The Roman Empire
Chapter 9: The Proconsul
Alexa: Why do you want to go out with me?
Methos: Because the alternative is unthinkable.
(Highlander: TV series - from episode 'Timeless')
Nicomedia, Bithynia – 57 A. D.
Rome!
Eternal Rome! Eternal City!
The true inheritrix of Troy! Cradle of the Empire!
Mother of Legends! Realm of Emperors! Conqueror and Vindicator! Multi-ethnic State!
Grand and cruel, patient and merciless, striking and unpredictable...
Giving consideration to its largest latitude, the Roman Empire – named after a once little and insignificant village settled amongst the meanwhile legendary seven hills – included all countries round the Mediterranean Sea and much more up to Britannia in the far North and a lot of erstwhile great, no major, kingdoms ended up as colonies, provinces or vassal states.
One after the other.
Bound to pay their tribute – in taxes, goods, slaves and hostages...
For good and for evil at the mercy of Rome's governors, its proconsuls and its magistrates, who accomplished the orders of the Emperor and the Senate – at times with an iron hand, at times with sanity and reason and at times without a single hint of interest.
I would be forced to lie, if I would claim, that this Eternal Rome had not fascinated me – in its strange and unique mixture of decadence, tolerance and brutality, in its astonishing balance of magnificence and corruption and in its wonderful coexistence of people, cultures, gods and convictions.
There was barely a second place on earth at that time, which suited better for an immortal to live in without attracting attention, than this melting pot of the ancient world with its nearly about one million inhabitants.
And if it became necessary to leave Rome to avoid any unwelcome encounter or circumstance, there were enough places, cities and colonies spread round the whole Empire, worth to visit and to stay at, just to return to the pulsating heart of the realm after a fairly long and adequate period of time.
That was, how I finally reached Bithynia after having travelled through Gaul, Greece and Egypt for several years.
Without having the slightest hint of an idea, what kind of wonder, better what kind of gift, would wait for me to find me there. A gift, I would never have thought about searching for and I would never have guessed, how thankful I would be for some day.
Twenty years had passed by and a lot had happened since Marcus Constantinus had rescued me from the cross and since he had saved me from secure death – in Rome, its colonies and all around the whole realm.
Valerius Petronius and the group of conspirators, he belonged to, got sentenced and put to death only a few days after they did that favor to me and together with him died his whole household as well as his calculating and devious wife – Drusilla.
All those eager plans of dispossessing the Emperor had been in vain and instead of a rich, influential and capable senator named Valerius Petronius, the new sovereign keeping all the power necessary to rule the Eternal City and the Roman Empire in his hands was Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus – much better known under his more common name Caligula...
The Emperor, Tiberius, died at the same place, whereto he already had retired many years before his death – upon the isle of Capri. Once he had left Rome, he never returned and he used to communicate with the Senate only in written form. His death caused a lot of rumors and some dependable sources spread the news, that, when he died, it was not due to natural reasons like age or illness, but due to some active support by his nephew and heir Caligula.
There was a nearly desperate kind of hope, that during the reign of this young man and newly Emperor he might be able to turn the dark and omnipresent shadow Tiberius had left behind into a silver lining on the horizon, but as many times before this hope was condemned to die soon.
Caligula used to spread death sentences at his own discretion and killed randomly, whoever he thought he should kill. None of his subjects being at his mercy could be secure of not losing his or her lives or their heads – neither an influential senator nor his own wife or even his lover. This lunatic sitting on the throne of the Empire, turned my beloved Rome into a place, where living became more than uncomfortable, if one was an immortal and as hard as it is to admit it – it wasn't as easy anymore to love this once wonderful city...
I wasn't willing to take the risk of losing my head after more than three thousand years, just because a maniac like Caligula tried to get rid of every person he found himself surrounded by...
So it happened, that no one really mourned for this madman upon the Emperor's throne, when a little group of conspirators decided to put an end to his reign after nearly endless three years and ten months. As it had been told, it needed thirty strikes to put him to death and even after his death no one really believed, that he was really dead. So it needed a while, until the city and its inhabitants dared to breathe freely again.
And while the Senate debated, if it might be advisable to turn the empire back into a republic, the soldiers and the legions already paid homage to the new Emperor – Claudius...
No one had been in the know about, who the man really was, who ruled the fate of the Roman Empire for nearly fourteen years, better, who let his freedmen rule the fate of the Empire.
Was he a man, a fool, who had no idea, what both, politics and life, really were about?
Was he a man, not able to forget, that he got betrayed of the woman, he once had loved?
Was he a man, a reformer, who believed the Empire had failed, that only a new republic might be able to save Rome, and who was willing to replace the same Empire with said new republic?
Or was he just a ruthless and unprincipled tyrant, who loved to act both, the prosecutor and the judge himself, to get rid of all those he supposed to be inconvenient and dangerous to him?
There were no answers to those questions.
None, but one...
Fourteen years after he got proclaimed to be the new ruler of the Roman Empire – more unintended than willingly – Claudius died after having relished a dish of poisoned mushrooms and now the hopes of every Roman lay upon a seventeen year old boy, who got washed upon the throne just because of two aspects – the ambition and the lust for power of his mother...
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus – a boy, who barely knew the rules of discourse and who truly believed in his ability to sing, who really was convinced to be an actor and who obviously had in mind to become immortal in his own ill-minded way.
The world would come to know him as Nero, the singing emperor...
The garrison of Nicomedia found itself within a mixture of curious anticipation and buzzing with excitement, because the news got spread, the new proconsul would arrive within only a few days to come.
Nicomedia was the capital of the Roman province Bithynia and the domicile of the proconsul. It was settled by the sea and like the whole province, it belonged to the Roman Empire since 27 B. C.
If all those rumors were supposed to be true, it meant Rome would send a far-seeing man who owned a distinct sense for justice and who had always stayed uninvolved, if it came to conspiracy or intrigue. I got also told, that he was not afraid, if it came to face the Emperor or to speak freely within the Senate.
That was, why I was curious about the man and who he might be. That curious, that my thoughts were much more occupied with the question, who this man was, who would become the new proconsul of Bithynia, but with another lesson of sword fighting Constantinus wanted to provide me with.
"Keep the blade with a firmer grip and hold it high enough to protect your neck! Losing your head has nothing to do with immortality or being mortal. Even a mortal, who has never heard about immortals and the 'Game' might be able to take your head – by accident or even willingly. If this case should happen - I hope you will be spared from a fate like this - everything would be lost your personality consists of – your knowledge, your essence of life, your experiences. Never forget about it! Never!"
It was for more or less twenty years now that Marcus Constantinus forced me to think everything over I ever had learned about sword fighting, the philosophy of a fight and strategy during the bygone decades and centuries.
Again and again...
I had always been good at sword fighting, but a lot of the way I used to fight happened instinctively, following more a feeling than obeying fixed rules. My style was archaic, straight and served only one purpose – to survive. It had not always been just for survival, but the Bronze Age and my life as one of the Four Horsemen, as Death, lay behind me for centuries and maybe that was one reason, why I learned quickly, but was not willing to reveal how much I already had learned.
It always appeared to be much more useful to me, if my combatants were not in the know about my real skills and my talents and even, if I trusted Marcus Constantinus as much as I never trusted anyone else before, I never let him know everything about me...
"Did you encounter many of us since your first death?"
While I asked him my question, I warded another strike of my eager teacher off, dived through underneath his blade and came to stand behind him.
"Let's say, I crossed paths with a number of them, which does not necessarily mean, that I took every head, I might have been able to take." Using his vambrace he pushed my arm aside, grabbed me by my wrist and forced me to face him again: "What about you? How many immortals did you face up till now, my dear young fellow? Did you take every head you could have taken?"
I couldn't hide a smile whenever Constantinus addressed me that way, but what should I have told him?
The truth?
That I was born more than three thousand years ago?
Was it really necessary to tell him, who I really was or how old I really was?
I was glad to name him my friend – equal, if I did it as Methos or if I did it using my alias Lisias – and I hoped, he might think likewise.
It was, indeed, a fact, that he had been older than me when he came back to life after his first death, so it was easy to accept, when he named me his 'dear young fellow'. To me it was neither something strange nor was it something embarrassing – but rather something amusing.
Therefore, I just responded: "No! Mostly I preferred avoiding a fight. Well, possibly I should have taken some more heads, but I did not know much about the 'Game' up till now and maybe I'm not really fond of chopping heads, because I spilled enough blood that it may suffice for more than only one life..."
"Don't blame yourself for something, you committed during another period of your lifetime. I suppose, it wasn't as much blood you spilled as any soldier fighting in our glorious legions spilled in the name of Rome and its Emperor."
Constantinus gave me a wink, blocked my sword and forced me down on my knees. I did not struggle, but waited for that one single moment, when he loosened the grip he kept the handle of his sword with, then I pushed his hand aside and with one fluent move he felt the tip of my blade close to his neck and Esther's narrow dagger somewhere between two of his rips – supposedly close to his heart...
I grinned when I lowered both blades: "You underestimated me! Never forget, that you've not vanquished your enemy until he has lost his head, Marcus Constantinus..."
"Well, in this case, I should name myself lucky, because I'm allowed to name you my friend, eh?" Constantinus reached his hand out and helped me getting up: "As it turns out, you might be a wayward opponent and if this would have been a fight to death, I would have lost."
"You would not even have realized what would have happened to you."
It wasn't supposed to happen, but my words had a cold undertone. It was just a split second and I had no idea, if Constantinus really got it, but I did and I knew, Death still slumbered somewhere deep inside me.
All Constantinus replied was: "You amaze me..."
"You?" I let out a laugh: "Marcus Constantinus? Commander of the garrison of Nicomedia? Commander of the glorious legions of the Roman Empire? Lover of beautiful and dangerous Nefertiri? Well, if I'm able to amaze you, I did everything right..." I shook some dust out of my hair and added: "And I was always convinced, there is nothing left being able to astonish you..."
I stopped short and I was surprised, when I realized, that my friend and teacher beheld me somehow thoughtful and stern.
The moment passed by and he wrapped an arm round my shoulder and said: "This will do for today. Lesson completed! Come! Let's go! There is something, we have to talk about. Something important..."
"You're going to do what?" Constantinus had just offered me a cup made of valuable crystal, filled with spiced wine, and it nearly slipped through my fingers. I stared at him in pure disbelief.
"You got me right, my dear friend." He responded: "I will leave the garrison as soon as the replaced proconsul will return to Rome. Our new Emperor has new orders for me, which will first lead me to Gaul and afterwards over to Britannia. In addition, it is time for both of us going separated ways again. We spent a lot of time together, but my destination is different from yours. You will stay in Nicomedia. The new proconsul will need a good friend and counselor, he can trust in and I'm convinced, you will be the right one..."
"What do you want to tell me? That you will hand me over to the new proconsul like an ordinary slave? So it's true and I'm still nothing else but a slave, am I right?"
"My dear friend, you're much more than an ordinary slave and you will come to see, that your duties as a consultant of the new proconsul of Bithynia will demand much more from you, than every fight you will have to fight against other immortals. Our 'Game' is not as dangerous and deadly as living at the Emperor's court with its intrigues, its traitors and its cringers."
Everything Constantinus told me appeared to me to be absolutely right and plausible, but, however, at this point of time, I had not the slightest idea about how my duties were supposed to look like. Of course, I knew how to handle a situation like that – I had already been the counselor of the Hyksos' King in ancient Egypt when I helped the young Pharaoh with regaining his throne – but within this moment, I was not even in the know, who the man might be, who would move into the palace of the proconsul within just a few days to come.
Therefore, I asked in a mix of curiosity and cynicism: "Before you will leave, you will definitely tell me, who this mysterious stranger is, you want to hand me over to, won't you?"
Without giving me a reply, Constantinus reached a scroll over to me. I read it not only once, but certainly half a dozen times, until I was sure, that I got every single word right it included.
My hand sank and I asked: "Excuse me, Marcus, if I ask you this, but are you sure, you're serious about this?"
My fingers clasped the scroll that tight, that it nearly broke into pieces, but all Constantinus said was: "I'm not the one being serious about it, but our young Emperor..."
"Oh no, Marcus, it's not that easy! Maybe you remember what I went through due to this family! You can demand everything from me, but, no, not this!"
"As far as I can remember, it was this young man, and only this young man, who believed in you, who spoke for you, who argued for you! He's not the one, who wanted to see you die! So, don't act the fool! There is no reason to air your grievances!"
"What, if he will recognize me?"
"In a case like this, you will tell him the truth..."
"One moment! Did I get you right? I'm meant to tell him the truth?" I snarled reluctantly and added: "Forget it, Marcus! I think, there is no need to spread the truth about me being an immortal. There are a lot of other immortals out there and I'm hell-bent to avoid them finding me. Maybe it escaped your attention, but I love my life and I'm not willing to change anything about this fact!"
"If I tell you that he knows who I am..."
"...it is your risk!" I beheld Constantinus with a smirk and went on while I pointed at my neck: "Can you see this, Marcus? My head sits upon this most vulnerable part of my whole body and I want it to stay there. So, therefore, I will not peddle this little secret of mine..."
"I would never demand something stupid like that! But I assure you, it won't last long, until you and the new proconsul will become close friends and if it is as far as, this friendship might become much worthier than your immortality or every other value."
"Thank you very much! I will remember this, if someone will get my head some day. The head of this runaway slave, you know, this immortal one, who can only be killed, if we take his head! Oh yes, thank you! Who names you his friend, is not in need for enemies any more. So, once again – no!"
"You've not been the slave of his family!"
"No, of course not! I've just been the slave of his cousin and his loving wife!"
"Valerius and Drusilla are dead! Their whole household is dead! There's no one left, who might be able to remember you!"
I turned away without giving Constantinus another reply. He was right. Of course, he was right! And I knew it much too well...
I remembered the night, when Drusilla accused me of having ravished her, when they questioned me and when a young man dared to speak for me – eagerly and passionately. And even, if it had been in vain, I never forgot his words, his sharp tongue and his way to speak, which had been something very special, even within a time, where a lot of talented spellbinders used to catch their audiences.
The new proconsul of Bithynia would be no one less but the cousin of my former master:
Caius Petronius...
Only a few days later the whole city of Nicomedia seemed to be willing to welcome the new proconsul and curious to catch a glimpse of the man, who would keep the fate of the Roman province Bithynia within his hands for the next two years. So it happened, that already early in the morning of Petronius' arrival an impressive crowd assembled in front of the palace.
Being in the know about not being able to escape neither the encounter with Caius Petronius nor the inevitable symposium planned for the same night, I preferred staying alone the rest of the day. I strolled through the lanes, paid a visit to the market and went finally down to the harbor, where, midst several fishing boats and merchant vessels, the galley got moored to the pier, which came directly from Antium and which would carry Petronius' antecessor back there within a week's time.
It must have been for hours, that I stayed down at the harbor watching, lost in thoughts, what was going on – the ships getting unloaded and stowed, the continual coming and going of fishermen, slaves, soldiers and merchants and a handful of seabirds eagerly tried to catch some proper bits from the fishing boats. That lost in thought that I nearly forgot about time.
I rapidly hurried to get back to the garrison, where, for sure, Marcus Constantinus was already waiting for me, when I came across a something within one of the lanes, which couldn't be anything different, but a daydream. A vision, able to make me forget everything – the garrison, the new proconsul and the symposium.
I nearly stumbled into that beautiful daydream, not even able to murmur an excuse, while I managed with great presence of mind to keep said beautiful daydream from falling backwards.
"A thousand pardons!" I wanted my excuse to sound incidental, but all I brought out, was a hoarse whisper while I looked, no, stared at my counterpart.
Airy, pale yellow drapery waved within the light breeze of the late afternoon, just kept by a narrow golden belt. A gentle hand and a richly adorned brooch held a cape made of golden fabric – each of them on one shoulder. Long strands of dark-brown, nearly black hair, kept and barely tamed in a skillful braid, fell down the back of this unknown beauty and while she beheld me curiously out of a pair of big brown eyes, she smiled an amused smile.
Whatever or whoever she was – a dream, a nymph or a siren – I wasn't able to turn my gaze away from her and if it was true, that a single gaze was able to read within a human soul, then there was no escape for me anymore. She must have been able to see, what was going on deep inside my innermost. I was completely at her mercy – unprotected, defenseless and totally confused about what was happening to me.
Of course, I knew what happened to me, but it felt new and strange and wonderful as if it happened to me for the first time ever...
"You are at loss for words as it seems?"
This beautiful stranger still beheld me without any hint of anger or disgust, but with a certain hint of interest.
"No! I mean, yes! Maybe! I am..."
"Well, if you don't mind, I will talk as long as you're on the hunt for your speech. I hope, you're not on the hunt for your hearing as well. It is my first day here in Nicomedia, I just arrived with the galley, you for sure saw down at the harbor. My mistress wanted me to get her some fresh fruits from the market, but as it seems, I lost my way within this tangle of lanes."
I cleared my throat, found a shy smile and, finally, my speech again and replied: "You arrived with the galley today? So, you're from Rome then and you belong to the household..."
"...of the new proconsul, yes. Can you take me back to the palace? I have to be back before nightfall."
"It's about the symposium, I dare to make a guess?"
She nodded, obviously a bit puzzled: "Yes, indeed! Where from do you know?"
"Oh, that's an easy task. I know about it, because it will also be my pleasure tonight. You will accompany your mistress and I will accompany my master..."
"You will be there? At the feast, I mean?"
"I will be there. I have to be there! Oh, and maybe we will meet again. Maybe tonight?"
I had a deep look into her eyes and she did not turn her gaze away, instead, she presented me with another smile and said: "Maybe! But to do so, you'll have to take me to the palace first..."
After I left her in front of the palace, it came to my mind, that I had missed to ask her for her name...
"So you really believe, you will find this girl within here? Amongst all those people?" Constantinus beheld me, wearing an amused sparkle within his eyes and a broad grin upon his lips: "You should better ask for help with the goddess of love. Otherwise, it might become more than only a hopeless undertaking."
"You're not convinced, I can find her?" He didn't give me a reply, but took a deep draft from out of his cup. "Oh, thank you, old fellow, for your unshakable trust! Did I really name you friend throughout the bygone years? Let me think about it! How many years did I waste, while staying together with you? Twenty?"
"I never said, you won't find her. All I dared to say was, that it is not an easy task..."
"Hopeless! That was, what you named it!"
"Did I? Well, maybe I'm right! Have a look around and tell me honestly – how do you think, you will find her in here...?"
"That's the way, you reassure your men? Your legions? May I ask you something, Marcus? How is it, that Rome still rules this empire?"
This symposium wasn't an everyday festivity and whoever was a person of distinction all around the province of Bithynia, got invited to meet the new proconsul in person.
The whole hall had been decorated after Petronius' wishes and as it turned out, he was a real aesthete. Nets adorned the ceiling, filled with roses and a lot of other flowers, the tables bent under the heavy weight of dishes and beverages and spread all around the whole room sat and lay the guests of this wonderful night.
Slaves scampered amongst the guests, eager not to miss one single empty cup or chalice, to refill oil-lamps and fruit bowls and to keep some of the guests company throughout the night.
A group of well skilled musicians accompanied the seductive dancer, whose fluent moves not only enlightened a man's inspiration, but were also able to arouse a certain desire. Nevertheless, I scanned the whole hall still hoping to find the face of my beautiful stranger somewhere midst the crowd – without any success.
I was close to giving in, when a shadow fell upon me and Constantinus. Both of us got up, just to face our host.
"Marcus Constantinus! So you waited for my arrival, before you will return back to Rome?"
The pleasant dark voice, with its the same soft and taunting sound, had barely changed since I had listened to it for the last time – when it spoke for me to spare me from death.
What applied for his voice also applied for Caius Petronius himself. He had not changed, except the fact that he had grown older and possibly wiser.
His hair was still deep black and it surrounded his face in a more than favorable way. As it seemed, it was true what rumor spread – the life he lived was not able to leave its marks upon his face.
His lively dark-brown, nearly black, eyes missed less of what happened round him and his derisive and always a bit superior smile was a friendly but determined warning to all those, who wanted to make a try to match with him and his keen mind or his sharp tongue.
He owned both – the keen mind and the sharp tongue – as long as I knew him.
If it was true what Constatinus told me earlier that day, the young man from a well-known family had meanwhile turned into a successful author and satirist.
Both – Constatinus and Petronius – still changed some friendly flowers of speech, when the gaze of the new proconsul of Bithynia found me and I got immediately, when recognition enlightened his eyes.
Petronius kept silent – of course, he knew, there would remain more than enough time to ask a lot of questions and to get a lot of them answered as well.
All he said was when he turned back towards Constantinus: "I suppose, this is your young friend, you want me to trust in, as long as Nicomedia will be my new home?"
"He is! I'm sure, you will find out soon, that you can trust him unconditionally."
"Unconditional trust, my dear Marcus, is a seldom and valuable gift. Back in Rome, I would not know a handful of people, I would trust unconditionally. I'm glad you're one of them." Petronius beheld me once again and added: "But if your young friend will prove himself worthy to be trusted in, this will not only be a valuable gift for me, but also for Rubia, I suppose. You know my enchanting charge?"
Both of us, neither Constantinus nor I, weren't able to give him a reply. Petronius reached out his hand and waved someone to join us, who hid himself within the shades of a pillar up till now.
The dress was white instead of pale yellow, the hair got tamed with a golden comb instead of a braid and a skillful worked necklace adorned a delicate neck, but the gaze was the same like earlier that day within a narrow lane.
"Your mistress I dare to make a guess", I asked, while pointing at Petronius.
"Your master I suppose", she returned, while pointing at Constantinus.
Petronius watched us in amusement, then he wrapped an arm round Constantinus' shoulders and remarked: "As it seems, we're not needed here any longer. Let's turn our attention towards some more meaningful things. These two have definitely something different in mind, but politics and all those annoying news I have to bother you with, before you will return to Rome. Let's go and leave them for their pleasure..."
Rubia!
Her name was Rubia!
And Caius Petronius was her legal guardian...