Note from Kanuro5: I think this chapter had been edited and rewrote the most so far. This was halfway done since July, but has gone through many edits. At the time this is released, it's 12/25/23, so with that being said, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year.
XXIII
The Arretium Assembly
The Pro-Consul's Palace, Arretium, the Julii Capital
"So, there she was, listening in on my conversation, and I caught her. She claimed that she dropped some parchment on the floor, but she was spying on me."
The women around her leaned in, "So what did you do?"
She chewed on a fig with a smile, "Oh, I had that lying slave sent to the mines, I have no use for slaves who dare to eavesdrop."
Titia stared at the three women before exhaling a sigh. She turned her head and listened in on another conversation.
A woman with a nose three sizes smaller than her face was laughing with another who had two hairy moles underneath the left corner of her mouth. She was introduced to them briefly, but after meeting around thirty women of the Julii, the names and faces began to blend together.
"Do you know the worst thing about honey?" said Small Nose.
"The fact that it is too sweet?" replied Mole Lips.
"Well, yes, but no. The fact that cooks oversaturate the food with it! I mean, really! Are we really all animals to stuffing our faces with honeyed bread, honeyed nuts, honeyed cheese… oh don't get me started on honeyed cheese!"
Mole Lips recoiled, "I quite enjoy honeyed cheese. They say it helps the skin pop with color."
Small Nose made a scoffing sound, "That's what cosmetics are for, not honeyed food."
Titia rolled her eyes with an audible groan that was lost in the commotion of the room.
About a month ago, where Titia, Vitus, Proculus, and Appia returned from Genua after the Bloody Ides, Vitus used the power of Acting Patriarch and summoned all remaining Julii to come to Arretium for reorganization and security. And this gathering was the fruit born from such a declaration.
The last members of the Julii had arrived in the past few days, and they believed that the majority of the Julii had now been gathered. The surviving men of the Julii were in the main tablinum of the Patriarch discussing plans and actions to rebound from this tragedy.
And the women of the Julii? They were all in this room of the triclinium as if this was a party, supping on fancy finger food and wine, laughing, and smiling with one another, speaking about everything under the sun, except for the Bloody Ides.
Well, that wasn't entirely true, Titia admitted. She would hear occasional updates from a few women about where they were during the attacks and what was going on. The news that was passed along frequently was the sacking of Apollonia a week ago, such an act that had never occurred in Rome. But the conversation would quickly change into something pedantic. At least, pedantic to Titia. Food, fashion, slaves, vacations, this might as well have been a Julii reunion. Why were they all acting so obtusely?
Around the room, she could spot her mother-in-law, Octavia, entertaining women who were in that range of middle-age to graying senior, who held the wife of the greatest Julius, Lucius the Mighty, in proper esteem. Titia's sister-in-law, Appia, was entertaining women her own age in their twenties and thirties, who looked positively enraptured with the "Rose of Rome" and hung on to her every word.
Titia had no one near her age of sixteen, the youngest girls were eight to twelve, and they were all in their separate room still enjoying the climate of their youth with toys and games. Titia was alone, well, she wanted to be alone, how could she speak to the rest of these women? Though she was a Valerius, she had not been long ingratiated with the Julii, unlike Octavia and Appia, where conversations just flowed naturally.
Also, unlike her in-laws, she was not necessarily the standard of beauty. She was not blonde nor auburn. Her chest wasn't as pronounced as theirs were either. The only thing she had going for her was the formation of a near mono-brow which wasn't formally connected, her own mother would use makeup to darken the center between her brows. In fact, she remembered her mother doing that upon the marriage interview when she first met Vitus in person.
To her, the banal gossip in the room suddenly fell silent. She saw his face in her mind.
Vitus… you best be okay…
It had been several weeks since he left in pursuit of these Black Masks, and she had heard nothing about what had occurred in Athens.
A slave came by and wordlessly offered her some watered-down wine. She wasn't really thirsty, but her arm moved on reflex and took the cup. She stared into the crimson liquid. She was drunk that night on the Ides, but her actions had sobered her to the bone. The gurgling of that man… it played in her mind less frequently than before… her stomach started churning at the sight of this wine in her hand.
Her head moved around the room to find the slave that had now left her. She spotted a woman who was resting her back against the wall near the corner of the room. From a distance, this woman's face was crestfallen, no one interacted with her, and her expression stared into space. Her feet moved before she realized, she just had to investigate another woman in the room who seemed to find this whole affair dull and meaningless.
"Do you care for some wine?" Titia offered her.
The woman looked up at her, "No, I am fine."
Titia placed the cup down against a column and stood beside the despondent woman. "My name is Titia; my original family is of the Valerii."
The woman raised her head, "The Valerii? Off the Palatine Hill?"
"The very same. You are from Rome, huh?"
"My family was the Lartii. We lived on the Esquiline."
A smile emerged on Titia. "Was a relative of yours Aulus Lartius Priscus?"
The woman smiled as well, "Yes, he is my second-cousin. You know of him?"
"Yes, a wonderful jurist, my father, Titus, hired him for his case against fraudulent activities within his stone quarries. I spoke to him several times. He was kind to me and noble. He was efficient and my father treated him with a feast upon winning the case against those greedy bastards who tried… excuse me, I digress."
The woman was chuckling, "Yes, that's Aulus. He still lives on the Esquiline…. Hmm, you said your name was Titia?"
"Yes."
"I am Lucretia."
Both of them stared out into the party of women enjoying their finger food and gossip.
"How long have you been a Julii, Titia Valerius?"
"About a year now. And you?"
"Four. You look so young, how old are you."
"Sixteen."
"I am nineteen, my twentieth birthday is next month."
Titia nodded with a grin, "My husband's twentieth birthday was a few days ago."
Lucretia's eyes trailed away, and a frown slowly formed.
Titia inhaled through her nostrils. Oh… I see…
"Who was your husband?" Lucretia asked her.
"Vitus Germanicus."
"He is still alive; he was the one who summoned us all here."
Titia subtly bit her bottom lip, "Yes, he is on both accounts. I… apologies… that your husband is not with us."
"Gratitude for your platitudes."
She clenched her eyes briefly, "I know you do not mean that. Platitudes, even polite ones, come off as empty during times of sorrow."
Lucretia turned to her, "Experience?"
"Yes. My father was afflicted with the plague that is still ravaging Rome, for all I know. That was what everyone would say to you. 'Apologies for your suffering', 'We pray to the Gods for salvation', 'It hurts to hear'… after a while, it all blurs together in a grey muddled din…"
"Is your father alive?"
"Last I heard, he was… What was your husband's name, where did you two live?"
"His name was Spurius, and we lived in Segesta."
"Spurius was… a good man?"
Lucretia's voice started to break, "He was twice as old as I was when we were married. He was fat and had an odd smell to him. His perspiration was quite odd to say the least. He loved to gamble, even though he was bad at it. But he had the singing voice of a Greekling, if he wasn't a patrician, he would have been an actor, I'm sure. He would sing to me when I was in a mood, he would stay up all night with me as we conversed, and he would watch over our son when I was too tired. He loved our son; he would rarely entrust them to our slaves… he wasn't the most perfect man in the world, but he was mine. And I was holding him in my arms…" Tears were streaming down her face. "I held him in my arms…"
Titia grasped her and pulled her into an embrace. She could feel Lucretia's tears wet her shoulder as she felt the heat from her sobs exiting her mouth. Her back was turned from the group of women, but Titia could hear some of their voices begin to quiet. Lucretia continued to sob for several seconds; Titia rubbed her back but remained silent. She knew that sometimes silence was the best remedy.
She looked around and made eye contact with a passing slave and mouthed to her to fetch a facial cloth.
Lucretia's crying began to taper off. She removed herself from the younger girl's shoulders with a shaking of the head, her voice still quivering, "Apologies, apologies… I… I shouldn't have…"
"You have had no one to speak to about this. Have you?"
She shook her head mutely.
"I understand that terror, Lucretia. I—" The pool of blood around the spasming assassin shot into her mind. "I understand that horror, that… fear."
The slave came with a cloth, and Titia handed it to Lucretia who wiped her face.
"We were the only Julii in Segesta. Spurius is dead, and my two-year-old has no father. What shall become of us? I do not know what to do… I could not do anything when they came for him… I do not know what to do now…"
"Are you two, okay?"
Both women turned to be greeted by three other Julii women.
"Are you not Lucretia from Segesta? Spurius's wife?" one of them asked her.
"Yes, I am."
All three women frowned, one of them approached her, "You poor woman, to lose your valiant husband at such a horrid hour. That must be why you shed tears."
The second woman shook her head, "Savagery, which has fallen upon the Republic. Everywhere you look, savagery. Do you not agree, Ilithyia?"
The first woman plucked a plum from the plate held by a slave, "I totally agree, I cannot even recall the last time we had a moment of peace to enjoy ourselves. Be it the civil wars, the Italians, the barbarians—oh yes, especially those barbarians. Gauls, Germanians, Iberians, Britons, Pontics, Egyptians, everywhere you look is barbarity and savagery. My husband, Secundus, is here in that room, speaking valiantly with the other men. Oh, how brave he was during those Bloody Ides."
"My husband as well," said the third woman, "He fought those cutthroats with his sword, and they fled."
The second women smiled, "My husband was clever, he noticed the trap ahead of time and we got out of there and into the safety of guardsmen."
Titia looked down the doorway, that atrium led to where the men of the Julii were gathered. That doorway led to freedom.
A bubbling triteness was rising from listening to this endless clucking from these hens. Titia wanted to snap at all of them to be silent.
The three women were still talking amongst themselves. The first woman, Ilithyia, tilted her head and said, "What can we say that we fortunate in that dark night, Gods be good. The valor that our men showed… And at least coming here, we are able to enjoy each other's company, and the food."
"What is wrong with you three?!" Titia snapped, in a voice that was louder than she realized.
"What? To do you mean?"
"You seek to gloat about your husbands' valor to Lucretia, after what had occurred to her?!"
"It is all right, Titia," the timid voice of Lucretia spoke up.
"No, no it's not, Lucretia! How dare they." She turned back to the women, "You express your pity, then turn the conversation to yourselves! Have some decency!"
Two of the three women appeared to have demurred after that comment. But the first woman, Ilithyia, purpled in annoyance.
"You claim us to be indecent? You know nothing about me, girl! How haughty you are because your husband is Germanicus."
"What did you just say?"
"Your husband beckons us all hear as if he is the Patriarch himself, and he is long since absent for our arrival. And you barely speak any words to us, leaving it to Octavia and Appia! You believe yourself a queen of this family?"
"What lunacy are you spouting?"
"Lunacy? It is your attitude. My husband, Secundus, states that the main branch of this family often holds an air of superiority to others. And I see it on display. I watched as my husband fought off a single assassin on that night. I alerted the guards and aided his life. I speak to Lucretia, and you chastise me as if I was an errant child. You probably quaked in your undergarments during the night, hiding under your covers. By all means, share with us your fortitude during the Bloody Ides? What did you do for your husband?"
Titia's glare did not break. "Do you see this mark on my throat, an assassin had his blade pressed against it, he even drew blood. I watched my husband, his brother, and the guards fight off four of those assassins. The last assassin was on top of Vitus. And you know what I did?"
Titia approached Ilithyia even closer. Unbeknownst to the girl, her face held the eyes of a viper, her voice was colder than ice. "I took my husband's sword and slashed the assassin's throat open... I watched as he drowned in his own blood, squirming as an earthworm on land, until he ceased… So, in short, I can demonstrate my fortitude on you if you so desire?"
The irritation of Ilithyia melted like a cube of ice in an open flame, replaced by a low impact of terror. Her eyes grew, her jaw was lowering, she took a step back. The faces of astonishment were present in the other women behind Ilithyia, as were the rest of the women who were in earshot. Even Lucretia had a noticeable quiver, staring into the face of Titia.
Titia cleared her throat delicately, "Excuse me, all." She spun on her heels and walked out of the room; the only sound audible was the clapping of her sandals hitting the marble floor.
Her cheeks felt red as she got farther away from the room. She couldn't even get past thirty steps until she heard someone coming after her, "I have to say, Titia, I didn't not expect those words to exit your mouth," a familiar voice came behind her.
Titia stopped. It was Appia who came from behind.
"I… was louder than I realized."
"Yes, you were."
"Should I have gone along and echoed their dribble, Appia?" she asked as she turned.
The face that usually radiated beauty and serenity beneath the blonde curls and rosy lips, now was twisted in disappointed frustration, "I did not even hear what started the argument, I just heard you and Ilithyia going at it like cats. And then you said that! You should have said something other than what you had said. Threatening another's life? Come to reason, Titia!"
"All right, I shouldn't have said that, but you're taking their side without knowing everything?!"
"What side? We are all family here. Many of these women have lost their husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons. Some of these women actually witnessed their deaths. Just like Lucretia. Some of them, like you, had to perform acts that they never imagined they would have done, just to survive or save their families. I had to watch as Vitus placed a burning poker into my husband's wound. You believe it best to have them recall such tragedies that plague their minds?"
Her head lowered, "No, I don't. I… I never thought of that."
"It is evident that you didn't, Titia. If you had, you wouldn't have brought it up."
"Appia, Lucretia was struck by vivid memory of her husband dying in her arms. I wager you could hear her crying loudly. That poor woman. And these three fools walk up and start speaking about the virtues of their living husbands, completely forgetting about Lucretia. It drove me to a rage."
"Ilithyia, Gaia, and Aula? Those three whose husbands are alive. Do you believe that their suffering was lessened?"
"I… would never have guessed based on the way they were acting."
The older girl sighed; her face of frustration began to relax. She approached Titia with a tender smile, "Come now, how many times have you worn a mask of contentment when you felt anything but?"
The recollection of the answer made the younger girl chuckle, "More than I could count," she admitted.
"Exactly. You're a clever one, you are aware that those gathered here are conscious of what has transpired. I believe it normal to find some escape from the routine that we do. For many of these women, the routine is gossiping and comparing of fortunes and misfortunes. I should know, I've done plenty when I still lived in Rome."
"I understand the routine, Appia. I do. But here these women are bragging about their husbands being present in Arretium, and…" her words dragged off.
Appia was smirking, "Vitus, eh?"
"Huh?"
"You are worried about Vitus, correct?"
Her eyes fell to her feet, "Of… Of course, I am. This isn't a barbarian tribe he is facing. I do not know… I just… I just… I cannot bear to listen to idle gossip, whilst the men are speaking about factual rationale and stratagems to overcome this crisis. I…"
Appia studied the face of her sister-in-law in silence for a moment before speaking, "You mention the men speaking of stratagems. Do you want to listen in?"
Titia gave her a look as if she was asked to walk on water.
"S-Say that again?"
A mischievous expression emerged, "You want to skip the party with the women and listen to the men. I have a good feeling they're speaking about what you're interested in. And to tell you the truth… the Beast of Curiosity has bitten me too."
"Really?" Titia was unaware that she was grinning.
"Really."
"How? Their doors are guarded."
"You have much to learn about Arretium, Titia. Follow me."
"What about the gathering for the women?"
"Oh, now you care about that?" she chuckled. "I told Octavia that I would be speaking to you in private; I never did say where the conversation shall continue though, now, follow me."
The two of them came to an empty hallway of the atrium where the palace slaves were not on duty and the guards were not stationed. The duo came to a low column that was holding up a bust of a once prominent but now deceased Julius.
"Here we are, help me with the column, Titia," Appia asked her.
Both ladies picked up the column that came to their chests and heaved it to the side with the bust still on top. Titia was going to ask what had possessed her sister-in-law to do something so strange, but her patience was rewarded when Appia pressed her fingers through a minute opening in the wall and pulled it back. A quick gust of air exited the opening, revealing a door sized entryway into a dimly lit passage.
Titia was gawking. Appia smirked at her, "Follow me."
As they entered, Appia grabbed an unlit torch near the doorway. Near eye level was a holding of flint and lit the torch promptly. The inside of these inner walls was cramped. The secret passage was about two meters wide, and the girls had to walk through it in a single-file.
"How do you know about this passage, Appia?"
"Proculus."
"What?"
"He was the reason I know about this. His father showed him this when Proculus was younger. His father explained that the passages were made in case of disaster was to befall the palace, like a siege or invasion, it would be used to scurry the residents out."
"So, this passageway can lead to the outside?"
"It could, yes. For that, we have to keep going deeper."
"What? 'Deeper'? How far does this go?"
"I shall show you eventually, but for now, I ask you to fall silent. Do you hear that?"
It was muffled, but Titia could hear it. Talking, no, arguing, the pitch was deeper, yet the volume grew louder the more they approached.
"Yes," Titia whispered, "but where does it come from?"
"We are passing through the wing and will be outside the tablinum. This is where the men are."
"How can you tell?"
She moved the torch closer to the ceiling, revealing a streak of yellow paint. "Each room is marked by a color; it assists you in not getting lost."
Titia's heart thumped at such a revelation. Her excitement was rising. It was hard for her to believe. She had come from a family that was wealthier than the one she married into, and yet they had more secrets than she could ever imagine. It was no wonder they were considered as one of the Three Great Families of Rome. She then pondered a notion, what other secrets did they have that only the Patriarch knew?
They stopped right in front of a wall where the voices were more transparent.
"Here, allow me," Appia volunteered. She reached her hand in front of Titia's face and pulled at a panel, allowing light to shine through eyeholes through the wall. The light from the room initially blinded her, and she gasped in surprise. But she recovered and looked at her sister-in-law in astonishment, to which Appia returned with a coy wink. She removed the panel for eyeholes where she was standing and looked through them. With the eyeholes of the wall open, the sound from the men was even clearer. Titia pressed her face against the wall, and she secretly peered into the meeting.
To what she had witnessed earlier from the clucking of hens with the women, here was the crowing of roosters in the room. The men were seated but were yelling to be heard. In the commotion, both women could spot Proculus, he too was shouting with the rest of them.
They noticed Caeso Cossutius was present as well, but he rose from his seat and bellowed with the authority he had in his days as a centurion. "Enough! We have gone through this in damn circles!"
Gnaeus Julius Pius, a man who just broke forty, spoke up, "Agreed. I fear we shall lose our voices if we continue."
Cossutius nodded, "Let us return to the issue at hand, all of us."
"And we are to take orders from you, pleb?" came from Secundus.
Gnaeus Julius Pius interjected, "There are no plebians among us. He is adopted and he is a Julius."
Secundus Julius waved an off-hand at Pius, "One can adopt a dog into the family, that does not change its nature."
Proculus stood up from his seat and hobbled to Secundus, "This man has served my father for over 20 years. He has seen more fighting than many of us in this room combined. He saved me and my brother several times over in the Samarobrivan War. So, fuck you!" he suddenly ended with a scream, jabbing his finger into Secundus' chest.
"Do not touch me!" Secundus shoved back.
The room erupted into shouting as the other Julii got between this impending brawl, trying to separate the raging Proculus from strangling the annoyed Secundus. Titia could hear an audible breath from Appia beside her. This commotion continued on for twenty more seconds, until the more senior members of the Julii were shouting to be heard.
Secundus Julius looked to be in his late 20's with short brown hair that seemed to be fashioned in a senatorial style, despite him not being a senator.
So that is Ilithyia's husband, eh? Titia mused.
Pius made his voice be heard, "Enough! Enough! We are above such petty division, both of you fall silent!"
Both Proculus and Secundus went back to their separate corners. Only Pius remained standing in the middle.
"Is it nigh impossible to come to a consensus?" he asked. "We are to focus on the larger issues at hand."
An older Julii man nodded, "Yes, quite right. Now, Proculus what were you trying to speak upon?"
Proculus cleared his throat before speaking, "Massilia needs a governor. Aulus Oppius vanished before the Bloody Ides."
"Who started such an inquiry? And to whom?"
"The tribune in command stated that he informed Vitus that Oppius was missing."
The other Julii began to murmur. Secundus turned to Proculus, "Did your brother send immediate message to Decius, or did you do so?"
"No, he didn't tell me. But… the night I saw him was on the Bloody Ides, where I was wounded… it must have slipped his mind, there was more pressing matters of concern."
"Is that how you justify your brother's negligence?"
Proculus scoffed with bitter darkness, "You are justifying why I should shove my fist down your throat."
Cossutius seized his arm with a restraining voice, "Hey! Hey! Let us not be overheated!"
Secundus stuck his nose in the air, "For a man who is now a senator, you truly have an uncouth vocabulary, Proculus."
"Only because wit is wasted on you."
Pius raised his hands high in the air, "Could we, please—I ask for the sake of unity—come together and discuss what are we to do? Who should govern what, who should lead what legion, could we break words on delegation before we turn on each other?"
Cossutius spoke up, "Yes. Yes, you are correct, Pius, infighting does nothing but weaken us."
Marcus Julius Cilo, a Julius renowned for his height, cleared his throat, "Indeed. If I may, can we return to commerce? We have six main cities that need to be governed appropriately: Arretium, Ariminum, Ravenna, Genua, Massilia, and Osca. Half of which are not even properly governed."
Proculus raised his hand, "Excuse me, Cilo, why do you list Arretium? Decius is still ruling here."
His voice was genuine and not meant to offend, "Can he govern? I say this only because he is still in mourning. Who has been running this city? Have you? I know you are recovering from that night, but are you governing this city, Proculus?"
"No, that position is from Prefect Laxtus."
Marcus Julius Cilo sighed with an air of regret, "Then that answers my question. A Julius must always rule the capital. Who knows when the Patriarch shall end his mourning."
Herius, a young Julius of seventeen years, spoke up, "Is it so bad to have the prefects govern the cities? I mean, they do so in our absences, so is it so bad?"
Cilo's large lips puckered as he spoke, "Remember this boy: Never let the guard dog into your kitchen. If we give the prefects too much power, discrepancies are bound to arise. The coffers start getting lighter."
"You would know about such things, Cilo," said Publius Julius Calvus, a man with a balding scalp.
"To what do you infer?"
"Did not Decius remove you from governing Patavium because of your tax methods? I recalled that you 'skinned the sheep, instead of fleecing it'."
Cilo reddened, "What merit have you to question me?! You, Calvus, embarrassed the clan. What made you think it was appropriate to flirt with a Vestal Virgin?!"
"Oh, sure! Throw that back in my face… That was a decade ago and I was drunk!"
"Public intoxication is your forte, you d—"
"Can we not fall to disorder?!" Pius pleaded.
A fit of coughing took Pius in the chest. Someone gave him water and asked if he was all right.
"My voice is not used to this much strain. I would rather speak calmly then shout erratically. That is something we all must strive for."
Quintus Julius Latus, a quite portly man, stood up and shouted for his voice to be heard, "I ask for the floor!"
Calvus motioned his hand, "Speak your mind, this is not the senate house."
That comment elicited a few chuckles. Latus continued, "We need firm leadership, now. We've been in here for an hour and I do not recall any of us agreeing on a single motion. We've just spent the majority of the time fighting with one another. Proculus, Cossutius, you have been in Arretium before any of us. Do you know who Decius chose on the notion of Heir upon Statius's death?"
Everyone present turned to the two men. Proculus shook his head, "No. His slaves have said that he had been inconsolable. We do not know who he has chosen."
Latus was nodding, "I was afraid of that. Then everyone here must listen well, can we speak upon who we shall elect to next be the Heir? The Heir can speak with authority and perhaps lead us back on the path of management."
"An election? That is your plan?" Cilo asked.
"Why not? All the men—well, the quorum of the Julii men—are present. Let us elect someone as Heir, or if it makes you all feel better, as 'Acting Patriarch', then when Decius recovers from his mourning, he has a decision laid before him."
Many of the Julii were murmuring amongst themselves in seeming agreement.
Marcellus Julius Albus, a man of thirty-five with skin that was pasty white, made his voice audible, "If we are to choose a new Heir, then it must be off seniority."
"Ha!" Secundus scoffed. "If such was true, then Decius would not have chosen his son, Statius."
"Damn you, Secundus, show some respect to the deceased!" the tall Cilo snapped.
"Apologies, but you know what I meant. Does the quality of seniority denote the quality of leadership?"
"What are you trying to say, Secundus?" Albus asked.
"A precedent had been set. Yes, the Patriarch could always choose who would lead the Family, yet it was always on seniority and skill. But if he chose his young son… then perhaps a younger man with indomitable strength and fire could take up the mantle."
Proculus opened his mouth. Titia knew he was about to unleash a tirade of rejections. Yet he didn't have to, someone else spoke up.
"You? You believe you are a candidate of Heir?" the pasty Albus scoffed. "I rather my horse be chosen as Heir rather than you."
Several of the Julii broke out in laughter.
Proculus was nodding fervently, "I second that!"
Secundus stood from his seat, "You doubt me? You who were Lucius Magnus' drunkard of a son. I have experience in magisterial work. I was the one who brokered commerce between Patavium and those savage tribes in the Alps! What have you done of merit?"
"I am a senator of Rome."
"You are Sulla's dog," he sneered at Proculus. "Thrown a bone by that madman because of who your father was."
"You are indeed the mad one if you seek to call me a dog."
"You think it should stay within your branch of the family, Proculus? You seek to aggrandize yourself, or your brother."
"What are you saying? When has Vitus ever sought ambition blindly?"
"He calls himself 'Germanicus' yet we all know it was Sertorius who won that campaign."
"His men called him that, and Sertorius approved. Vitus was the only senior officer who slain more barbarians than any other officer in that campaign. If that is not a testament to his courage and skill, then I don't know what is. When was the last time you fought a barbarian? I can show you my wounds."
"Anyway, where is he?"
"He is on a mission."
"Where?"
"That's confidential."
Titia could sense the air of the room begin to change; she noticed the sideways glances of the other Julii. As did Secundus.
He looked around in an offended manner, "Was he not the one who ordered us all here? And wasn't he the first to depart the capital with his army? And apparently sailing away with a Scipii fleet. Where is your brother?"
Proculus did not break his cool glare, "I said it was confidential."
"Proculus… I must speak," came from the overweight Latus, "I care not for Secundus' blathery, it is as inane and trivial as the man himself."
"Hey!" Secundus snapped. The rest of the Julii broke out into chuckling.
"But… I do agree with him on this. Where is your brother? He has command of an entire legion, that cannot be ignored. Is he in Germania? Gallia? Is he marching to Hispania to investigate the silence from that peninsula?"
A calming exhale exited Proculus's lips, "Vitus is on a mission under the direct orders of the Dictator, he and his legion have left Italia and are in Greece as we currently speak."
The reveal took the winds out of the room.
"He's under orders from Sulla?" young Herius asked.
"What is his mission?" Secundus leaned closer.
"Confidential. He could not even inform me."
Pius spoke up, "Perhaps he sent the young man against Pontus. Any legion against Mithridates can help."
"As I said, I do not know the reason for his orders," Proculus shifted his eyes towards Secundus, "but there you go. That is where my brother is."
Albus cleared his throat, all eyes fell on him, "So, Vitus, is on a mission and is far from here… that is that. Can we return back to the issue of who shall be Heir?"
Titia noticed an emaciated-looking Julius of senior years speak up, "Sertorius is another viable candidate."
The balding Calvus stroked his chin, "Yes, he's experienced, mature, noble, and courageous."
Albus shook his head, "And do not forget, he is absent from this meeting, as is Germanicus. We need to choose among our ranks who are currently present."
The thumping of the wooden doors of the tablinum opened up to the inside of the room. Everyone twisted their bodies in that direction. Every man stood to their feet, many of them with reactions of confusion and surprise. From their angle, Titia and Appia could not see who was entering, until they heard one of the Julii men speak in what could be interpreted as surprised reverence.
"Patriarch Decius."
The man's footsteps echoed across the room, and he came into the eyesight of the girls watching in secret. Titia made a small gasp.
As the Patriarch, he would wear the most magnificent and vibrant of the Julii crimson, colors which natural flames would spawn life in order to express their envy. No longer. No vibrancy was on his appearance, his tunic and sandals were black from mourning. No fancy patterns or designs, no gold, no silver, nothing was inlaid on his garment. A black tunic that was fit for a slave was his apparel for today. A scraggly beard of gray was on his face, unkempt and dirty. His graying hair was a silver wisp on his scalp. The bags under his eyes blackened due to the tears. He now appeared to be a decade older than the last time she witnessed him.
"Uncle, are you all right?" Proculus was the one who approached him closer than the rest.
His ragged eyes blinked despondently. He looked to his nephew, then looked around the room at his kinsmen. An exhale exited his lips. He placed his hand on Proculus's shoulder and a frayed, yet intelligible voice came out.
"I am not fine, Proculus, but I shall persevere…"
He moved to the center of the room and addressed his kin, "We are of the Julii, we always persevere."
Pius spoke up, "It lifts the heart the see you, Patriarch. We were all—"
"—deciding amongst yourselves who shall be Heir?"
Some of the men visibly gawked.
"I could hear the tempest of anger from outside the door," the patriarch continued.
"Do… Do you have a suggestion?"
Decius scanned the room patiently before saying, "I do not see Sertorius here."
"Sertorius is to be Heir?" Secundus asked him.
"Did Vitus not send out an order for all Julii to arrive?"
"Yes, he did, Patriarch," Latus answered.
"Was there any report of his death?"
"No, Patriarch."
"What of any reports from the Iberian peninsula?"
Pius explained, "The men of the settlements of Corduba, Scallabis, Numantia, Carthago Nova, and Asturica, have been slain. The wives and daughters have reported back."
"Ohh… So, all of them have been reported as slain, except for Sertorius…"
The men looked at one another. Decius walked past them until he was in the middle of the circle of chairs, the rest of the Julii were staring at him from behind.
Proculus spoke up, "Uncle, is Sertorius to be the Heir of the Julii?"
The patriarch's eyes were lowered against the floor.
"Uncle?"
The patriarch turned around, "No, Sertorius is not. I do not believe he shall ever be the Heir, now."
"What…? What does that mean?"
"Proculus, is there any word from Vitus?"
"None, Uncle."
"Is Vitus to be the Heir?" Secundus raised his voice.
The eyes of the old man narrowed quicker than lightning, "Can a man not wonder about the location of his nephew and his legion?"
Something inside Titia went cold after hearing that tone. The rest of the men were still. The bloodshot and haggard eyes held a furious steel in them.
"A-Apologies, Patriarch…" Secundus stammered.
"No, I am at fault. I am to guide this family, and yet I sequestered myself in my home past the period of mourning… my son is dead…" his head rose to the ceiling. "My son is dead… Our fathers… our sons… brothers… cousins… family… we are a family, and we have lost those of our blood. And I acted selfishly, there were men more experienced than my son to be Heir upon my brother's death. My plan, my wish, my son… is dead. And I neglected my duty… this tragedy could have been tapered off if I… But we cannot be selfish anymore. I cannot be. Our time is finite in this world."
He approached Gnaeus Julius Pius, and pulled him from the crowd, "Gnaeus, do you deign yourself worthy to be my Heir?"
An intake of gasps and murmurs coursed through the room.
"Do you find me worthy?"
"I would not have pulled you out if I didn't. I could hear the arguments from where I was, and I heard you as the voice of reason. Be the voice for our family if I am absent."
"I… If you find me worthy, I shall be your Heir."
"Good. You are my kin, but come embrace me as not only Paterfamilias, but as a son."
Gnaeus Julius Pius cautiously moved in and hugged the Patriarch of the Julii. Most of the men present applauded with stoic faces, a few of them, such as Secundus, were stiller than statues at the induction of the new Heir.
Someone was pounding on the door to the room, demanding them to be let in on basis of an "emergency." The door flung open, and Titia recognized the Urban Prefect of Arretium, Laxtus came in, out of breath and covered in sweat.
He was gasping, "Patriarch, the Senatorial Legions are at our gates! The Dictator himself demands entry into the city! Sulla is at the gates of Arretium."
The air went cold, everyone's hearts had skipped.
"S-Sulla is here?"
"He is, Patriarch! A rider came forth delivering the seal of the Dictator. The Dictator demands entrance. Here!"
The prefect handed over an unopened scroll to the disheveled leader of the family, who read it with the utmost haste.
Decius's voice was gravel, "These seals are genuine, both the seal of Dictatorship, and Sulla's personal seal. He has all five legions of the Senate in tow, and with two additional legions… what, the Brutii and the Scipii legions? What?!"
He rolled it back up and handed it to Prefect Laxtus. He spoke quickly, "Open the gates, mobilize the Town Watch into a close-order formation of parade rest at the front of the Palace. Clear the pathway of any and all obstruction, clear the Forum, have the shopkeepers pack their wares. I don't care how impromptu it is, tell your men to tell the grocers to the guildsmen that the Dictator is here, and if they do not seek to be proscribed, they shall have it cleared within five minutes of your announcement."
The Prefect bowed once more, "Understood, Patriarch, your will, be done." He took a quick air of an inhale before he sprinted out.
Decius turned to the other Julii, "We all need to greet the dictator. Everyone to the Square of the Palace! Get your wives, sisters, everyone who is a Julius must turn up. We have about fifteen minutes at the earlies. Move!"
Titia felt Appia seize her by the arm. The older girl closed the eyeholes of the wall before telling her, "Titia, we need to move!"
The beating of war drums was echoing off the wooden homes surrounding the Pro-Consul's Palace. The crowd of plebeians were forming up quicker than Titia could realize. She looked around from where she was standing, the women all held faces of apprehension. Appia stood next to Titia, she held her son, little Lucius, in her arms, and Octavia was on Titia's other side, both wore a mask of concern as well.
By Gaia, why was Sulla demanding entry to Arretium at the head of an army?
The men of the Julii were segregated from the women, standing stoically on the right, while the women stood elegantly to the left. All of them were aligned on the marble-square in front of the Palace, with the Patriarch and the newly-appointed Heir, Pius, standing on the bottom of the marble steps in the center.
The procession of the dictator finally arrived in the square. The first sights were drummers, trumpeters, and aquilifers marching with the eagles of the legions of the senates. Then came a cohort of the senatorial legionaries in their purple armor, processing in parallel formation with passive faces.
Then, a circle of twenty-four lictors marched in formation, guarding the illustrious dictator, who was on horseback, giving stoic waves to the citizens who cheered his name and title. He wore armor that was purple and black, with a regal purple cape that flowed in the air. He was dressed from neck to foot in armor as if he were to venture into battle, Titia could notice one of his slaves carrying his purple helmet with a black plume, off to the side. The dictator pointed and gave an order to his men, Titia could not hear in all of the clamor.
The lictors marched forward to Decius until they stood ten meters away.
From his horse, two slaves, a large one and a short one, kneeled by the side of the horse and allowed the Dictator to dismount from his steed. Behind him were two men who were also on horseback, yet one was wearing blue armor and the other wore green. They too dismounted and followed behind the dictator.
Titia whispered into her mother-in-law's ear, "Those two men, their insignias…"
Octavia nodded, "They are who you think. The men of the Brutii and the Scipii."
The lictors parted ways, allowing the dictator alone to approach the Patriarch of the Julii, until he stopped two meters shy of Decius.
The Patriarch delivered a complimentary bow of the head to the Dictator of the Republic. That motion was mimicked by the entire Julii contingency around them.
The war drums and trumpets ceased, as did the noise of the crowd. Decius unleashed a booming baritone, "Salve, Dictator. Welcome to Arretium. We are honored by your presence."
Sulla Felix returned the greeting with a radiant smile of confidence, "Salve, Patriarch Decius. Gratitude for extending your hospitality." The dictator looked at the conclave of patricians around him, his smile widened, "The Julii truly never do anything half-hearted."
"Mother Venus would be disappointed in us if we did," Decius smiled. He bowed his head to the dictator once more, followed by the rest of the Julii.
"Of course, she would. I see you are still in mourning for your son."
"I was. I was actually planning to exit my mourning tomorrow, officially."
Sulla's features softened, "I shall sacrifice many bulls for Statius. I too know what it is like to lose a son…"
Sulla turned around and gazed upon the retinue of patricians gathered before him, he inhaled and spoke with a spry bellow, "You men and women of the Julii are all fortunate to have survived those encounters. As was I on that horrid night. When tragedy occurs, unity is the virtue towards which we must cling."
The patricians and plebeians were silent.
Sulla continued with a loud volume, "It has been too long since I have been in Arretium, my visit was long overdue. My, how this city has grown, the gods have blessed the Julii. Lucius Julius Magnus invited me here twenty years ago as an honored guest. That was a true Roman!" He turned to the Patriarch of the Julii, "Tell me, is his family present?"
"They are. Here is Octavia, your Excellence."
He looked to the section of women. Titia could hear her mother-in-law breathe in before she left the formation.
She stopped two meters short of Sulla, and bowed, "Your most Excellent Dictatorship."
Sulla approached closer, "It has been too long, Octavia. Far too long. You look lovely as ever."
"Gratitude, your most Excellent Dictatorship."
"What wine do you drink now? Is it still white? Cypriot?"
"It is. Your memory is great as ever."
"Always has been. I shall send over a cask from Rome. Now, where is your eldest?"
Proculus walked over to Sulla; Titia noticed that he still moved with something of a limp, yet his face would not betray the pain.
"Your most Excellent Dictatorship, I greet you humbly," said Proculus with a bow.
"Stand straight, lad. You are a perfect likeness to your father," the most powerful man in Rome began to laugh. "You look to be strong as an ox! I understand you were wounded during the Ides."
"I was, such a wound was painless compared to the those who lost more."
Sulla nodded slowly, "Good answer, we have all lost something that night."
The dictator turned his attention to the Patriarch, "These times are strange, but it is because of these times that we need to be unified. With that said, I brought two men of the most valued import, Manius Brutus and Amulius Scipio."
Both men then gave a salute to the Patriarch, who returned it.
Why did he bring a Brutus and a Scipio with him? Titia thought.
Sulla continued, "I have been on a long journey, and I seek to rest inside your Palace. Could I have an audience with you, Decius, privately?"
Decius smiled politely, though Titia knew otherwise. "You need not ask permission; I am always available to the breaking of words."
The atrium of the Palace was crammed with patricians. Many, if not all, of the Julii had followed the patriarch and dictator back into the palace. Many of Sulla's retinue and ancillaries were inside the atrium as well, including the twenty-four lictors and the Brutus and Scipio that were brought to the city. Wine was dolled out for those who were waiting, yet an awkwardness was in the air, it seemed that very few people knew why Sulla was here. And those that knew, were obviously keeping it to themselves.
Titia was with Proculus and Appia on the side of the wall near the corners of the atrium, observing the awkward intermingling. Appia had handed off Lucius to the boy's grandmother.
Proculus shook his head, "A dictator, a Brutus, a Scipio, and five legions of the Senate stroll into Arretium… this seems like a bad joke, doesn't it?"
"If it is, then Sulla is the only one who is laughing," Titia answered back.
"Have you broken words with the Scipio and Brutus, Proculus?" Appia asked.
"Briefly. They only told me that they were on their way to their respective capitals after the Bloody Ides, the news of Apollonia's sacking occurred, and the next day had them being whisked away under Sulla's directive. I just do not get this."
"I agree. Meanwhile, Sulla is with Decius behind closed doors. I desire to know what is being said."
"Well, we can, right?" Titia subtly winked at Appia.
"Huh, I guess we can," Appia smirked back.
"What? What are you two talking about?" Proculus asked.
"Proculus, she knows."
"Knows about what?"
"You know what? How else can we learn secrets in this place?"
Proculus recoiled, "You showed her the passages, Appia?"
"She's part of the family, isn't she? Then she deserved to know."
"Yes, but she was going to know within time."
Titia looked at her, "Appia, did Proculus tell you?"
The younger girl noticed the older girl held a tone of annoyance, "He did. When we returned from the North of Gallia, he admitted that this was how he used to sneak in and out his whores."
"That was a long time ago," he said quickly.
"Uh-huh… and yet, I remember."
"Well, Proculus, don't you desire to know what Sulla and your uncle are conversing about?" Titia asked him.
"Of course, I do, but it's… we… ugh, we just can't."
"Please, Proculus, this whole notion of Sulla being here out of sheer goodness and 'unity' is absurd. And besides, what if they are speaking about Vitus?"
It didn't even take the older brother three seconds to ponder, "Let's do it."
The three of them clung to the back of the walls of the hallway and moved as inconspicuously as they could, until they were far from sight. They made it to the secret entrance and moved the bust out of the way and opened the door. The trio made their way to behind the room where they could hear the noises of the two men. The trio found the eye holes, removed them, and began listening in.
Sulla moved with an air of casual indifference through the room, whilst Decius was resolute as iron, his face never once betraying the mask of annoyance that was evident upon his expression.
The dictator picked up and examined a bronze figurine on the desk, "The Republic is in danger."
"It must be if you left Rome with your legions."
He chuckled for a moment, "It had to be me, someone else might have blundered."
"Someone else might have stolen your seat."
The dictator shook his head and placed the figurine back down, "It was thanks to you and your family that I am in the seat of leadership, especially since you had to betray what you stood for." He then shrugged, "But, you did so for the greater good, and I am here to repay the debt."
Decius didn't utter a sound; his glaring eyes were loud enough to not be ignored.
"Oh, wipe that expression off your face. You think I travelled all this distance to pick a fight with you? I am here to save you and the Republic."
"From what?"
"Surely you must have been informed about the sacking of Apollonia, even in your depression, correct?"
"I have."
"That army that sacked that city has been reported marching their way up north."
"How do you know such?"
"The survivors."
"They are able to get across the sea and deliver the news to Rome?"
The dictator shrugged once more, "News travels fast in our world."
"And this army, it's marching through Brutii territory until it gets to the Julii territory, then it turns west—"
"And from west, they then turn south, and they head into Italia," the dictator finished. "That is what they are going to do. Once they enter Italia, your home settlements will be in jeopardy. Once they cross the Rubicon, they'll be in too deep."
Decius crossed his arms, "And you plan to stop them before they even set foot on the outskirts of Italia?"
"Exactly. Which is why the legions of the Senate and the singular Home Guard legions of the Scipii and the Brutii are with me. I have seven legions in total. This mercenary band is reported to have 30,000. I have enough to defeat them, but I do not desire 'defeating' them. I desire to crush them. And you have two legions present."
"Oh Gods…" Titia heard Proculus exhale.
The bearded face of Decius darkened, far more than Titia ever knew he could. "I should give you, my legions?"
"Oh no," the dictator chuckled, "There is no 'giving' involved, this is not a transaction. I am taking them."
" 'For the good of the Republic', correct?"
"To save you and your territories."
"Did you make this same pitch to Scipio and Brutus, those two men you brought here?"
"Not exactly, I told them, and they did so. Two minutes with both of them. But they both lack something that you have. Both of them weren't Patriarchs of their families. Both of their patriarchs are dead. How fortunate you are, eh?"
Decius rubbed his mouth with his hand, his incensed eyes refused to meet that of the dictator.
Sulla shrugged, "But, as I said, allow me to pay back the debt for you putting me in my seat. I know that I am acting generously towards you in saving your lands, but my virtue extends beyond such. I shall allow you to lead your legions, under my command, of course. You or any other martial general. That's why the Brutus and Scipio are here, to lead their respective legions. Do you accept?"
That son of a jackal… Titia's hands clenched tightly. To use this type of ploy against Decius. Titia knew that Sulla was aware of the lack of martial generals of the Julii within Italia. Her mother-in-law explained to her that most of the legions of the Julii were always with the best generals, and Sertorius had the bulk in Hispania.
The only two legions that the Julii had in Italia were the Home Guard legions in Ariminum and at the capital of Arretium. These men rarely saw action and sometimes functioned as more of a glorified Town Watch, only to be used sparingly in case of the ludicrous idea of Italia being invaded or the frontier legions requesting reinforcements. Well now, that ludicrous idea was here.
And what of Titia's husband? He was below Sertorius in command, but still served as one of the best generals of the Julii. There were three other Julii who served valiantly in the legions, two were in their thirties and the other was in his sixties, but all three were cut down by the assassins during the Bloody Ides. The only other Julii worth their salt on the battlefield was Cossutius, from what Proculus told her, he used to be the senior centurion under Lucius Julius Magnus before his adoption years ago.
Titia studied the worn face of Decius. She knew all of this went through his mind too. Titia knew that Sulla, "magnanimous" as he was, delighted in the petty "humbling" of those beneath him. He wanted to hear Decius say it.
And Decius obliged, through clear visual disdain, "I am not a soldier, I never really was. This… old man would not be fit to lead the legions."
"Oh, come now, you give yourself far little credit. Though you never fought in the ranks, I am sure many of the common soldiers in your legion shall march and die for you."
"They are loyal to the Republic, and they shall march and die for you, Dictator."
"You are most gracious. But if not you, then who should lead your legions?"
"Cossutius, he served under my can lead both legions."
"Oh, Lucius, he was a true Roman. I was jealous of him, you know. Oh, yes, I can humble myself too. I was great, but he was a remarkable sight. He quelled two major barbarian people, who can achieve such? Yes, Lucius Magnus was a great leader with a great legion. You know… his firstborn has grown into such a strong man…"
Titia gasped; her hand suddenly covered her mouth.
Both Appia and Proculus turned to her, visibly confused. "Titia, what is wrong?" Appia asked her.
They didn't get it yet…
She looked back through the peephole. The message wasn't lost on Decius whose jaw was anchoring lower by the second.
"No, you cannot take Proculus…" the Patriarch said.
"What?!" It finally dawned on Proculus. Appia instinctively seized his arm in abject horror.
"I cannot take him?" the dictator asked.
"He is wounded from the Bloody Ides," Decius quickly said. "He was stabbed in the side and has not recovered."
"He reminds me so much of his father at that age, minus the red hair, but you know what I mean. Lucius was strong, especially back then. And Proculus resembles him in that regard. He is a strong and healthy young man; he shall be fine. The fresh air of a campaign will do him well. My physicians shall also treat him on the march, and I do not ask him to use his sword, he must command."
"He is still wounded; you cannot take him. Allow Cossutius to lead the two legions."
"Clearly you have not led men into battle. The more men you personally command, the greater the strain of coherent commands. Besides, Proculus is a veteran of the Samarobrivan War, he is the son of Lucius, the men shall be awestruck by being led by such a man."
"Sulla, do not do this. I can think of others who are more qualified than Proculus."
"I am sure you can." The dictator approached Decius and gave him a smile, "I assure you; I shall keep a good watch over the young man. He shall not fall to harm under me."
"I have been loyal to you, for what purpose do you wound me with your mistrust?"
Sulla stood and approached the Julii patriarch, "It's not about trust, it's about measures. Do you ever embark on anything with half-measures."
Decius fought for words, but silence was his answer.
"Think about it, Decius. There is still some bad blood after the war with Marius Minor. The Republic is still fractured in collective unity to aspire to an idea greater than the individual. Unity! How does it look to have the Three Great Families, fighting side by side against a foreign enemy to save the Republic? Marvelous! Do you not agree?"
"Sulla, I have gone against my code, the code of my people, the Code of the Populares, to side with you against Marius Minor. How much loyalty do you demand?"
"You keep using that word. 'Loyalty.' I do not seek loyalty, but fidelity. You went against your code out of pragmatism. A subordinate to your cause should never be pragmatic, they turn with the breeze of the wind if it favors them."
"You already have my youngest nephew."
"You exaggerate, he is doing his duty for the Republic, as shall your oldest nephew."
"What have you done with him? Where is he?"
"Serving the Republic. All these questions make me ponder your commitment to the State."
"And to you, eh?"
Sulla stared at him.
Decius lowered his head and inhaled through his nose before breathing out, "You are gracious, Dictator. I freely offer Caeso Julius Cossutius and Proculus Julius Magnus a station under your command. And I offer you the Legio I Arretium and Legio X."
"Wonderful," he said with a smile, a smile which showed the mouth half-filled with teeth. "I knew you could be a faithful man."
"That withered, old fuck!" Proculus sneered in a whisper.
"No, h-he can't do that… Proculus, you're hurt!" Appia muttered in equal volume.
The three of them did not waste time leaving the confines of the secret passage. The atrium was still filled with the upper-class who were too engaged in the gossip of the aristocracy to notice the three young patricians exiting through a wall.
Titia looked to the ceiling with a curt expression, "It's that easy for him to just take you as a hostage."
Proculus sighed, "I know. The last time Sulla left Rome to fight a foreign army, he was declared an enemy. He's leaving again, but this time, he's going to ensure that no one usurps him now."
"Can you even raise a sword in your condition?" Appia asked him.
"I can raise my arms above my head, absent pain. But swinging a sword…" he looked to the floor, his eyes welling with embarrassed anger.
"Gods, no," his wife mumbled.
Titia was playing with her hands. All of this was transpiring too quickly. Plague, assassinations, sieges, and invasions were all occurring withing the span of a few months. Her brother-in-law was now being conscripted, and she still had no idea of the whereabouts of her husband.
"Make way! Make way for the Dictator!" a booming voice commanded.
The trio forced their way to get as close as they can. Sulla and Decius left the confines of the office, Sulla clearly pleased with himself, while Decius dourness was transparent.
The dictator was smiling as he announced, "We are all aware of the tragedy that has befallen Apollonia. Savage barbarians have razed it to the ground, and they are making their way up north. Within weeks, they shall be at the top of Italia! With the five legions of the Senate, the Home Guard legions of the Brutii, the Scipii, and now the two legions of the Julii, I shall march out to meet this foe, as Dictator and Protector of the Republic, and I shall fight them, and they shall be utterly destroyed!"
The patricians, particularly in the retinue of the dictator, applauded. Sulla seemed to bask in the applause with a stoic resolution. He held out a hand to quiet them as he continued.
"To protect the lands of Rome, we must need true Roman leaders to march into battle. I am honored to have two men lead the Julii legions, men who share ties to the greatest Julii who has ever lived. Leading the two legions, we have Caeso Julius Cossutius, former Primus Pilus of Lucius Julius Magnus, and Proculus Julius, the son of the Mighty! Turn to them and applaud their heroism!"
The crowd of the Julii present turned with smiles and affection, clapping their hands, and cheering for these valiant leaders. Yet Titia looked on astutely, she spotted Cossutius in the crowd, and he was one of the only people present utterly flummoxed by the announcements, he was looking around as if there was another man with his name. The other person in the hall who was in complete disbelief was Proculus's own mother, Octavia.
She grabbed his arm suddenly, "Proculus, what is he talking about? What? You're leading an army, in your condition?!"
Proculus was mute, his eyes of anger were focused on Sulla, who did not seem to notice the indignant glare.
Sulla spoke up once more, "We are mobilizing to form the greatest army that the Republic has ever seen! The enemy seeks to be Hannibal, and march their way through the Republic, but we shall meet them and repel them as we did Hannibal! No barbarians shall be at our gates, as long as I am Dictator! My compatriots, my friends, we shall be as one, and show the enemy who believe we are divided that Rome is always united!"
The final call sent out verbal cheers and thunderous jubilations. Sulla finally permitted himself to smile at the well wishes he heard. He motioned for his lictors to move on, he departure of the Pro-Consul's Palace was imminent.
And Titia just stood and watched.
Her fists were clenched, a perverse tidal wave of anger and fear was crashing inside of her chest.
Her heart was thumping like a wild stampede.
The crowd's excitement was dying down, Sulla was moving farther away.
At the last second, she thought of her mother and her father, they would have told her to cease what she was about to do. And then the face of Vitus materialized in her mind's eye.
"Salve, Dictator, I ask you to wait!" a feminine cry came up.
The crowd of people parted as a wave. Sulla turned around.
Appia was forcing a smile and tried to remain composed, forcibly seizing her sister-in-law's arm, "Titia, what are you doing?!" she asked through clenched teeth.
Yet Titia yanked her arm free and made her way through the parting crowd and approached the Dictator, yet his lictors stood in her way.
Sulla's bony forefinger stretched out at her, "You, you are Titus Valerius' daughter. Titia."
Her legs felt weak, but she spoke with supreme confidence, "That I am."
"You deny my departure?"
She could hear the whispers of the crowded atrium.
"I can never deny the Dictator of anything. I do not mean to delay. I desire a boon from the Dictator. Can you inform me of my husband's whereabouts?"
A smile that could have been perceived as pride was etched on his face, "Germanicus? Oh, Titia, if only your father and mother could see this, the model of a devoted wife. Your husband is in Greece under my direct authority."
"For what purpose?"
The room suddenly quieted. His smile was slowly edging away.
"To serve the Republic, of course," he answered.
"He resides in Greece as jackals and vultures scour the lands of Apollonia. What purpose is that for the Republic?"
Titia's hands trembled, but her eyes were staunch. She felt as if she was reaching deeper into the inferno, but she had come too far to turn back now. "Upon his victory in Germania, he ventured to Rome for reunion with me, but your men spirited him away to converse with you. Upon our return after the 'Bloody Ides,' he leaves this city and travels to Rome to speak with you. Then he returns and leaves once more with his legion. As wife of the great commander Vitus Julius Magnus Germanicus, I demand to know where my husband is and his legion while foreign scum marches on Italia!"
Blinking, incredulous eyes ruled that hallway. They shifted from the impertinent girl to the still form of the old-man. Her extended family were frozen; Octavia, Appia, Proculus, and even Decius were catatonic.
Sulla cleared his throat, "Move," he gently ordered the lictors. They parted ways, allowing the dictator to approach Titia until he was a meter away from her.
"Hmm, you are no beauty." The dictator then looked up to Appia, "Not like your sister-in-law." He smirked at Appia, then turned back to Titia, "Yet you are not wholly unattractive either, you have some charm in the lips, that brow, and I believe the fire in your soul adds passions to your charm."
He grabbed her hand. He squeezed it, tenderly. That wrinkled claw of a hand from this lecherous old man, touching hers, she fought hard to not shiver outright in disgust.
He looked at her, with bedroom eyes, "Perhaps such is the reason Germanicus cares for you, that fire of yours can be sumptuous."
Those long fingers of his… contacted her cheek as if to caress. Her throat dried quicker than a drought. She could not meet his eyes.
"Do you make such demands in the bedchambers, I wonder? That fire of yours must compensate for something. I cannot recall the last time a woman spoke to me in that manner. Especially the daughter of a comrade. Your father asked me if I could procure a good match for you, one of the Great Families. I told him I could. It was I who spoke to Decius, to put the suggestion in his ear, and he took it from there. You have the passion of a virtuous wife, one who is concerned for her husband. Such a noble trait, your mother would be proud."
His long fingers then moved to her throat, and she felt increased pressure around her gullet. Sulla's voice turned to ice, "And yet, such nobility is not without its limits, girl. Do you know why you are in Arretium?"
She stared at him.
"Do you, Titia?"
"To live with my husband."
"Your husband bargained for you to leave with him. His reasons were that you never spent long with each other, despite being married for a year now. Alas, his reasoning was sound, he is a soldier after all. He claimed he wanted to… hmm… how did he put it," he smiled lecherously, " 'To fuck you like the Cretan Bull.'" The old man began to laugh, "His very words!"
Titia did not smile. She remembered him telling her that to Sulla.
"You do not seem surprised? I thought you would be. Because that is not the man Germanicus is. We both know that. He is no crude man who falls prey to his base instincts. The man exudes dignity and pride, like his father. So, in telling me that, he lied to me. For you. I suspect he did not desire you to remain in Rome, filled with death and disease, and with me. I suspect he would have bargained for your father and mother, but he knew he would only get you. And I allowed it."
He released her throat, and he stood up in a vigorous posture that belonged to a younger man. His eyes of cheer had faded completely, "You are here by my grace, girl. And you seek to overstep? In front of your new family. My reach is long girl, exceptionally long. I never forget slights. All that you have, both your birth family and your now extended family, comes from my grace. I must but whisper a command to my slave. With a dozen flicks of the wrists, names are transcribed, and futures are forever altered."
Her breath left her.
Sulla continued, "Your husband is on a mission from me. It is only by his diligence that I allow you to be here. I cannot imagine how he should be if he is successful and returns a hero, only to find you… absent."
"Your most Excellent Dictatorship," a feminine voice broke through the crowd. Titia couldn't look away from Sulla, yet she recognized the voice of Octavia.
Titia could hear her steps approaching, her mother-in-law continued, "You have blessed my family with your magnanimity for allowing Titia to marry my son. I see her now as my daughter. And as her second mother, I seek to continue to educate the girl the best I can. And I offer humble apologies, she is young and moves with passion and concern for my son and her husband. I failed her as a mother, to have a girl be so disrespectful is appalling. I apologize, allow the girl to remain in my custody so she may be corrected."
Sulla suddenly smiled warmly, "Oh, Octavia, you have nothing to apologize for. You and I go back to when we and your husband were young. Here, take your daughter with you."
Sulla bent over to Titia. He kissed her on the cheek; she could feel saliva. He leaned into her ear, "Never again, Titia Valerius."
"Yes… Your most Excellent Dictatorship…"
The old man cleared his throat, his eyes glaring down on the girl, he spoke to Decius, but was still transfixed on Titia, "The Valerii are a proud family, yet the discipline of their women seem not to be their forte, would you not agree, Decius?"
"Youth."
"Such a curt answer, Decius?"
"How else would you explain such reaction. But the passion of youth can always be tempered, such an outburst shall never occur again."
Sulla finally broke his glare and turned to the Patriarch, "See to it that it never does."
Octavia and Appia both came from behind Titia, and they gently seized her arms and began drawing her back into the crowd.
Until a sudden outburst stopped all in the Palace.
A man was rushing forward, demanding everyone to make way for him. By the time he was in sight and in front of Sulla, Titia saw his purple tribunal armor of the Senate, and his face looked familiar as if she had seen him from afar once.
This was a moment that was worth its weight in gold. It was the only time that Titia could witness Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix, the Dictator of Rome, absolutely dumbstruck. "Rupilius… wh-what are you doing here?" he stammered. "Wh-What of Julius Germanicus and his legion?"
Proculus leaned into Appia's ear, "Wait, 'Rupilius', isn't that Vitus's tribune?"
"Yes, it is. The very same man."
Unknown to Titia, her arm began to tremble heavily. Vitus's tribune… if he is here… Vitus…?
Rupilius was regaining his breath, "Apologies, your Excellent Dictatorship, I rode to find you as fast as I could. I nearly killed my horses to bring you word. The mission in Athens has been a success. Germanicus, Lupus, and the aid of Brutus Equestris proved triumphant in Athens against the enemy. We heard about the sacking of Apollonia from mercenary brigands, and we sailed there posthaste. The army of Germanicus has landed in Apollonia, the governor of the city and his family are dead, and the brigand army is moving north!"
"For what purpose are you here then, Rupilius?" Sulla fought hard not to stammer.
"He sent me here to alert you of the movement of the enemy, how the legions should be mobilized to stop this insidious threat!"
"Then he himself is going after them…"
"No, Dictator, Germanicus knows the situation. He and his army are to standby and assist the citizens of Apollonia to rebuild. He assured me that once they spend sufficient time in the city, about a week, they shall return back to Italia."
Sulla leaned his head forward; his mouth was open wide enough for a bug to fly in. Titia noticed his hand trembling. He then closed his mouth and stood up tall, his eyes staring at Rupilius, the tribune being the only man present in his vision.
"Do you know how he was awarded the name 'Germanicus', Rupilius?"
"He won victories against the Germanic horde last year."
Sulla spoke slowly, "He was victorious, but he wasn't the leader of the campaign. I received reports from Aulus Oppius that noted the valor of Vitus Julius. From Oppius's reports and the reports of other centurions, they noted that the young man, Vitus Julius, personally slew more Germanians than any other officer in that campaign!" he suddenly shouted.
The men around him recoiled in a startle, even Titia had the same reaction.
Sulla was fuming, "From the reports of him fighting against the Suebi, during the war against Marius's son, and the war in Samarobriva, he is the type who rushes headlong into danger with absent fear in his bones. In Samarobriva, when his father fell and his legion was beaten, he could have fled but he chose to continue the campaign and marched through the freezing north against a horde of barbarians! He commands one of the finest legions in the Republic, and his men shall follow him!
"Gaius Scipio Lupus is known to prey on pirates in our seas and ambush Egyptian ships in their seas. 'Wolf' is in his name, and he rushes towards his prey, and his men follow him! Brutus Equestris is a cavalryman, I know of his father and of him. His purpose is to ride ahead and scout and intercept any enemy movement, he rides into battle as either a hammer or the tip of the spear, and his men follow him!
"All three of them have shown that they are aggressive by nature! You left them alone and in command in a desolated Roman city, and they are in distance of an enemy pillaging Roman lands, and you thought that they would just standby and do nothing?!"
One could hear the buzzing of a fly, so quiet was that hallway of people. Men around the dictator stood there gawking with stupefied expressions, even Sulla's own lictors had that mask of surprise. The seasoned face of Decius was equally astounded at what he witnessed. Titia may have been the only person in that room to notice that the pale face of Sulla was a bright red that mirrored the setting sun. The only man that was moving was Rupilius, who himself was trembling and stammering in an incoherent manner.
The grizzled dictator eyed his subordinate, his glare was more intense than a predator.
He then suddenly blinked, his expression loosening once more. He looked around himself, as if coming undone from a trance. His mouth cracked open into a grin that revealed his missing teeth. A deep throating chuckle emanated from him.
"The Gods still grant me the vigor of youth in my voice. What a blessing, eh?" he said to the crowd. He continued to chuckle.
Everyone remained silent, heads were turning to one another.
He gazed back on the terrified tribune and commanded with a subtle smile, "Rupilius, leave this Palace. Wait outside."
Rupilius bowed, then promptly exited.
Sulla turned around, his eyes landing on Titia. He stared at her for a moment, his mouth slightly opened as he studied her.
His eyes suddenly grew larger, but then they returned to their normal size before he said, "Your father has recovered."
"H-He has?"
"Yes. Titus Valerius was always a hardy man; I knew he wouldn't succumb to the plague. Would you care to visit him?"
The question stole the breath from her lungs.
"Do you not desire to see him? You caused many altercations with several prominent daughters over the state of your father. I had thought that you desired to see him with all of your heart."
"I… I cannot leave, Arretium."
"And what is the reason?"
"You said it yourself; these people are my family."
"But your mother and father are back in Rome."
"I shall stay here, if it pleases you."
"Well, that does not."
"Your most Excellence Dictatorship, Titia is indeed a Julius," Octavia raised her voice, she grabbed Titia and subtly moved her behind herself.
"Quite right," Decius now said. "By law, she is my niece. Rome is still in danger of plague; her safety is guaranteed here."
The dictator's expression was as impassive as stone, "Decius, Octavia, are you disputing my generosity? Can I not call you friends if that is such?"
An air of hollowness emanated from the man. This air was suffocating in this hallway full of patricians, few of them could meet the eyes of Sulla. Only Decius had the will to form a scowl, yet he too was silent as the grave, just like the rest of the Julii. Those vulture eyes of Sulla then turned to Titia. She was a snail staring into the eye of a Cyclops who would consume her without a second thought.
"Titia, you are going back to Rome. Your family desires you, and with the threat of these invaders moving north, Rome shall be a most desirable bastion. I seek to leave within an hour, pack your things. I shall have you escorted back to Rome. You have one hour."
He turned his back on her, his lictors made a path through the hallway, and he walked out of sight of the Julii. Many eyes turned to the sixteen-year-old, whose own gaze was on the back of Sulla. Without a word, she turned on her heels and headed back to her bedchambers. Her journey back to Rome would begin now.
Proculus rushed to Decius's side, "Uncle, what are we to do?"
His scowl was frozen on his face, still trained on the shrinking form of Sulla, "Nothing, Proculus. He would claim her as a shield. We cannot strip the desperate man of his shield."
"What? 'Desperate'? What is Sulla desperate of?"
"I do not know, but it has something to do with the mission he assigned Vitus…"
"But what are we to do for Titia?"
"Proculus, before you leave with Sulla, I need two things from you. Procure a message to Titus Valerius in Rome and find the fastest rider and the fastest horse in this city."
Titia had to hurry back to her room, who knows how long until Sulla sent someone to watch over her. It was pointless arguing with this "King of Rome." She was going to Rome, with invisible shackles around her wrists and ankles. But she had to hurry. There was one thing she had to pack in her trunk before anyone noticed.
She entered into her bedchambers and grabbed the Germanic sword that was gifted to her by Vitus. She placed it in her trunk and grabbed a quick pile of her clothes and threw them over the gift.
I was always interested in Titia having her own focus chapter and wanted to explore more of her character without Vitus present.
If you have stuck through reading, even with the frequent hiatus breaks, I am truly grateful.
Thank you for reading.
-Kanuro5