Chapter 24 Negotiating on Behalf of a Prisoner

Honorius stood within the confines of a large villa in the city of Rome. While he was in the ancient capital, he had chosen this as his place of residence. He was outraged by the verbal lashing he had just received from Marcellus. However, there was nothing he could do about it, as the man was right in everything he said.

Honorius needed Marcellus to defeat his enemies for him. Without Marcellus, he would have to dispatch Stilicho beyond the Italian Peninsula, leaving it open for another Gothic invasion. It was because of this that the indolent emperor filled his chalice with wine and drowned his dread with alcohol.

After the man was good and drunk, he heard a knock on the door, which he quickly answered, revealing the infuriated face of his younger half-sister. Placidia was even more outraged at her brother’s actions than Honorius was for Marcellus’ words.

She had every desire to slap the man across the face, but feared the repercussions and thus stayed her hand. This did not mean, however, that she would not condemn her brother for what he had done. With a voice filled with righteous fury, the young woman berated her emperor for his petty jealousy.

“Honorius, you bastard! Why are you condemning Marcellus to such a cruel sentence? Has he done something to offend you? If so, you should really leave your personal conflicts out of your judicial decision. It is not a rational way to deal with things!”

Honorius merely scoffed at his sister’s words. Just who did this little bitch think she was? He was the Emperor of Rome and he could do what he damn well pleased to his prisoners. Thus, he was not willing to entertain Placidia’s pleas for mercy, and instead rebuked her with a hint of fury in his tone.

“Marcellus is getting what he deserves for humiliating our Empire. It is one thing to pay the price of safe passage, but to willingly submit himself to those filthy peasants as their prisoner. That is unforgivable. He must answer for his crimes.”

The young adolescent girl who was the Emperor’s sister had a scowl on her pretty face. She could not believe her brother was being so unreasonable and quickly responded to his harsh statement with further indignation.

“Marcellus may have ruined his reputation by doing such a thing, but he had good reasons to do so! There is no reason to publically shame him!”

When Honorius heard this, he took a sip from his chalice, not bothering to refute his sister’s words. He had heard the young General’s reasoning straight from his mouth, and he was not convinced. There was nobody so noble in this world that they would sacrifice themself for a lowly slave, simply because they feared what wicked deeds might be inflicted upon the poor soul. There was another reason for why Marcellus had behaved so foolishly, and Honorius was going to find out. Thus it came as a shock to Placidia when he heard his question.

“What is Marcellus’ relationship with this slave? I refuse to believe he traded places with her out of the goodness in his heart!”

Despite this being an opportunity for Placidia to get rid of her romantic rival, she would never condemn Sigefrida to a fate worse than death. After all, she knew once her brother realized the position that the barbarian woman held in Marcellus’ heart, he would do everything he could to tear them apart. Marcellus may be irreplaceable for the time being, but it was easy for Honorius to get rid of Sigefrida. Thus Placidia deliberately lied to her brother as she responded with an ignorant facade.

“As far as I am aware, she is a simple house slave. There is nothing more between the two of them…”

Honorius may be a drunken fool, but he knew his sister well. He knew she was lying to him about the relationship between Marcellus and Sigefrida, but he was not willing to call it out. After all, he had no proof, and the girl had a wit sharper than his own. Instead, he drank the full contents of his chalice before responding to the young girl.

“I will figure out the truth sooner or later, and if I find out that you have lied to me, I will punish you severely. Don’t think you are safe just because you are my sister.”

With these words, Placidia harrumphed as she crossed her arms in spite. She did not care what her brother might do to her, she only cared what happened to Marcellus. When she realized she was getting nowhere with her harsh attitude, she shifted to a simply tactic. Kneeling on the floor in front of her brother, Placidia begged for mercy on behalf of Marcellus.

“Please, brother, spare him. He does not deserve such humiliation…”

The emperor could not believe his ears. He quickly gazed towards his sister with a look of disdain etched across his face. The girl had begun to cry, whether her tears were real or not he did not know, but they did not have the slightest effect on his blackened heart. He could only respond in a manner which greatly outraged the young woman.

“Marcellus deserves everything that’s coming to him, and more. That bastard actually had the nerve to speak such venom to me. It is clear that he is too prideful, and so it is time someone teaches him some humility. As his Emperor, the duty falls to me!”

Placidia gazed upon her brother in shock. It was at this moment she realized the fool must have visited Marcellus in prison and received a thorough verbal thrashing. She knew her brother well. He was about as dull as a hammer, and despite this thought, he was the most brilliant mind in the Empire. It was at this moment a smug expression appeared on Placidia’s face as she wiped the tears from her eyes. The girl accurately guessed the reason that Marcellus was so furious.

“You spoke to him, didn’t you? Let me guess, things did not go as well as you thought they would? Oh brother, you should really know better than to start a war of words with someone smarter than you…”

Placidia’s words had pierced the Emperor’s heart. He could no longer contain his fury after being mocked by both Marcellus and his own sister. He quickly turned around and backhanded the girl across the face, causing her to stare at him in shock. Honorius quickly followed up with an insult to the girl as he condemned her for her words.

“You will not speak to me in such a manner! If you fancy Marcellus so much, perhaps you would like to share his humiliation. Another word out of you and I will march you through the streets right next to your lover!”

The emperor’s sister felt incredibly wronged by her brother’s merciless actions and broke out into tears once more while she ran away from his villa. She left behind her true thoughts on the man as she fled the scene.

“I hate you!”

Honorius merely scowled before sitting down on his sofa and reflected on the two conversations he had just endured. His own sister was willing to side with that bastard. It truly enraged him to the core of his being.

“Stupid bitch, she should know better than to meddle in my affairs! If she wasn’t my sister, I would have her killed for her insolence!”

Suddenly a slithering voice interrupted his train of thought, as a middle-aged man entered the room. This man was none other than Olympius, who was a close advisor to the Emperor. He quickly spoke of caution as his venomous words poisoned Honorius’s foolish mind.

“I would advise against that… Though Placidia’s words were harsh, she is young, and is bound to rebel against your rule. It is not something you should take to heart. In time, she will mature and will come to know that you are right. Rather, you should focus your attention on Marcellus. After all, he is the one challenging your authority.

This punishment you have in mind for Marcellus is only the beginning. The people will lose faith in his ability to command Rome’s forces after we march him through the streets naked. When that happens, his influence will wane, and the morale of the troops beneath his command will shatter. Soon his performance will drop, and he will no longer be able to maintain the support of the people. It is then that you can finally be rid of him and the threat he poses to your reign!”

Honorius sat on his sofa while pouring himself another cup of wine. He gazed into its thick red liquid with a cruel smile on his face. Olympius was right. He needed to get rid of Marcellus, and this act of humiliation was only the first step on his path towards completing this goal. Thus, after reflecting on his advisor’s words, he nodded his head in agreement.

“You speak the truth Olympius, when the people lose faith in Marcellus, and his troops turn against him, I can finally claim his head. That bastard has been a thorn in my side for too long.”

Olympius nodded his head with a sinister smile on his face. While Honorius was focused on getting rid of Marcellus purely out of jealousy, his advisor had far grander plans. Marcellus was a small fry and held little influence outside of the military. If Olympius truly wanted to control the foolish emperor, he would need to get rid of his guardian first. Stilicho had to die, and getting rid of Marcellus was the first step to accomplish this feat.

Thus, Honorius was playing right into the hands of a vile serpent, who whispered venomous words into the fool’s ears, poisoning his mind against his greatest allies. Neither Marcellus nor Stilicho were aware of the conspiracy to claim their lives.