Chapter 104 Moving the Imperial Capital

Currently, Marcellus stood in the workshop where Catus had finished forging his sword. He waited patiently as the blacksmith performed the finishing touches on the blade’s sharp edge. The man had gone to great lengths to secure the necessary materials to turn it into a masterpiece. Yet here it finally stood, finished. Initially, the estimate was only a few days, but after deciding to embark on a far grander project worthy of an Emperor, the craftsman had spent significantly longer to build the perfect weapon for Marcellus.

The sword came in a wood scabbard that was coated in chestnut brown leather. Its fittings were made of gold and were intricately carved to pay homage to Sol Invictus. The hilt was constructed of a mixture of black ebony, mahogany, and white holly woods. On the guard and pommel, the mahogany sandwiched a layer of white holly which itself was sandwiched between the black ebony.

While the grip was made of white holly which was sandwiched by the black ebony. The grip itself had three golden rings embedded into it which separated the upper, middle, and lower sections of the grip. Finally, at the bottom of the pommel, was a brass fitting, which acted as a peening block.

The blade of the sword was seventy-two centimeters long, it had a double fuller and was made of crucible steel. Because of this, it had a distinctive pattern similar in design to wootz steel. The blade was oil quenched and tempered to achieve maximum durability. It was a work of art as much as it was a functional instrument of war.

When Marcellus unsheathed the blade and gazed upon its full beauty, a wide smile stretched across his face. He could feel the exceptional craftsmanship that went into the making of this sword. It was truly a weapon that belonged to an emperor. He took a few swings with the blade into thin air, and laughed at how well balanced it was. Catus was truly a master of his craft.

After having some fun with the sword, Marcellus sheathed it and handed the payment to Catus, however the man shook his head and smiled, which was the first time Marcellus had seen such an expression on the man’s face. Before Marcellus could question his intentions, the man openly said what he was thinking for the first time in days.

“Consider it a wedding gift…”

Marcellus grinned when he heard the man say such a thing, it was true that any day now Placidia would turn of proper age, and he would finally be able to marry her. Thus, he was happy to accept the blacksmith’s kindness. Before departing, Marcellus left the man with a few words of encouragement.

“Keep up the good work Catus, I see a bright future ahead of you!”

Eventually Marcellus returned to his Palace, where the servants were packing up Marcellus’ belongings. He had long since planned to move back to Rome, which was where both he and Placidia grew up, where he intended to restore the city to its former glory.

After all, he desired to have his wedding in his home town which was the true heart of the Empire. When Placidia noticed Marcellus had entered the building, she ran down and hugged him before asking the question on her mind.

“Are we really doing it? Are we truly moving back to Rome?”

Marcellus wore a warm smile as he stroked the girl’s obviously dyed hair and nodded his head in confirmation.

“Yes, we’re finally returning home…”

The young woman immediately screamed in excitement, which caused Sigefrida, who was descending the staircase to scold her.

“Uggghh… I just woke up. Why the hell are you screaming so early in the morning?

What Sigefrida didn’t realize was that it was already past noon, and when Marcellus saw her climb out of bed so late in the day, he immediately became concerned.

“It’s already noon. Were you sleeping this whole time?”

It surprised Sigefrida to find that it was already so late in the day. There was only one man to blame for this occurrence and she was quick to make a remark about the exact reason she slept so long, which went over Placidia’s head.

“Well, maybe if somebody didn’t keep me up so late into the night, I wouldn’t sleep so long…”

Placidia was a bit na?ve and, rather than understanding the implication behind the woman’s words, she was quick to jump to Sigefrida’s defense.

“Who kept you up? When I find them, I’ll give them a good talking too!”

The innocent expression on Placidia’s cute face caused Sigefrida to blush in embarrassment. If there was one thing that was certain, Marcellus and Stilicho had done too good of a job sheltering the girl. She couldn’t very well inform the girl of what Marcellus and she had been up to so late into the night. Upon seeing Sigefrida’s flustered expression, Marcellus decided to change the topic.

“Anyway, you girls better get ready. We’re moving back to Rome today. A new palace is being constructed, and in the meantime we’ll live in my villa. I have officially changed the capital back to where it rightfully belongs and have begun funding efforts to restore the city.”

Sigefrida smiled and hugged Marcellus with a gleeful smile on her pretty face. This was too good to be true. So much so that she had to question whether this was reality.

“You mean we finally get to move out of this fucking swamp?”

Marcellus could only smile in return, and nod his head as he responded to the woman’s question.

“Indeed.”

Upon hearing this, Sigefrida also screamed in excitement, which caused Placidia to pout. Why did Sigefrida get to scream, but she didn’t? Sometimes life was unnecessarily cruel to her. She shot Marcellus a dirty glare, which he ignored. After all, Marcellus was just glad to see that the two women were finally getting along.

In the past, the two women were as close as sisters. After all, they were united together against Aeliana’s tyranny. However, the moment after Marcellus’ mother passed away, they quickly turned on one another in a fierce competition to win the man’s love. Luckily, his talk with Placidia had done wonders to mend the rift between her and Sigefrida.

Thus, the two women got to work as they prepared themselves for the journey ahead. After a quick meal Marcellus, and his household departed from Ravenna, in a carriage which was guarded by his Palace Guard, of Palatini who were no longer the most elite troops in a field army, but a dedicated body guard unit whose sole purpose was to protect the Imperator.

The Palatini was armed with the greatest weapons and armor available to the Empire. Its members consisted of the most loyal men to Marcellus and his regime. Learning from the mistakes of the Praetorian Guard, Marcellus made sure that his Frumentarii screened each prospective candidate before they were allowed entry into the elite unit.

After becoming a member of the Palatini, the individual soldiers were sent through fierce training in the ways of combat and bodyguard tactics. They were expected to continue their training when they had down time to ensure their skills were always sharp.

Thus, the trio were well protected from any and all threats as they watched from inside their carriage while the city of Ravenna disappeared into the background. Only when it was finally out of sight did they sigh in relief. The truth was Ravenna was far from the most ideal location for a capital, at least from a cultural perspective.

From a defensive perspective, it was indeed the greatest location in Italia. However, with the barbarians being pushed back to the frontier, and the roads being once more safe to travel, such a defensive region was no longer required for the capital of the empire.

Placidia and Sigefrida could not wait to return to the clean air of Rome, free from the putrid stench of a surrounding swamp. As for Marcellus, this move from Ravenna to Rome was not just one of personal preference but cultural significance.

It was as if he was saying to his neighbors that Rome was once more the center of the world. It was an act that would surely cause the Eastern Roman Empire to become bitter and resentful. After all, Ravenna paled in comparison to the great city of Constantinople. But Rome, it was surely an equal, especially after it had been restored.

It would take several days to travel from Ravenna to Rome, but when Marcellus finally arrived, it would surprise him when to find a warm welcome from the people who lived in the city. With the recent crop yields, the economic uplift, and the removal of threats from the borders of the Empire. Marcellus was starting to become a popular emperor, especially in those cities far from the influence of the Patricians who lived in Ravenna. Many of whom were still in Constantinople, far from the reach of the Imperator’s wrath.