Heir of Aurelian

Sarus sat in a room alone with Marcellus. He had rushed back to the capital of the Western Roman Empire after receiving a summons from the Imperator himself. The two men were drinking wine as they discussed a devious plot to assassinate one of Marcellus’ rivals. Marcellus drank the whole contents of his chalice before speaking of his sinister plan.

I summoned you here, because I need to know if you have any contacts within the Germanic tribes who still exist outside my borders. I won’t lie to you, I have an opportunity to eliminate one of my rivals, and improve relations with the eastern roman empire. However, should this attempt to fail, I can’t have it traced back to me. You understand, don’t you?”

Sarus drank from his chalice, his eyes never averting their gaze from Marcellus’ stoic expression. He had followed this man into battle on many occasions, and knew he was not the type of man to assassinate someone without a proper reason. As an Imperial Legate, Sarus was aware of the current border crisis with the eastern roman empire, and thus could surmise exactly who Marcellus planned to kill.

Thus, it was no surprise when a wicked grin appeared on the Gothic chieftain’s face before nodding his head in silence. After another drink from his wine, the Sarus was happy to share what information he had.

“I know a man, a King if you will, or so he calls himself. He is of the Gepid tribe. This man has an intense hatred for the eastern roman empire. If you need him as a proxy, then he would be the best to do it. But before I reach out to him, I need to know the full extent of your plot. The last thing I need is for him to find out that I am a Roman lapdog. I must make it seem as if I am approaching him as a member of the Gothic tribe. “

Marcellus poured himself another cup of wine with a cruel smirk on his face. It was good to see that Sarus had been tamed. He was once a feral wolf that Rome used to slaughter their enemies, now he was a tamed hound, one he could rely on in the most dire of circumstance. After taking another sip from his golden chalice, Marcellus informed his mad dog of his exact plans.

“It is simple. I have an upcoming meeting with the Persian Emperor who, as you know, is the regent of the eastern roman empire. As per the terms brokered by Constantius, we are each allowed to bring a unit of one thousand men to secure ourselves from third party threats.

However, it would not be unreasonable of me to assume that the man is preparing a scheme to end my life, just as I am his. As you know, the Huns despise Romans, and because of this, if I were to send one of my own men to contract them, they would surely reject my generous offer. Thus, I want to make use of a proxy to hire those Asiatic barbarians to do my dirty work.”

Sarus continually nodded his head as he listened to Marcellus’ assassination plan. However, he was curious about one specific detail. Thus, after taking another sip of his wine, the Gothic Chieftain was quick to ask about his concerns.

“So let me get this straight. You want to use a proxy, to hire another proxy, to assassinate the eastern roman regent? What is the point of such a thing? Why don’t we just get the Gepids to do it? The Gepids are more than capable of ambushing Yazdegerd and claiming his head for you. I can personally attest that even if they fail in their assassination and are captured alive, the Gepids would rather die than reveal who hired them to the East.”

Marcellus thought about it for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. He supposed the Huns weren’t necessary after all. He could easily hire the Gepids to do the job for him. Besides, he doubted whether the Huns would listen to an emissary from the Germanic tribes. If Sarus had a connection to the Gepid king, then Marcellus did not see a reason to deny his strategy. Thus, he was quick to accept this proposal.

“Very well, you can go and make a request with the Gepid King on my behalf. I will not depart for the meeting with Yazdegerd until I am sure that I have their support.”

Sarus wore a toothy grin when he downed the last of his wine. After doing so, he stood up from his seat and walked out of the room, however before he made his exit, he managed to get out one last snarky remark.

“It would be my honor, Gothicus.”

After saying this, the man left Marcellus behind, where he intended to take some of his foederati to meet up with the Gepid King. As for Marcellus, Sigefrida quickly greeted him, who revealed that she had been listening in on the man’s conversation the whole time.

“So, a change of plans, then? We intend to make use of the Gepids to kill Yazdegerd? I must say, I’m ashamed I didn’t think of such a thing myself. The Gepids, much like the Goths and Vandals, are an eastern tribe. I honestly know little about them, but they are said to have fierce warriors who, I am sure, are up to the task of eliminating that Persian snake.”

After saying this, Sigefrida sat down in Marcellus’s lap and laid her head against his shoulder. She had a pouting expression as she discussed something that had been bothering her as of late.

“You know, since you married that girl, you haven’t come to my room at night. It is awfully lonely by myself…”

Marcellus scoffed when he heard this before, lecturing the woman on her petty jealousy.

“I’ll visit you when I have the time, however first I have to ensure that Placidia gets pregnant. The sooner I have a true born heir, the better. After that happens, I promise I will be more active in your life. Just wait a bit longer and I’m sure I can make things right.”

Sigefrida continued to pout as she heard this, but ultimately she nodded her head in understanding. After all, she was just the concubine. She had no right to interfere in Marcellus’ marriage. Unfortunately, she had learned that fact the hard way after she had foolishly awoken the man with a splash out water the morning after his wedding night. For nearly a month Marcellus had not spoken with her, and now that they seemed to have mended their relationship, she yearned for his touch.

However, the man was still withholding it outside of a few passionate kisses. Such a petty display of his love simply wasn’t enough to satisfy her. Thus she had a rather bold idea as her hand found its way into Marcellus’ trousers. Marcellus did not say a word as Sigefrida played with her lover’s shaft, forcing him into the mood so that she could finally have her fair share of the man she loved.

For the next hour, Marcellus and Sigefrida would become reconnected. For too long, they had been apart, and now that they had a brief period of respite, the Suebi beauty took advantage of it. Thus, Marcellus was relaxing at home in Rome while Sarus embarked on a dangerous journey into the lands of a hostile tribe, hoping that he could convince an old rival to do his dirty work.

Sarus had not informed Marcellus, but his relationship with the Gepid King wasn’t exactly a cordial one. It was highly likely that his negotiations with the man would end in conflict. However, Sarus despised the Huns and wanted nothing to do with them. He would rather risk his life kicking over an old hornet’s nest, then go bargaining with those filthy horse riders for their aid in this discreet matter.

Besides, the idea of using two stages of proxy was a ludicrous one to him. At the very least, Sarus could be certain that if Yazdegerd were to survive the assassination attempt, and learn that the Gepids had attacked him, then they could be dealt with before the Sassanid Emperor ever learned who had hired them. The same could not be said about the Huns.

While Marcellus plotted to assassinate the Eastern Roman Regent, Yazdegerd was likewise plotting his western rival’s demise. Marcellus was right to assume that the man would plot his death in this meeting. After all, the man was nothing more than a snake in the grass, one who would have no moral qualms about using more sinister methods to eliminate his rivals.

In truth, it was a good thing that Sarus had talked Marcellus out of approaching the Huns for support, because Yazdegerd had already secured their alliance in his attempt to slay the Western Roman Imperator.