Heir of Aurelian

Chapter 69 The Theodosian Rebels Arrive at Ravenna

In the city of Ravenna, a group of men from Hispania were approaching the palace. For the past few weeks, they had sat back and observed the ongoing changes in the city. To their surprise, Marcellus had enacted a brutal campaign to purge corruption from the Roman bureaucracy, and make an example of those who engaged in such crimes.

Crucifixion after Crucifixion lined the city’s streets, as thousands of citizens had been executed in a public display of authority. These men and women were guilty of crimes involving government corruption. During this time of mass incarceration and execution, the public had grown both fearful of their new emperor, and resentful towards him.

They did not dare to speak out in resistance openly, but many of the more wealthy patricians who were not already on the chopping block had begun their conspiracies to remove this new tyrant from his throne of lies. As for the delegation dispatched by the Theodosian loyalists, they had heard rumors that Placidia was still alive, and had agreed to marry this new tyrant.

This created a complex issue in the minds of the Theodosian Loyalists. To side with Marcellus was to side with a usurper, but he was a usurper who would soon be married to the last of Theodosius I’s children. At the very least, his claim to the Western Roman throne was more legitimate than Constantine’s.

To get to the bottom of their decision, they had decided to meet with this new self-proclaimed emperor in person, to get a good judgement of his character, and his relationship with the Roman Princess. The man leading this delegation was named Manius Camillus Rufrius, and he currently stood defiant in front of Marcellus, refusing to kneel to a man who he did not yet recognize as Emperor._.

Marcellus merely smirked as he sat upon his throne and gazed at the delegation of Theodosian loyalists. He did not expect them to pay him a visit on their own accord, and yet here they stood. He would normally show these men a sense of hospitality, but as it currently stood, they were technically rebels against his rule. Thus, by simply listening to their words, he was showing them hospitality. Rufrius cleared his throat as he gazed upon Placidia, who stood by Marcellus’ side.

“Placidia, if this man has forced himself upon your, or coerced you into marrying him, please let me know, and I will do everything in my power to resist his rule!”

It shocked Placidia when she heard this. Was this how everyone saw her betrothal? A forced marriage for the sake of political convenience. She gazed over towards Marcellus, who was scowling. He simply could not bite his tongue any longer and scolded the men who acted so brazenly in his palace.

“Is this how you treat me after the kindness I have shown you? You storm into my palace without notice, and accuse me of forcing myself upon a young girl not yet of age? You then question the legitimacy of our relationship and swear to resist my rule. Should it not be to your liking? Who the hell do you think you are? If I did not seek to gain Hispania’s help in putting down Constantine’s rebellion, I would have your tongue removed!”

The Theodosian delegate flinched when he heard such a vicious response. Meanwhile, Placidia wore a warm smile on her face. She was glad that Marcellus had stood up for her. She glared at the men from Hispania before chastising them for their remarks.

“What do you know of our current situation? My brother Honorius unlawfully executed his magister militum, and put an end to the lives of tens of thousands of people when they became concerned about his actions. He kidnapped Marcellus’ mother and forced him to choose between his life, or rebellion. Despite the fact that my brother treated the woman with unnecessary cruelty, ultimately resulting in her death, Marcellus did not demand that the citizens of the city give him Honorius’ head.

When Marcellus stormed the palace, that snake Olympius turned his blade on my brother and took his life. In the chaos that followed, Marcellus took command, and has since led Rome to a state of stability! He did not compel me in any way to agree to his proposal. I accepted it because I wanted to. If you are truly loyal men to my father’s dynasty, then you will bend the knee to this man, and recognize his legitimacy as the Western Roman Emperor! He did not ask for the position he currently has, but fate has led him to it!”

The men stood in shock as they heard what had transpired straight from the mouth of a member of the Dynasty they were loyal to. They had suspected for some time that Marcellus had risen in rebellion simply because he wanted power, much like Constantine. They had no way of knowing the scandalous actions Honorius had taken that led up to the rebellion.

Rufrius bowed his head in apology as he bent down on one knee. If what Placidia had said was true, then he would do his best to ensure the loyalty of the Theodosian Rebels who fought against Constantine in Hispania.

“Placidia, I am sorry for offending you, and you as well, Marcellus. If what you have both said is true, then I swear I will do everything in my power to convince my comrades to work alongside you in the removal of the usurper Constantine. However, there is something you should know. We have been in the city for a few weeks and have observed the reactions of the people who dwell within Ravenna.

There are those who conspire against you. They see you as a vicious tyrant who has butchered the senate, and is rounding up anyone who questions your legitimacy and executing them en masse. These concerns can not be ignored, and will have to be explained to my comrades if you wish to gain our support.”

Marcellus ground his teeth as he heard about this. More rebels, just what he needed. He could only sigh in dismay as he responded to these allegations with a confident tone in his voice.

“The Senate was corrupt and sought to use its influence to overtake the position that I had fought and bled for. The men who you see crucified in the streets are those who have engaged in bribery, extortion, embezzlement, nepotism, and other means of corruption. I am cleaning up the dregs of society who have brought our Empire to its current state of near collapse. For those who wish to rebel against me, I will deal with them. You can be rest assured.”

Rufrius nodded his head as he heard this. If Marcellus had assumed complete authority so that he could expunge the criminal and corrupt elements of society that were currently bleeding the empire dry. Then he supposed he could support such actions for the time being. No matter what, Marcellus was a superior candidate to Constantine to rule over the Western Roman Empire.

Though they may be loyalists to the Theodosian dynasty, these men did not want the young boy Theodosius II ruling over the west, such a thing would be disastrous, Rome needed a strong, and powerful figure to unite behind, and since Honorius was dead, and Constantine was a failure, they were left with the man who had usurped the throne. At least they could rest easy knowing that he would marry the daughter of Theodosius I. With this in mind, Rufrius responded to Marcellus’ claims with a satisfactory answer.

“So long as you deal with these rebels amid your Empire, then I suppose there is no concern to be had. Tell me when do you plan to march on Constantine? The man has been a thorn in our side for some time now.”

Marcellus thought about it for a few moments before giving the man an answer.

“Come summer of next year, I will march my army into Gaul. I need time to prepare my grain stores and to train my new conscripts. If Constantine still remains in Hispania, we can catch him in the mountain passes where our two forces combined will eliminate him and his Frankish allies. I expect to see you and your comrades to show up in force. Once Constantine is dead, I expect you all to kneel before me and unite the Western Roman Empire once more.”

Rufrius nodded his head in agreement with this plan, before expressing his desire to help.

“If that is your strategy, I will relay it to the leaders of the rebellion in Hispania, and will do my best to convince them to aid you. Unless there is anything else that you wish to discuss, we will be on our way.”

Marcellus did not bother to keep the delegates around any longer, and quickly gave them permission to return to their homeland.

“Go on and give your leaders my regards. I look forward to working with you in the summer to end Constantine’s rebellion once and for all!”

With this said, Marcellus had gained the support of the Theodosian Rebels. The true origins of Honorius’ demise remained buried beneath the Palace. Anyone who knew the truth and still drew breath was a sworn supporter of Marcellus and his dynasty. As for the rebels in his midst, Marcellus would need more information on who they were, and what they were planning before he could take their lives.