Chapter 31: Figures of the Past and Powers of the Future
Ursa sat beside the large bed in the imperial bedchamber. She sighed and looked over her charge once more. Commodus seemed to simply be sleeping peacefully for the moment. She took inventory of the different scratches and so on that still covered him. She frowned and waited for Galen to arrive. The old physician arrived only seconds after the two had settled in. Cicero had left the emperor with his sister and gone to see about Maximus and Quintus. Ursa watched as Galen turned the young man over to examine the rest of his wounds more extensively. Galen winced at the site of the marks on his back.
"He'll have more scarring, that's for sure.", Galen muttered.
"More scarring? What was there before?", Ursa asked. Galen set down his satchel of tools and supplies and pulled out the equipment necessary to concoct a salve for the young monarch.
"Commodus was a bit of an obstinate little thing as a boy. The only method that truly got him to behave when he started becoming vocal about his inner thoughts and feelings was being whipped. His father found that out when he was about nine years of age.", Galen replied. Ursa coughed. Nine years old? That was a truly cruel and hurtful thing to do to such a young child. Galen put several leaves, two measures of a root, a white powder, and animal fat into a mortar. He looked over the young man again as he mixed it. "The good news is, this time it seems to be fairly superficial, just very thorough. The marks are long and fairly wide for something like this, but not too deep. The incidents as a boy left him without a substantial amount of blood. There were three occassions I can count where I was afraid of losing the boy."
"That's just awful.", Ursa said softly. She couldn't bring anything else to mind to comment on it. She watched Commodus begin to shift as Galen applied the salve. He groaned and grasped the bedclothes tightly. Ursa could clearly see that he was still unconscious for the most part, but he was feeling the wounds being compromised. She turned away, but took hold of one hand carefully. He relaxed a little, squeezing her hand with minimal strength. Ursa smiled and tightened her grip in return. "Are his episodes over? I heard that when he had been walking out to the encampment he was not himself and then fighting Gaius he seemed to just fade into another setting in his eyes. He looked positively fierce."
"Caesar has suffered many wounds to both his person and his psyche this evening. I do not forsee any more episodes for him unless something truly drastic happens in the next few moments.", Galen replied. He finished applying the salve and then took out some new linen strips to bind the wounds. He turned to Ursa. "If it's not too much trouble, I will need some help."
Before Ursa could walk over and help the older man, the doors to the chamber swung open. Quintus, accompanied by Cicero, walked into the room and bowed. Cicero frowned at seeing the pathetic form of the battered royal. Galen looked up at the two.
"How is he?", Quintus asked.
"He will live, but I'm trying to stave off infection and keep his pain under control. You, you can help me.", Galen said pointing to Cicero. "Just sit him up so I can bind these wounds. The salve must stay on them for at least a day."
Cicero didn't bother to refuse this time. It was pointless to do so with Ursa sitting right there. Besides, Commodus had risked his life to save Ursa if the accounts from the rest of the soldiers and Lucilla were to be believed. Everyone present had sworn that Commodus had advanced on Gaius declaring his need for the girl and then cut down the old senator before he could try and harm her again. They also recanted the fact that two specific soldiers had hit her harshly before the emperor had been able to free himself from the men that took him prisoner momentarily. Cicero had been shown to the men before they had arrived back at the prisons. What was left of them was carried into a cell with their compatriots. Galen bound the wounds carefully. Had either of them not known what had just transpired, than it would simply seem to them that the emperor had suffered a wound in battle. Galen poured a mixture from a vial into a small glass and set it on the bedside table. He turned to the siblings and sighed.
"Does he need that?", Ursa asked moving towards Commodus slowly.
"He will when he comes around in a moment. I'll be back in a moment. I need to check on Lady Lucilla and her son.", Galen stated as he gathered his things. "Just be sure he drinks that as soon as he opens his eyes fully."
"We will.", Cicero said as Galen exited the room. The young manservant sighed and turned to his sister. "How are you? Are you feeling faint?"
"No, Cicero. Just a little tired. Everything happened so quickly.", she said sitting down beside Commodus on the bed. "How did Maximus and Quintus manage to gather so many people so quickly to aide them? They must have had three hundred citizens at the encampment."
Cicero smiled. "Quintus sent off fifty of the remaining loyal men. They each rallied two men, those rallied two, and then a third branch rallied two more. By the time they were finished, there were plenty of men to fight. Even the majority of the private citizens come in handy in skirmages; or at least Maximus thinks so. They just need to know how to follow orders."
"I'm glad you came. I was terrified.", Ursa said as she grabbed her brother around the waist and buried her head in his chest, sighing with relief. "Commodus seemed so intense. He just swung at Gaius over and over again screaming in rage. I've never seen anything like it."
"I have.", Cicero muttered. Serving Maximus meant seeing some of the wounded soldiers from time to time. Some of them, upon regaining consciousness, remained in the battle in their own minds. "When someone feels threatened, I understand that they can simply escape to another time and place that they feel they can handle a little more, or make right. Many of Maximus's commrades fell prey to it."
"Then he will come around again?", Ursa asked in concern.
"Of course. He may feel a little more strenght than before now that he has proven to himself that his body can function without his mind.", Cicero added with amusement. "In fact, I'd wager that his temper will be worse now. He'll have to work much harder to control it."
Ursa frowned and looked at her brother with worry. He stared back with greater concern. He took her hand and stood away from the bed with her. Ursa felt her face begin to tremble and a few tears stream down her face. Cicero moved his hand towards her and gently wiped them away.
"Let's go home. Everything is set to right now.", Ursa said softly. Cicero stared down at his baby sister in confusion. She had been adamant about saving the emperor and she wasn't going to wait for him to recover? That didn't seem like her. Ursa usually wanted to make sure that everything was stable before leaving something that had perked her compassion. Cicero remembered her staying in the infirmary with a few soldiers in Germania. Cicero hadn't allowed her to see very many of them, and neither had the physicians, but the ones that she did manage to look in on stayed under her watchful eye until they were able to walk out away from the bed where they were lying. Ursa was never one to simply slip away. Then again, if what she had said about her activities with the young emperor in the catacombs were true, then she had already slipped away from the royal many times.
"Are you sure? Don't you want to make sure he wakes again?", Cicero said softly. Ursa shook her head. "What about the potion Galen left with us?"
"We can leave his instructions with the Praetorians or another servant. I need to go home.", Ursa repeated more firmly. Cicero sighed and nodded to the girl. Obviously, Commodus hadn't told her that he planned to marry her. This was to their advantage. Comodus did not know where they lived and would have difficulty getting around that area of the city without a guide. If that stayed true, then Ursa and he could escape him if he ever called on her. Brave beyond measure or not, Cicero did not want his sister to be the recieving end of a royal marriage. He had seen what it did to Lady Faustina and had been anything but pleased with it. The emperor was not required to treat anyone with kindness and his wife was one of the few peoples that would be with him in private; making her the ideal target for any unresolved disappointments. Commodus had already proved to have a terrible temper. Ursa had managed to calm him on occasion, apparently, but that would mean little if she were his wife and not simply a tender servant girl. Cicero did not want his sister to be either any longer.
"Then let's go.", Cicero said as he lifted her hand and started towards the door. Ursa turned and took one last look at Commodus. She had accomplished her goal. She had saved the young royal's life and cleared his name. She sighed. She had fallen in love with him. Love wasn't something royals were permitted to show freely. Duty and propriety kept them from it. She tried to distract her mind and heart from demanding that she go back to his side and stay put until he came around and they could be married. She should never have allowed herself to become intimate with him on any level. She breathed deeply as she and her brother walked up to the door and walked out into the hall. One of the servants standing by the door bowed to them. Lucilla had made it clear that Ursa and Cicero were close friends of her brother and should be treated with a great amount of respect. Ursa looked at the young man and spoke quietly.
"The emperor is asleep for the moment. Galen wishes for him to be given the potion on the table by his bed as soon as he awakens in a little while.", she instructed. The servant nodded. "Go and make sure he gets it. He will need to be watched for a few hours to make sure his breathing stays strong."
The servant looked at her inquisitively for a moment. After a brief second, he nodded to her and entered the room. Ursa looked up at Cicero, sorrow plainly covering her face. He could readily recall a sweet little girl that he had tended to all of her life. He had been able to soothe any fear or pain for her; now he was unsure and relatively helpless to do so. He missed the child that had been his sole focus for his adult life, the young girl that had been his reason for exsistance. He took her hand once more and began to lead the way out of the palace. Tertullian, who had been walking towards the archives near the emperor's quarters noticed this. He sighed and shook his head. He would have to speak to the emperor about the proper place for a wife to live. It wasn't good policy to have one's spouse living on the outskirts of the city, people might start rumours.
Commodus felt dream after dream trying to become clear in his mind. One finally made it through. Part of it seeming wonderful and the other being near a nightmare. In front of him, sitting in his chambers were his mother and father. He stared at them in confusion for a moment until his mother spoke up.
"That was absoloutely amazing, my prince. You defended your sister, the empire, and your beloved so passionately.", his mother said softly. Commodus smiled slightly.
"I've never seen such a magnificent display.", Marcus added. Commodus glared at him.
"You. You were cruel beyond reason to me!", Commodus shouted. He felt the mindset of a little boy taking over at the sudden appearance of both his parents. "He was, mother. He was a monster!"
"I know.", Faustina said sadly. Both she and Marcus looked at one another in sorrow. Marcus cleared his throat and turned to the boy.
"Commodus, I was not a father to you. I may not have been the one to sire you, but I should have at least given you what every child deserves; the safety of a father. I regret my vices towards you terribly.", the old man said looking down. "I wrote to you of the four chief virtues so that you and I might both forget my four chief vices. Have I ever told you what they are?"
"No.", Commodus replied plainly.
"Hatred, ignorance, complacency, and regret.", Marcus said. "I'm afraid I exhibited the worst of all of them towards you.", Marcus answered taking Faustina's hand. "You are more than capable of being without all of those, Commodus. I saw that in life, perhaps it infuriated me."
"That aside, Marcus, there is still the matter of Ursa Luna.", Faustina added. Commodus stared at the form of the beautiful woman. She stood from the couch and strode over to the young ruler's bedside. She reached down and placed a hand on his head. "She isn't at your side any longer."
"Are you spirits or am I dreaming?", Commodus asked in confusion. The two laughed.
"A little of both, my comfort.", Faustina replied as she kissed the top of his head gently. Commodus suddenly realized that it would have to be a dream for Marcus to apologize. Marcus had become cordial to him when he had recieved powers at the age of fourteen. Marcus had wanted more than anything to have a son of his own on the throne, but had lost the majority of that vision when he had grown a little senile.
"Mother, the throne isn't what I thought it would be. I cannot rule with the senate still in power.", Commodus said looking up at the woman with trepidation. "They want me dead. Most everyone wants me dead."
Faustina smiled softly and sat down on the edge of the bed beside her son. "Do you remember what I told you when Titus died?", she asked. Commodus shook his head, still staring at his mother. "I told you that there will be times when life seems impossible because of others. All that is left for us to do is remember who we are without them. Without the senate, my dear, you are still emperor. You have power with or without them. Your power will not increase without them. In fact, you may find yourself needing more guidance if you don't have their machinations as an example for you to not follow in their stead. Think of all of your tribulations as a fee lesson in what is wrong. Simply learn to observe with a willing mind."
"And learn when to take action when it is necessary.", Marcus added. Commodus turned to him looking up curiously.
"What do you mean?", he asked.
"When you awaken, Ursa will not be with you. She has been your focus for nearly a fortnight. You truly have love for her and won't be likely to find that again.", Marcus explained. Commodus now looked more troubled than ever. "You will have to prove your power as both a strong ruler and good husband."
"What do I do?", he asked softly. Faustina took her son's chin in her hand, looking sweetly into his face as she had done when he was a toddler.
"That is for you to decide. There is little else we can tell you. You need to look to those around you for guidance now, you are a man.", Faustina instructed. "Now, you should try and rest. You have endured more these past few days than ever in your life."
Commodus looked up at her in terror. He missed his mother terribly, he couldn't simply allow her to leave now. Faustina smiled and rose from the bed disappearing. Commodus shouted and grabbed for her hand. He felt his hand move downward through the air, nothing was there to grasp. He choked for a moment and squeezed his eyes shut. Marcus appeared beside him and placed a hand gently on his shoulder.
"I am so sorry, child. Still, I am more than impressed by your strength and courage.", the old man said tenderly before disappearing as well. Commodus breathed heavily as he felt a loneliness settle over him. He tried to stand and run out the door to try and find them. He had never been so desperate for anything in his life. As he stood and felt the cold of the floor beneath him, his eyes opened. He drew in a deeper breath and sat up slightly. The servant that had waited in the room with him immediately took the draught and offered it to the young emperor. Commodus looked at the young man in silence for a long moment. Galen entered the room a few beats later. Commodus turned and faced the man, still feeling quite ill. Galen walked over to the servant and relived him of the charge in watching the emperor. Galen smiled at his commander in admiration.
"Back in the world of mortals, I see. That is good. You'll recover entirely in about three days.", Galen said as he handed him the cup firmly. Commodus accepted it and looked up at the older healer sadly.
"Ursa isn't here, is she?", he asked softly. Galen frowned.
"She has returned home with her brother. Lady Lucilla made sure that it was safe for them to leave the palace before they were escorted home.", Galen explained. "She watched over you as long as she could. I fear her mind may be a little unstable after the upsets that she had here in the palace."
Commodus glared at the physician as he drank the fluid. Galen had a very poor view on the constitution and fortitude of women. He would have to change that, at least while the man was in his presence. He sighed. There were several things he needed to change and soon. He needed to do one thing at a time, but he was confused as to which was the most important. He looked out the window for a moment, suddenly feeling the chill of the air settle over him. He smiled a little. He was emperor, he had practically all power on the earth. He had already voiced to a number of people that Ursa was his wife, and that was all that was required to make it so. He would simply have to prove his power to her. He sighed and laid back. There were several matters he would tend to first to stave off any further injustices to the people that insighted a craving for violence against him. After all of that was under way, he could claim his bride.