The End of a Dynasty

by David Adkins

  Before entering the gate Drucilla stopped and faced me. “Please do not speak of what we have seen. I do not want Stephanus to stand condemned because he is a Christian. My mother is one too.”

  I nodded agreement. “Do you know the Fuscus taverna next to the Basilica Aemilia and opposite the old Fuscus residence?”

  “Yes I know the place you speak of,” she replied. “We passed it on the way to the Subura.”

  “We went there last night. Nobody can prove that we were not there for the evening. We ate venison and bread, drank watered-down wine and talked about work at the palace and the palace accounts.”

  “Yes, we did but I do not remember much detail because we were drinking.”

  “You are very clever, Drusilla.”

  She smiled. “I will see you in the morning, Parthenian.”

  It had been quite a night and I felt that we were both still reeling from the shock of our discovery, but we had to keep our wits about us and be very careful.

  I did not sleep well that night and consequently I was up late the following morning. I had just got dressed when, much to my alarm, Casperius barged belligerently into my room. He was alone and I realized there was no imminent threat and so I composed myself. He sat down uninvited and gazed at me with dislike. “Well, chamberlain, you have some explaining to do.”

  “You did not knock before you entered my room,” I chastised him.

  “I am the Praetorian Prefect. I do not need to knock.”

  “Then the Praetorian Prefect lacks manners,” I pointed out.

  “Neither do I need manners; my guards reported that you left the palace after dark last night,” he looked accusingly.

  “That is correct; I went out with Drucilla and left Maximus in charge.”

  “Where did you go?”

  “We went to the Fuscus taverna near the forum and spent a pleasant evening indulging in eating, drinking and pleasant conversation.”

  “Is there something between you and Drucilla?”

  “I do not think that is any of your business,” I countered.

  “Another servant, Stephanus, left the palace just seconds before you did. Did you see him?”

  “No, I was not aware of that,” I replied evasively.

  “Come now, Parthenian, he was just a few seconds ahead of you,” he sneered.

  “Then it was a coincidence but, as you say, Casperius, it was after dark and therefore visibility was not good,” I smiled.

  “And you say that you spent the whole evening at the Fuscus taverna and did not see Stephanus?” he reiterated.

  “That is correct.”

  “Even as we speak Tero is interviewing Drucilla in your office.” He seemed to be hoping to make a point.

  I shrugged. “I hope his manners are better than yours, though I doubt it.” In truth the fact that Drucilla was being questioned by that snake did alarm me.

  “You will cross me once too often, Parthenian,” he warned and left.

  I waited a few minutes and then dashed down the corridor towards the office. Just as I arrived Tero was coming out. He glared at me briefly and then continued on his way. I entered the office and shut the door behind me. “What did he ask?”

  Drucilla was composed as she answered. “He just wanted to know where we went last night and I told him the Fuscus taverna.”

  “They know that Stephanus is up to something. I wonder if they suspect him of being a Christian and I wonder if they think that we are involved,” I mused.

  “They cannot suspect us for we left the palace together for one evening on a night out after a day of toil.” There was a certainty in her voice and I tended to agree with her.

  We both jumped slightly when there was a knocking on the door. “Come in,” I beckoned.

  Petronilla entered looking both nervous and excited. She looked straight at me. “Julia has told the Emperor and soon the whole palace will know.”

  “Know what?” asked Drucilla.

  “My mistress is with child and the Emperor will have an heir.” She was almost overcome with enthusiasm and emotion.

  “That is wonderful news,” said Drucilla doubtfully.

  “Indeed it is,” I added though I knew that it would not be wonderful news for the Empress.

  Petronilla dashed off, wishing to spread the glad tidings around the palace. I looked at Drucilla and saw a brief look of concern cross her face but I was not sure what was worrying her and I did not ask.

  I expected a summons from the Empress and I did not have to wait long. Once again I entered the chamber of Domitia Longina and knelt before her, and once again she left me kneeling. “The news that I have been dreading has materialized,” she lamented. “In nine months time Domitian will have an heir. He will not want a bastard and so he has about nine months in which to dispose of me and marry Julia.”

  “I have heard the news for it is all round the palace, but surely he will not dispose of you, aunt. You are the Empress and he was once infatuated with you.”

  “But not anymore; it is possible that he may not wish to marry Julia but he will do so anyway to legitimise his heir.”

  “What if it is a girl?” I asked.

  She stroked my face and I kissed her hand. “Get up off your knees, nephew.”

  I obeyed and sat opposite her. “Thank you, aunt.”

  “A girl would not be so bad but she would still be his only heir. A boy would be a great disaster and a girl would just be a disaster.”

  “What can we do?” I asked.

  “We can wait for a while, for she may lose the child early in the pregnancy. I am also sure that Domitian will need time to digest the news. We have an interim in which to think but let us hope that Julia will suffer a miscarriage. Such events are common in our family.”

  I nodded, though it did not seem quite right to wish for such an occurrence.

  “Now leave me, Parthenian, for I feel distressed.”

  I knelt and kissed her hand. She placed a long lingering kiss on my forehead. I felt sorry for this aging yet still beautiful woman. She had enjoyed a position of power for many years and now it was all in jeopardy. I leaned forward and kissed her knee.

  She smiled, lifting my chin with her fingertip. “You are a great comfort to me but I did say leave me, nephew.”

  I left and as I did I wondered on her words that we could wait for a while. If we waited for a while and the pregnancy of Julia continued without a hitch then what would we do? All these events were moving at such a pace that I could not keep up with them.

  Chapter 9

  Events suddenly slowed down and weeks passed by without much happening. Julia was pregnant and healthy and looked like a flower in bloom. Petronilla talked so much about the coming baby that you would have thought that it was she who was pregnant. Marcella did not return to the palace, just as she had warned me, and I found myself badly missing our nights of passion and pleasure. I spoke little with Stephanus and did not broach the subject of Christianity with him or attempt to follow him again but Drucilla felt, as I did, that a storm was brewing. Casperius and Tero continued to be unpleasant but for the most part left me alone. Domitian remained in the palace with the pregnant Julia and no further visits to Tibur were mentioned. I served Domitian and Domitia Longina as a reasonably competent chamberlain with the help of a very competent Drucilla. However, there was one thing that I simply could not put off any longer, and that was a visit to the gladiatorial school. I had to soon begin to implement the Emperors orders or I would be in serious trouble.

  The Colosseo gladiatorial school was situated at the south side of the great amphitheatre and was a surprisingly large complex tucked away discreetly alongside its towering neighbour. It had high brick-built walls and a very large iron gate as the entrance and to me it seemed like a fortress rather than a training school. Then again gladiators and gladiatrices were mainly prisoners and slaves so I suppose the large walls were to stop residents from getting out, rather than to stop uninvited guests from gett
ing in. I felt nervous as I approached the large gate for I did not know what sort of reception I would receive. The formidable entrance was locked but I noticed two guards absorbed in a game of dice within the compound and I called out to them to draw their attention away from their game. “I would like to speak with Petronius if he is at home,” I announced.

  The guards stopped their game and looked up. One of them rose to his feet and approached the gate. “Who is asking to see him and what is your business?”

  “My name is Parthenian and I am the Emperor’s chamberlain. I come from the palace on the Emperor’s business.”

  He looked duly impressed and opened the gate. “Give me your weapons.”

  “I do not have any,” I assured him but he quickly searched me to make sure.

  “I believe he is in his office. Follow me and I will take you to him.”

  I followed him across a large courtyard and looked in wonder at the many gladiators and gladiatrices going through their paces. The violence entailed astonished me and yet they were only practising. There were some large buildings situated around the courtyard but for what purpose they were used I was not sure, and so I assumed they must be living quarters. We turned a corner into a smaller courtyard and he guided me to a room off this area and gestured at a door. “This is his office.” He knocked and we waited.

  “Enter,” a voice called from within.

  “Wait here,” said the guard and he opened the door and went in.

  I waited for a few minutes and then he returned. “He will see you.”

  I was ushered into a dimly lit but luxurious room with impressive furnishings. A tall, elderly man with discoloured teeth rose from an elegant chair and greeted me. “I am Petronius; I understand you have some business with me on behalf of the Emperor.”

  I looked at his scarred, bedraggled features. He was an ugly man with a sharp narrow face and receding grey hair and I could not help feeling slightly repulsed. Surely this man could not be the father of the beautiful gladiatrix, Corelia. “I am Parthenian, chamberlain to Domitian.” I noticed that the guard had stepped into the room behind me. Petronius was not taking any risks.

  “So what can I do for you?” he asked.

  “Can we talk privately?” I requested.

  “He is not armed and I will be at the door if you need me” the guard reassured the owner of the gladiatorial school.

  “We can,” Petronius informed me and the guard retreated to the door.

  “Is a gladiatrix named Aria in training for the Jupiter games?”

  He looked interested. “She is.”

  “The Emperor is very keen that her contest will be one of the highlights of the games. He wishes her to have a big build up as Corelia’s protégé and you are to make sure that this happens. She is to be given a suitable opponent which would assure that the crowd get an entertaining and competitive contest but he would also like you to ensure that she does win.” I added the last bit off my own back. “You, Petronius, will be in charge of the publicity and promotion campaign.”

  “That is my job. Why is the Emperor suddenly so interested in Aria?”

  “Corelia no longer fights in the arena and he is trying to accept that. Aria is a substitute for Corelia as the gladiatrix that he most wants to see participating in his games.” I hoped my explanation sounded plausible.

  “It is much to my relief that my daughter no longer has to fight in the arena at the Emperor’s whim. However, Aria presents another problem for Corelia is rejecting the idea that Aria should fight in the arena.”

  “And Aria?” I asked.

  “She seems determined to fight at the Jupiter games and is already training very hard, much to my daughter’s displeasure.”

  “Is Aria here?” I asked. “I would like to speak with her in private.”

  “She is not at the school at the moment, for she returned to my daughter’s residence at Tibur a few days ago. I am sure that she will soon return to the school to continue her training.”

  “You will do as I ask and as the Emperor demands?” I said.

  “I will and it certainly suits me to do so. My priority is to try and keep Corelia safe. If for my daughter’s sake Aria can also survive, then so much the better. The difficulty is in choosing the right opponent for Aria, she is good but she is nowhere near as good as Corelia. Leave it with me and I will also make sure that the contest gets the publicity that Domitian requires and hopefully is also of the standard he yearns for. Does our Emperor now lust after Aria?”

  “He does,” I admitted.

  He sighed. “Then there are more problems ahead for she is married to my daughter’s head guard at her villa and she is Corelia’s greatest friend. Has he tired of Corelia?”

  “No, he just likes to have more than one woman on the go at any one time,” I explained.

  “That sounds like our Emperor. There is word in the city that his niece is with child and it is his, and so soon after the death of her husband.” He shook his head. “Much to my anguish my daughter has been at his beck and call for years now, as both a lover and a gladiatrix, and there has been absolutely nothing I could do about it.”

  “The word in the city is accurate,” I confirmed, feeling sorry for this man who so obviously loved his daughter.

  “I will personally supervise the training and fitness of Aria and do as you wish regarding the suitable opponent and the publicity while trying to pacify my daughter. It will not be easy but I will do my best.”

  “Then we have an agreement,” I said, feeling relieved. “I will return to the school in a few weeks to see how it is all progressing.”

  I left the gladiatorial school believing that at least on one of the issues confronting me I had made some headway. I nodded to the guards as I exited through the large iron gates and set off in the direction of the palace.

  I had not got very far when a voice called out to me. “Parthenian stop!” The gladiatrix did not sound very happy.

  “Why were you at the school?” she asked.

  “Did you not ask your father?”

  “He was evasive so I will hear it from you.” She sounded a little aggressive.

  “Domitian wanted me to talk with Petronius about the games for the Festival of Jupiter,” I admitted.

  She pushed me against a nearby wall. “Now you are being evasive. You are just a palace chamberlain so why would you talk to my father about the games. Are you instrumental in Aria fighting at these games?”

  Her hand was on my neck but I did not resist. “The Emperor commanded that Aria fights in the games and I merely passed on his orders.”

  “I might have guessed that Domitian was behind her sudden determination to take part at the Colosseo,” she raged and did not release her grip.

  “I was just the messenger,” I said, trying to stay calm.

  “You are his creature. Is that why you stayed behind at my villa after Domitian had left to persuade her to take part?”

  “I was ordered to do it, what else could I do?”

  “Did she agree, believing it would spare my participation in his wretched games?”

  “No, that was not it,” I said. “Let go of my neck and I will tell you.”

  She released her hold on my neck and glared at me. “Go ahead then.”

  “Domitian said that he would arrest and execute her husband if she did not agree.”

  “She is doing this to protect Hylas and I suppose you were not to tell me anything about his nasty little plan.”

  “I was to say nothing to you or Hylas,” I agreed.

  She was very angry. “Poor Hylas does not even know yet that she intends to fight in the arena. We have so far kept it from him because I thought that I could dissuade her.”

  “If she fights and wins then there is no harm except of course to her victim,” I suggested.

  “You fool, Parthenian. If she fights and wins then he would demand that she fights again.”

  “Perhaps you could persuade him that if you le
t her fight this once that he must be satisfied with that,” I made another suggestion.

  “She is not going to fight at all,” she stated adamantly.

  “Then what will happen to Hylas? If she refuses he will be murdered.”

  “The Emperor seems to confide in you, chamberlain, so you must persuade him to forget this idea. Tell him to find another gladiatrix to star in his show.”

  “I do not think he will listen to me,” I apologized.

  Once again her hand was on my neck, pinning me against the wall. “You told me at Tibur that you were not a fighting man so you had better soon learn,” she said aggressively.

  “What do you mean?” I said.

  “I am the greatest gladiatrix in Rome, is that not so?”

  “You are,” I willingly agreed.

  “At the school I can not only defeat all the other gladiatrices but also some of the gladiators.”

  “That is amazing.” I did not see where this was going.

  “Aria will not fight at the Colosseo, for if I have to I will fight in her place and Domitian will jump at that.”

  “I am sure he will,” I agreed.

  “I will make one condition; that I fight his chamberlain.”

  I was aghast. “You cannot do that. I have never lifted a weapon in my life.”

  “I can do it and I will make him agree to it. He will be amused and a chamberlain, I imagine, is easily replaced.”

  “Corelia, I cannot fight you in the Colosseo. I would not know how.” I was alarmed at the awful prospect.

  “Parthenian, you had better learn or else convince Domitian that Aria should be replaced by another gladiatrix and preferably for you, not me. Is that clear?”

  “I want to help but I have no influence,” I pleaded.

  “Do not underestimate yourself for you do seem to have influence with him and you flatter well.” She tightened her grip on my neck and I choked a little but refrained from trying to push her away. I did not wish to fight with her on the street.