reminding himself to have the medic look at it later. Right now, he had a cowboy to find.

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"Good morning, Lupus." Octavius said, smiling at the guard stationed outside the door to the barracks. The guard saluted smartly, and then spoke.

"Good evening, sir. You seem well, sir."

"Indeed." Octavius replied, smiling again. "I feel just fine. Where might I find Lepidus?"

"In the war office, sir. Looking over the reports."

"Reports?" Octavius asked, frowning.

"Yes, sir. Nothing serious. Just reports of how us soldiers are faring during weapons practice."

"You were supposed to have this week off. No drill sessions."

"I know, sir. But some of the men found it hard to keep themselves from it. So General Lepidus has made a list of the men who want stuff to do, and is assigning them duties."

Octavius couldn't help but smile at the insistence of his men. Such good soldiers, they were. "And you?"

The soldier paused for a moment, then spoke in a sheepish tone. "I was bored, sir. So I volunteered for guard duty."

"Well, I haven't been disturbed by any heathens, so good job. Now that I am up, you may do what you wish."

"My shift does not end until midnight, sir."

"You wish to stay, then?"

"I do, sir."

"Very well," Octavius said, smiling. "Let me see...I believe my messenger pigeons are still inside. Could you guard them?"

The soldier smiled, and saluted again. "Yes, sir!"

"Good. Carry on then."

Octavius continued on, nodding greetings to his men as he neared the headquarters building. It was a good evening in the diorama, with people milling about and participating in different events. As he walked on he remembered there was a festival this week, for their god Jupiter. He would be expected to be there later this evening, to make the speech and the herbal sacrifice.

He entered the building and took a deep breath, before exhaling and smiling. He'd missed being in here, doing his paperwork. One of the few tasks he shouldn't enjoy but he did. He saw Lepidus hunched over the desk, writing quickly as he signed a document before closing it, sealing it with Octavius' wax seal. He then called in a messenger and sent out the dispatch quickly.

"What is the rush, Lepidus?" Octavius asked, coming to sit across from his old comrade.

Lepidus looked up for a moment, surprised to see Octavius up, then smiled slightly. "Good evening, Octavius. Good to see you up again. I was just sending out the list for the participants in tonight's ceremony."

"Who have you chosen?"

"A few of the men, about seven, I think, who have been working hard. It will be quite an honor for them."

"I will be honored to have them beside me." Octavius said, nodding. "It has been a long time since I have spoken at ceremony. I do not even have a speech planned."

"No problem." Lepidus said, handing him a rolled up scroll. "I wrote one out yesterday night."

Octavius skimmed over the speech, nodding as he read some parts, then frowning, raising a confused eyebrow. "What is this, here?" He asked, pointing to a strange phrase he hadn't seen before.

"Oh, the clerks came up with that. We figured this year we should try something new. Even a god must get bored with the same speech over and over again."

"Well, if he gets angry, I blame you." Octavius said in a joking tone, putting the scroll down.

"A simple thank you would suffice," Lepidus said, smirking.

The general laughed. "Yes, thank you, Lepidus. Now. On to other matters. Has Jedediah come around this evening?"

Lepidus nodded, and gestured to the entrance of the hall. "He stopped by earlier. When he heard you were still asleep, he said he would be back later...ah, here he is now!"

Octavius smiled as he heard the telltale screech of tires and the sound of a running engine. He made his way outside,mindful not to run with his injury, and looked over the lip of the diorama, smiling with excitement at the little car waiting for him.