The End of a Dynasty

by David Adkins

  The Empress was immaculate and her poise was enviable. Her input into the conversation was limited but when required she gave an opinion or chatted pleasantly. I had the impression that she had sat through many such occasions and knew her role perfectly; support for her husband but sound advice when needed.

  The two nieces also played their roles well, except that Julia Flavia was the more talkative of the two and certainly the more lively and flamboyant of the two. She was also the more attractive, which presumably accounted for the reason it was she who had ended up in the Emperor’s bed. In some ways she reminded me of her maid, Petronilla; the same colouring and the same frivolous nature, but was she ambitious? Did she have designs on being more than the Emperor’s plaything? Was she a threat to the Empress?

  I looked at her husband, Titus Flavius Sabinus. He had contributed little to the conversation and he did not look a happy man. I detected an anger eating away within him. I could understand his misery when his wife was constantly slipping away to another man’s bed. Could he realistically do anything about that when the other man was the Emperor? The words that I had heard spoken about him were all said with a measure of disdain, but to risk interfering would no doubt put him in grave danger. I felt sorry for him.

  The other niece, Flavia Domitilla, the daughter of Domitian’s only sister, reminded me of my aunt. She had a quiet dignity about her and contributed to the conversation showing a high degree of intelligence. Domitian obviously listened to her even if he did not desire her. Her willingness to talk to the engineers about the Emperor’s project and point out problems was impressive. I had the definite feeling that she posed no threat to the Empress.

  Her husband, Flavius Clemens, like Julia’s husband had little to say and he had barely any desire to participate in proceedings. He did not look angry but more troubled. There was definitely much on his mind and I wondered what it was that tormented him. His wife, I was sure, was not also visiting the Emperor’s bed. I did notice that she anxiously glanced at him on numerous occasions. It intrigued me.

  Domitian was too intent on other matters to notice the silence of Sabinus and Clemens and he continued to chat profusely. Inevitably his project soon became the main topic of conversation. His mind was on the festival of Jupiter in six months time. He planned something even more spectacular for this year’s festival and the immensity of his plan took my breath away. He would not open the games in the Colosseo in the traditional way with displays and animals. This year he would open it with a sea battle, and to achieve this he would flood the floor of the arena.

  It was an incredible idea and I wondered if it was truly feasible. He would use the city’s water supply to flood the arena to such a depth that ships could be floated and a sea battle fought. At the end of the performance the water would be drained away and the next day would be the greatest gladiatorial and gladiatrix performances the city had ever witnessed. The third day seemed to be allocated to a mass murder of members of the Christian cult. It was a very ambitious plan and the engineers and senators listened intently, for they were supposed to make it possible and finance it. The engineers did not tell the Emperor that it was impossible and the senators did not say that the money would not be forthcoming. None were brave enough to put serious obstacles in the way of the Emperor’s grand plan.

  The conversation then turned into one long technical discussion on how this could be achieved in the time available. Even the interest of Flavia Domitilla was waning and her husband Flavius Clemens was now looking positively distressed. At last he excused himself by saying that he felt ill. Other members of the royal family drifted away until there was just Domitian with his engineers and senators. I too was bored with the technical talk, and I left leaving the servants to do the clearing up. I returned to my room and went to bed. The pull of the tavern across the road was strong but I remembered the words of my aunt and resisted the temptation. I wondered if the Emperor was completely mad. With that in mind I fell asleep.

  I was woken by a loud, persistent banging on my door. I quickly put a robe about my body and opened the door. It was Petronilla. “You must come quickly. I am sure that my master is going to do something really stupid unless he is stopped,” she shouted frantically.

  I nodded in bewilderment and followed her swiftly down the corridor towards the rooms of the royal family. “What is happening?” I shouted at the back of her rushing figure.

  “My mistress is with the Emperor and Sabinus has had enough.”

  We reached the chamber of Julia Flavia and Sabinus was standing at the door peering towards the Emperor’s chamber but obviously hesitating. “Go back inside,” I advised.

  “Who are you to advise me?” he groaned.

  “The new chamberlain,” I said lamely as Petronilla tried to usher him back inside his apartment.

  “This has to end here,” he said making an effort to summon up his courage. He took a deep breath, pushed Petronilla aside and brushed past me, heading for Domitian’s chamber.

  “Stop him,” pleaded Petronilla.

  I rushed after him and tried to block his way. “This is not a good idea.”

  He was now determined and I allowed him to push past me for I did not think it a good idea for me to manhandle a member of the royal family. He entered Domitian’s chamber swinging the door shut behind him. I was joined by Petronilla and we stood outside listening. “Why did you not stop him?” she asked.

  “I could not,” I replied. There was now shouting coming from within the chamber. I could hear Domitian and I think at first he had been afraid that an assassin had broken into his room. I also heard Sabinus shouting that she was his wife and I could hear Julia sobbing. After a few tense minutes the door opened and Sabinus emerged, dragging Julia down the corridor back to his apartment. I slunk into the shadows as Domitian came to the door. He looked at the fleeing figure of Sabinus dragging his wife behind him with an expression of pure fury emblazed on his outraged features. He went back inside and slammed the door behind him.

  “My master will pay for this,” Petronilla muttered.

  “What do you think Domitian will do?” I replied.

  “I dread to think. I should go to my mistress.”

  “Yes go,” I said and watched her follow them down the corridor. I looked again at the closed door to Domitian’s chamber and imagined a seething Emperor behind it. Things did not bode well for Titus Sabinus I thought. I then returned to my room.

  *

  The next day I went to the Empress to report on what I had witnessed the night before. I knelt before her as was now my custom and relayed the events. She frowned and beckoned me to be seated. “At first Sabinus seemed detached from the nefarious activities of Julia and the Emperor. I, and many others, thought he was gutless but he was, of course, taking the only sensible course open to him. Recently he has seen to be most unhappy with the situation and he has turned, of late, into a simmering cauldron. I should have seen this coming.”

  “What will Domitian do?” I asked.

  “He will not let this pass, of that I am certain.”

  “So Sabinus is in great danger for merely seeking to protect the reputation of his own wife,” I surmised.

  “He is but I will have a word with him and advise him to leave the palace immediately until I decide that it is safe for him to return; out of sight, out of mind. It is not something that I would have wished for because it will give Domitian and Julia a free hand but I would rather Sabinus stayed alive.”

  “I can understand that,” I mused.

  “Do not spend too much time on your chamberlain work for there are others who can handle that. Just stay in charge. Your clandestine activities are more important and so keep your eyes on Julia and see if you can get that pretty little maid of hers to divulge information on her ambitions.”

  “That would be a pleasure, Empress,” I smiled.

  “It is good to see that you are enthusiastic in your work, Parthenian.”

  I knelt, still smili
ng, and then left.

  Titus Sabinus did not choose to follow the advice of the Empress Domitia Longina and remained at the palace. His brave act of dragging his wife from the Emperor’s bed seemed to have instilled in him even more courage though I wondered whether it might prove to be foolhardiness. Petronilla spent all her time consoling her distressed mistress who, no doubt, wondered what the outcome of the bedroom debacle would be. This meant that I was unable to carry out the orders of the Empress, though while Sabinus remained in the palace they seemed less pressing. Time passed and the days turned into a week and nothing had happened and all seemed to be quiet. Julia did not return to Domitian’s bed, or so Petronilla told me on one of the rare occasions that I was able to speak with her. It seemed that Domitian might let the incident pass without exacting retribution, for he may even have decided that it was he who was in the wrong. I, for my part, continued to slowly absorb the work of being a chamberlain while always bearing in mind that I had more important matters to concentrate on.

  It was a week and a half after the incident that had become the gossip of the palace that I, once again, took my early morning walk in the gardens. It had become a daily habit with a double purpose. I enjoyed the walk and the fresh air to start the day and I also hoped to see Marcella once more. This particular morning I was in luck for she was seated at the same bench where we had met on my first morning in the royal residence.

  “It is the woman of mystery,” I said as I approached her and then sat down next to her, marvelling once again at her beauty.

  “How is your new job going, chamberlain?” she inquired.

  “It is going very well,” I replied. “You are in the gardens very early. Do you sleep at the palace?”

  “No, when I have business with Casperius I sleep at the tavern over the road so that I can make an early start after enjoying these beautiful gardens.”

  “Is that safe, Marcella?”

  “I can well look after myself,” she laughed.

  Her words were said with such conviction that I believed her. “What is the nature of your business?” I was very curious.

  “I am not going to divulge that to you, Parthenian, after all I hardly know you.”

  “We can put that right,” I suggested.

  She laughed. “I was hoping to meet you. I have a conundrum that I wanted to seek your advice on.”

  “I am not to know the nature of your business but I am to advise you. What is it?”

  “A man paid me a lot of money to perform a deed for him. The man then died and I was left with the money and the deed undone. The man, before he parted with this large sum, told me that I must do this deed even if he did not live to see the outcome. I still have the money, but I have not earned it. To earn it would be very dangerous. Do I keep the money and forget the deed or do I undertake the deed, face the dangers and truly earn the money? What would you do under these circumstances?”

  “Do you have a conscience that makes you wish to perform the mysterious deed and earn the reward, Marcella?”

  “That is an interesting question. I do not really have a conscience but I would gain certain satisfaction even though dangers are entailed.”

  “You are a mysterious woman with a mysterious deed to undertake.” I was just about to say that I could not answer her question without more details when I heard shouting and we both looked towards the large decorated doors of the palace.

  Casperius, the Praetorian Prefect, and three of his guards were manhandling Sabinus out of the palace and dragging him across the gardens. He was trying to resist but they had a firm hold on him and he was bound and gagged. I glanced quickly around the exotic estate and apart from myself and Marcella there were no witnesses to this sinister event, for it was still very early in the morning. I was horrified that a member of the royal family and a former consul could be treated in this ignominious way. I watched as they dragged him towards the entrance of the barracks. I stood up and hurried to intercept. I heard the warning words of Marcella. “Do not interfere, Parthenian.”

  “Wait here,” I replied, and as I approached the unfortunate Sabinus and his captors Casperius turned and walked towards me. “You have seen nothing, chamberlain. Is that understood?”

  I stood there, open-mouthed. Sabinus could not speak but I saw the pleading in his eyes.

  “Is that understood?” Casperius repeated himself. I could see the hostility and I could feel the warning and threat in those few words.

  I realized that Marcella had joined me. She whispered softly in my ear. “Agree to his demand. Convince him you have seen nothing or you will end up like Sabinus.”

  “It is understood. I have seen nothing.” The ferocity of his words had shaken me.

  “Go back to the palace and tell nobody of what you have seen. You never took a walk in the gardens this morning.”

  “I never did,” I muttered nervously as I saw the hands of the guards on their blades. I also saw the panic in the eyes of Sabinus.

  I felt Marcella tug at my arm. “Go quickly,” she hissed.

  I left them and headed towards the ornate door of the palace. As I neared the entrance I looked back to see if Marcella had followed after me but she had not, for she stood in the same place watching as the guards dragged Sabinus into their barracks. Our eyes locked and with a movement of her arm she ushered me inside the palace. I knew that Sabinus was about to be cruelly executed and there was nothing I could do to help without putting my own life in severe danger. Again Marcella waved me inside and this time I did as she wanted.

  My mind was in turmoil as I made my way to my room. I realized that I had come close to death and may yet be in danger. I bolted the door because if Casperius intended to silence me permanently then he would act quickly. I searched for my dagger for it was the only weapon I had. If the guards came for me I would go down with a fight. I realized I was trembling and I drank a long cool flagon of water to calm my nerves. Time passed and nothing happened and all I could hear outside my door was a deafening silence. I started to feel relieved and more certain that Casperius was confident that I would say nothing of what I had seen. I thought of Sabinus and how his body would probably end up at the bottom of the Tiber. It was a fate he did not deserve. My musing was interrupted by a loud banging on my door.

  Chapter 3

  If I were to die and Casperius was with my assailants then I resolved to take him to Hades with me. I drew my dagger and waited for the door to burst open but instead I heard a female voice. “Parthenian, are you in there?”

  “Who is it?” I yelled back.

  “It is Drucilla, you are needed urgently.”

  I sheathed my dagger and opened the door cautiously. Drucilla stood there alone but looking anxious. “You are the chamberlain, so you must come with me,” she stated.

  Once again I was following a woman as she rushed towards the royal chambers. “What has happened?” I asked, bemused.

  “Something terrible, Titus Sabinus has died in his sleep.”

  “Died in his sleep?” I gasped disbelievingly.

  She hurried into the chamber and I saw the figure of Sabinus lying motionless on his bed. He was lying on his back and except for his head he was covered with a sheet. His lifeless, open eyes were staring at the ceiling and I could see intense fear in them. I stared at the corpse but I could not quite take in what I was seeing. I looked at the sheet and there was no sign of blood and yet an hour earlier I had seen Sabinus dragged into the gardens by Casperius and his guardsmen. It made little sense but I recovered from the shock and peered around the room. Julia was sitting by the bed sobbing softly and holding the hand of her deceased husband. Petronilla had a comforting arm around her mistress and was also crying. Flavia Domitilla was there but not her husband. Her steward, Stephanus, who I had not spoken with since the day I arrived at the palace, stood by her side. Maximus stood nearby looking uncomfortable and waiting for orders. There were also a few maids in the background shedding a few tears and not knowing what to
do. “What happened?” I asked.

  Drucilla added. “Was he ill in the night?”

  There was a silence and then at last Petronilla spoke. “He was alone last night and so we do not know.” There was a further silence for we all knew what that meant. Petronilla continued. “I came with my mistress to his room this morning, only a short time ago, and we found him like this.”

  I drew nearer to the body and placed my hand on his head and he was already cold. I then placed my hand over his mouth and there was no breathing and so I closed his eyes. At that moment the Empress entered the room. “I have just heard the news,” she said. “This is terrible, the poor man and so unexpected.” She drew alongside me and said softly. “Is he?”

  “Yes, he is,” I spoke back equally softly.

  “This has to be done,” she said and to my surprise she removed the sheet. “We looked at the body of the once consul and there was not a wound on it and no blood. I glanced at his wrists and saw the marks from where he had been bound but I could see no other signs of foul play.

  “Turn him over,” I instructed Maximus. Gently Maximus turned him over as ordered. Once again there was no sign of injury or violence except for a slight bruising on his neck. I nodded to Maximus and he turned Sabinus over once more so that he was again on his back. I placed the sheet gently over the corpse.

  The Empress then spoke with all her authority. “There are no wounds or injuries upon the body of Titus Flavius Sabinus. He has passed away peacefully in the night from an illness of which none of us were aware.” She then addressed Julia. “Do your grieving with his body and when you have finished then let Parthenian know and he and Maximus will remove his body pending burial.”