Heir of Aurelian

Chapter 47 Wasting Away

It was difficult to assemble an army of thirty-six thousand men, and despite this, Marcellus had given the order to muster, which was issued to every fortification where his legion and foederati held their ground. Men who were just recently having a jolly time drinking in their encampments were swiftly rounded up by their superiors and ordered to gather supplies. The campaign to claim Rome had begun earlier than anyone had expected.

Everyone, including Marcellus, had expected the campaign to begin in the spring. They figured they could enjoy the winter huddled in their homes, awaiting out the snow with a village girl or two in their arms. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

In order to compel Marcellus to surrender his life, Honorius had engaged in a rather devious action. He had arrested Valeria Aeliana, who was Marcellus’ mother and was holding her as a hostage. If Marcellus did not submit himself for execution, then Honorius would claim his mother’s life.  While Marcellus mustered his forces and prepared to march on Rome, Galla Placidia was ranting and raving to her brother, venting her frustrations about his wicked behaviors.

“You evil bastard! First you have Stilicho killed under false charges, and now you hold Marcellus’ mother hostage! For what? Do you really believe the man will surrender himself to you just so you can behead him? Marcellus isn’t so foolish. He will find a way to save Aeliana, and then he will come to claim your head! Do you have shit for brains, Honorius? How can you not realize this!?!”

Honorius did not take his sister’s words lightly, and immediately reacted by backhanding her across her pretty face. In doing so, he busted her lip open while screaming at her.

“Marcellus will do as he is told, or I will kill his mother! There is no redemption for him! He has lived long enough, and even conspired against me! I am taking righteous action against those who wish to usurp me! The fact that you would side against me proves you to be a traitor, just like Marcellus. Perhaps I should have you thrown into the dungeons, and raped for your crimes!”

Such a vile threat caused Placida to falter backwards in fear. She had never seen her brother so furious before. However, she would not beg for forgiveness. She was adamant that what her brother had done was wrong. Still, in his current state, it was not wise to provoke him, so she simply lowered her head in indignation.  Honorius smiled wickedly, mistaking her fury for submission and grabbed ahold of the girl’s cheek while inspecting her bleeding lip._.

“You should know better than to make me angry, little sister. I don’t know why you worship the man so much. What can he possibly do with a mere limitanei? Marcellus has at most three thousand men under his command. He will never be able to march on Ravenna with such paltry numbers.”

However, despite his boasts, Placidia was not convinced of her brother’s victory just yet, nor had she accepted defeat. She quickly fired back with a witty retort, which instantly caused confusion to flood Honorius’ mind.

“thirty-three thousand…”

At first, Honorius believed his sister had misspoken and questioned her statement.

“You mean three thousand. Marcellus only has three thousand limitanei under his command.”

Upon seeing the smug expression on her brother’s lips, Placidia giggled maniacally before shaking her head and smiling at her brother with a wicked sneer.

“No, dearest brother, he has thirty-three thousand men beneath his command. Initially, he would have only had three thousand, which I admit is not enough to take Ravenna, but then somebody had to go and butcher the families of the gothic Foederati, causing them to abandon the Empire. Undoubtedly, they fled to Noricum to regroup with Alaric, but whose land do these foederati have to go through in order to reach Noricum?”

It was only now just dawning on Honorius why his sister had said thirty-three thousand, thirty thousand foederati had fled through Marcellus borders, presumably to meet with Alaric and join his side. However, what if Marcellus had met with them first? Marcellus was only denied his victory title because Honorius was petty, but such a thing did not deter the fear and respect that the goths had for Marcellus.

Many of the foederati who fled the service of Rome had previously served under Marcellus. They may not like the man, but they trusted his ability. A look of horror and panic spread across Honorius’ face as he asked his sister for clarification.

“You don’t mean?”

Upon seeing the state Honorius was in, Placidia broke out into laughter once more, while she slowly nodded her head.

“Brother, you have always underestimated Marcellus. You have time and again claimed that he had only achieved his position in life because he was the godson of Stilicho. However, the truth of the matter is, while Stilicho’s nepotism did help Marcellus’ career, his abilities as a commander, and the legends that follow him are the real deal. Do you think he won’t be able to convince those thirty thousand men to rally beneath his command once again?

Marcellus is known for his fairness, and if they support him in overthrowing you, they know he will reward them more fruitfully than Alaric can. They also know that without Stilicho by your side, your chances of winning a war with Marcellus are virtually non-existent.

You really fucked up, big brother. An army of thirty thousand men are now marching towards Ravenna with a single purpose to claim your head. Who do you have to defend you? Olympius, and a few thousand soldiers at best? You have brought this upon yourself. Marcellus never wanted to rule the Empire, he just wanted to serve it faithfully.

If you actually knew the man like I do, then you would know he would never rebel against you, unless you betrayed him first. That’s exactly what you have done, and now you will have to pay the price for listening to a snake like Olympius.”

Honorius suddenly realized that perhaps his sister was right, perhaps it was better not to have provoked a capable man like Marcellus. However, it was too late now. If the foederati had really rallied underneath the man’s banner, then there was no possible way to sue for peace.

Of course, Honorius was not capable of contemplation and growth, nor was he capable of admitting that he was entirely at fault for these problems. He could only blame a single man for everything that was occurring. In a furious shout, Honorius called out the name of the man he held responsible for Marcellus’ rebellion.

“OLYMPIUS!!!!!”

However, Olympius was not nearby, and thus he could not witness the fury of the Emperor, nor the fact that he now held the blame for the dire straits the Empire was in. Of course, there was nothing Honorius could do about this other than resent Olympius. He still needed a supreme commander of what little forces he had, and nobody else seemed right for the job.

Placidia took the time to sneak off from the quarters while Honorius was currently throwing a tantrum and visit Aeliana. When she entered the dungeons and saw the woman in the dark, bound, chained, and beaten, her heart bled upon witnessing such a scene. Placidia grabbed hold of the iron bars and called out to the woman, who appeared to be in rough shape.

“Aeliana, are you okay?”

There was a lifeless look in the woman’s eyes, as if she had completely given up on the idea of surviving. After all, she was just bait to lure out her son, and she did not want any harm to come to her precious baby boy. The woman mumbled something beneath her breath, which Placidia did not hear at first.

“It doesn’t matter…”

Placidia quickly reached her hand through the gaps of the bars and tried to comfort the woman, but she merely lied still, not even reacting to the gesture. Upon seeing the hopeless appearance of Marcellus’ mother, Placidia called out to her, saying words she knew would invoke Aeliana’s fury, just to rekindle her spirit.

“Aeliana, I never told you this, but I’ve always fancied your son, and though his heart lies elsewhere, I swear that after he and his army depose my brother, and he liberates you from your chains, I will make him marry me to cement his claim to the throne! I will bear his sons, and if God wills it, own his heart!”

Despite these words, Aeliana still said nothing. She was truly and utterly defeated. With a heavy sigh, Placidia left the dungeons, but before she did so, she left behind some parting words.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Marcellus will save you…”

After exiting the dungeons, Placidia had developed a plan to free the woman herself. If Aeliana stayed in the dungeons any longer, then it would be hazardous to her physical and mental wellbeing. Hell, the woman was already broken, and Placidia could not allow that.

It would take time, effort, coordination, and most importantly, luck. However, she believed that by the time Marcellus’ army arrived, she could save the man’s mother. With an excited smile on her lips, Placidia muttered the words under her breath.

“Just you wait Marcellus, I’ll save your mother, or die trying!”