It is currently midnight as I am writing this on the fifteenth of July, and it is currently my birthday, felt like updating so here we go.
Chapter 13: Recovery part 2
Triestan thought on that day so long ago as he cried. It was horrible watching the only family he had disappear and then having to take up his mantle try to live up to everything he had done, try and replace the only person in his life he had ever felt like he would never betray.
Flash back
Triestan was ridding as fast as he could to try and save Augusts from Germania, but when he was just there he saw what the Germans were doing to Augusts, for the first time in his life Triestan was scared, he wouldn't move he just watched as the Germans butchered and slaughtered the Roman legions. Cutting them down one by one as they flooded out of the forests, like a never ending horde from hell. "Augusts…" was all Triestan could wisper as he watched. Augusts was fighting with Germania the whole time this was happening. Augusts turned his head and saw Triestan and yelled for help, "Hey get over here I need your help Triest-" Germania stabbed Rome right in the heart, as he was speaking. Triestan stood and watched in awe as his older brother fell to the ground dieing at the hands of some barbarian. "Augusts…" was again all he could say as he watched the Remaining Roman legions retreat and run from the hordes of barbarians. Germania spat on the ground and walked away leading his troops back into the forest. Triestan snapped out of it and ran to the side of Augusts. "Are you alright? You'll live right? I mean you are Rome you will never fall right?" Triestan was almost crying at this point as he watched the man who raised him bleeding out. "Why… didn't… you… come…" Were the last words he said before he died. Triestan could never forgive himself for letting this happen. "Augusts? Augusts! This isn't funny get up you'll be fine! Augusts?" Triestan was now shaking his dead body, "Wake up damn it wake up!" he hugged the corpse to his body. "I promise one day I will bring you back Augusts, be it a year or a million I will reunite the empire and you will come back!" Triestan cried on the dead body.
End flash back
Triestan sat on the ground crying as he tried to forget that horrible day. "I could have done something, I could have saved him, but no I was to scared I was nothing more than a coward! God damn it why didn't I go to his side!" Triestan continued to cry. "I came so close to bringing him back to… all I needed was France, Spain, and England, but then Justinian died and it all came crumbling down!"
Flash back
Justinian lay on his death bed now breathing his last breaths. "Triestan make… sure my… successor finishes our work… and the work… of god…" Justinian was breathing heavily as he was laying with the few people actually there to insure his health had failed and were now waiting for the invitible. "Justinian, please don't go not yet there is only Gaul, Iberia, and Briton to take, we could easily rebuild the empire with what we have now, you just have to survive a few more years." Triestan did not want to see the best ruler he had, had in a long time go. "It… is ok Triestan… I am sure… the empire will see life… once more… come some other era.. It is not my place to question why… god has decided now to be my time to go… but only to except it… now Triestan… do my memory honor and… bring… Rome… back." Justinian died with those words. Triestan had lost another person he felt strongly about, and once again there was nothing he could do about it.
End flash back.
Triestan has lost just about every one he cared about and every time there was nothing he could have done to save them and with New Byzantium it was different he could save him, or so he thought. Triestan had no one, he was all alone in this world, trying to bring back the person who had mattered most in his life. Triestan then stood up and went to another room leaving Elizabeta all alone.
"I need to focus on reconsolidating and rebuilding, I will give no quarter in this war with the northern Africans, I will have them. Then I will take back… Home… I will take back Rome and Romano, then it will be between the big three, which have no doubtedly allied with each other in order to defend against me."
Triestan heard news of an English rebellion in the new world, "Serves the ass right for taking my colony away from me. Send subsides and supplies to the new country." Triestan would have his vengeance one way or another.
After about another twenty years the Americans had won their independence from the English, and Byzantium had conquered the whole of Northern Africa and was preparing to march on the city of Rome, retaking the key that binds everything that he is doing together. "Don't worry Rome you will be alive soon I promise…" Triestan pulled out a cross and held it close to his chest, the cross had something inscribed in the back of it, "Acta non Verba, Action not Word." Those were the words that Triestan lived by in his quest to bring his brother back.