The End of a Dynasty

by David Adkins

  Your loving and devoted wife, the Empress Domitia.

  Domitian did not look pleased. “Everything seems fine in Rome,” I offered.

  “No, it does not,” he retorted. “She oversteps the mark. She has dismissed Casperius, a man who has been loyal to me and who understands the continual threats to my person, and acts accordingly.”

  “The Empress is very wise. I am sure that she has made the right decision to dismiss Casperius and that Secundus will be an improvement.” I was amazed that the Empress had been able to get rid of the scheming Casperius.

  “Well, I am not but I remember once in the Colosseo that Casperius was impertinent to me, so perhaps he did become unbearable.”

  “In your absence perhaps he got too arrogant and self important,” I suggested.

  “Anyway I have more significant things to worry about with this shoulder,” he groaned in pain. “Those damn Lazyge arrows. You can go, Parthenian, I need to rest to get my health back.”

  We spent the first half of the winter in Singidunum while Domitian gradually recovered. The doctor attended him every day and though the wound was very slow to mend it did not get worse. At last after many weeks the infection dispersed and the wound started to heal and we could make preparations to leave the fortress town. It was the beginning of the next year when we finally departed Singidunum. Caius Praesens and the IV Flavia Felix remained in Singidunum while Sextus Fronto and the II Adiutrix and the III Italica headed back to Cusum and Ima and Gerde at last returned to their people. Meanwhile Domitian, Manius Glabrio and the auxiliaries and what remained of the Praetorian Guard and myself marched south through Dalmatia and into Italy. We made a brief stop at Aquileia once again and then it was on to Rome and home. My excitement grew as we neared the great city for I would enjoy the comforts of the new Imperial Palace after what seemed an eternity of hardship and hopefully, with or without the Emperor’s permission, see the beautiful Corelia again.

  Chapter 26

  On my return to the Imperial Palace there were two women that I wished to see straight away, and I decided the Empress should take precedence. She granted me an immediate audience after welcoming her husband, Domitian, on his return.

  I entered and knelt before her. “It is so good to see you again, my aunt, my Empress.”

  She took my face in her hands and kissed me on the forehead. “It is good to see you again, nephew. I have been so worried about you, for I know that you are no warrior and yet my husband plunged you into this dreadful war against the barbarians.”

  “I did not have to fight,” I smiled.

  “I hear the campaign was very successful.” There was irony in her voice.

  “Is that what the Emperor told you? At the start things went well but not in the last year. That is why we are home without ever having reached Dacia.”

  “He boasts of his success and will celebrate an ovation in a few weeks to immortalize his exploits. Even he, after failing to engage Decebalus, could not demand a full triumph.”

  “It was terrible,” I said. “So much killing; nearly ten thousand bodies were littered around the final battlefield and most of them were Roman.”

  She leaned forward and put her arms around me and kissed my face. “It is over now and you are home. What do you think of the improvements to the palace?”

  “Very impressive,” I said. “It now rivals the Colosseo as Rome’s finest building. The royal quarters are magnificent but my room has not changed.”

  She smiled. “The servant’s quarters have not been altered or the Praetorian barracks.”

  “What is the situation in the palace? Do you feel more secure?” I inquired.

  “Much more. I must confess that with the unfortunate Julia no longer on the scene I do not feel so threatened. It has also helped with Domitian being away and not being able to see his gladiatrix.”

  “She did come to Cusum for a couple of weeks when he summoned her.”

  “I know,” she said. “But that was just a few weeks in as many years. I also feel more secure now that I have got rid of Casperius.”

  “How did you manage that?” I asked.

  “I engineered a revolt in the guards which was not difficult because the man was insufferable. I dismissed him for rudeness and incompetence and it was carried through with the help of Secundus and Norbanus. I have made Secundus the new Praetorian Prefect and he is very able and will serve the Emperor well but he owes his position to me, and so he will also serve me well.”

  “Rather like me, aunt,” I kissed her knee.

  “Rather like you, Parthenian”

  “You are clever, aunt.” I kissed her other knee.

  “Enough of this flattery, nephew, now go and get the latest news on household affairs from Drucilla.”

  I paused at the door. “I have missed you aunt.”

  “I have missed you too, nephew.”

  I found Drucilla as expected working conscientiously in the office. She smiled radiantly as I walked in.

  “It is wonderful to see you again and unscathed too,” she enthused.

  “It is good to see you, Drucilla.” I kissed her gently on the cheek. “The Empress has said that I should check with the industrious Drucilla on household affairs.”

  “There is little to report,” she replied. “Palace affairs always run smoothly when the Emperor is absent.”

  “Especially when the ever reliable Drucilla is here to supervise matters and she is not hampered by the incompetent chamberlain,” I grinned.

  “True,” she laughed. “But now both the Emperor and chamberlain have returned so things will get more difficult. Was the war terrible, Parthenian?”

  I nodded. “It was grim. I have seen things that are best not spoken of.”

  “Then do not speak of them.”

  “If there is nothing to report on palace business I will just ease my way back in slowly as I did when I first arrived.”

  She nodded agreement. “Nothing much has changed in all this time. Maximus and Stephanus still work diligently for the Empress and the Emperor’s niece.”

  Her mention of Stephanus and Flavia Domitilla reminded me of the Christian problem. “How is your mother and is Christianity still flourishing in the palace?”

  “I have steered clear of the subject with Stephanus for I thought it better not to be acquainted with the affairs of Clemens and Flavia. My mother is well. She seems to almost gain strength with age. We are both practising Christians still.”

  “I am sorry to hear that you are, Drucilla, for it is dangerous in these times to adhere to the outlawed Jewish sect.”

  “I am very careful. I do not mix palace duties with my beliefs. My worship is restricted to when I visit the Subura.”

  I shook my head. “I still do not like it. Drucilla, I need a favour. Could you please visit your mother tomorrow and on the way deliver a message to Corelia at Tibur as you did before, and bring back a reply.”

  Now she shook her head. “You also play a dangerous game, Parthenian, and you should be careful too, but I will deliver it for you if that is your wish and wait for a reply.”

  I was so eager to see the wonderful Corelia again that I went straight to my room and composed the letter.

  Dearest Corelia,

  The greatest thing about being back in Rome is not that I have survived the war unscathed but that I will have the chance to see you once again. One thing that became even clearer to me when I was away was that I love you very much, Corelia. I hope that you can find a way to return my love despite the difficulties of our situation. I would like to meet with you as soon as possible and bask once again in your great beauty. Can we meet where we last met, before I went to war, on the bank of the river Tiber, as soon as possible? Please send a reply and a suggested date with Drucilla and I shall be there come what may.”

  With all my love, Parthenian.

  The next morning Drucilla left with my communication. She stayed at her mother’s that evening and so I spent over a day waiti
ng eagerly for her return with my reply. I was in the office when eventually she returned and put the keenly awaited document into my hand. She stood, watching me as I opened it.

  I cannot meet you. We must never meet. Nothing has changed, Parthenian, for our situation is still as it was before you left for the Danube. You are the Emperor’s chamberlain and I am the Emperor’s concubine. He made my status clear to me when I was in Cusum with him and he told me it was to continue that way when he returned to Rome. It seems I will never be free of him for he regards me as his possession and demands that I am available whenever he chooses to see me. He is the Emperor and he can do what he likes with impunity. He also made it clear to me in Cusum that you would die if you ever tried to see me again. He is aware of your feelings for me and perhaps even of mine for you. It amuses him to see his lovesick chamberlain, as he put it, denied what he most desires. However, he will not tolerate you trying to see me and he made that clear. So, Parthenian, we can never meet and you must never write to me again for even that is dangerous. I could not forgive myself if you were executed because of me. As long as the present situation lasts you will never see me again and you must accept that. For my sake and because I ask it of you please accept that.

  Corelia (and remember to destroy this letter as soon as you have read it)

  Drucilla saw that I was distraught. “I know your feelings for her. She has ended it?”

  I nodded. “She has ended it before it has even begun.”

  “It is for the best, for a relationship with Corelia is fraught with danger. She belongs to Domitian.”

  “She does not belong to Domitian,” I retorted and stormed out of the office.

  In the days and weeks and months to come I was plagued by impossible love for Corelia and overwhelming hatred for Domitian. I had spent years on campaign waiting to be reunited with the gladiatrix on my return, but it was not to be and I had to accept it no matter how difficult it was. It was very hard for now she was near and yet so far. It was all so very frustrating and painful and I wondered how hard it was for her.

  It was many months later and towards the end of the year when I was told by Norbanus that there was someone waiting for me at the palace gate. I was most happy when I saw Hylas standing there, for I had not seen him since before the Danube campaigns. We shook hands and slapped each other on the back. “It is best we go to the taverna over the road for I need to talk to you. Can you get away?” he said smiling.

  “I can,” I replied.

  We entered the taverna which, like the palace, had received a facelift while I had been away. We found a secluded corner and ordered some wine. “How are you, Parthenian?”

  “I survived the Danube campaigns but I am finding life a little difficult at the moment,” I responded.

  “Is it Corelia?” he asked.

  “It is for she is always in my mind.”

  “I know that Corelia is also finding life difficult at the moment and it worries me.”

  I was full of concern. “Why is that, Hylas? What is wrong with her?”

  “You love her, don’t you Parthenian?”

  I nodded sadly and put my head in my hands. “But I cannot see her and it is driving me mad.”

  “She loves you too, I am sure of it though she has never said so, not even to Aria. It is too dangerous to even utter the words in case Domitian gets to know of it and she will not put your life in danger.”

  His words uplifted me but did not change my situation. “Why have you come to tell me this, Hylas, for it just makes it all so much more frustrating now I know she loves me?”

  “You needed to know and she will not tell you herself. Aria knows and Aria has told me though I already suspected. You need to know so that you will wait and not despair. Your opportunity will come, of that I am sure.”

  “Then it seems I am waiting for our Emperor to die,” I said sadly. “Twice on campaign he came close to death but he has the constitution of an ox and recovered completely each time.”

  Hylas leaned close. “He becomes increasingly unpopular, particularly with the senate. Two more senators were executed for treason in this past week alone. Many others fear for their lives. It is obvious to more and more people that his cruelty and avarice gets worse by the day. I wonder how long he can survive.”

  “He is well protected by the Praetorian Guard. Secundus is just as diligent as Casperius was in safeguarding our Emperor. Their jobs and power depend upon it.”

  “If a wealthy senator offers them a big enough bribe they might transfer loyalty to another aspiring Emperor of their choosing.”

  I considered his words. “It is possible but unlikely.”

  “My message to you, Parthenian, is that Corelia loves you and there is always hope so just be patient.”

  I nodded. “My thanks, Hylas, so tell me about life at Tibur. Tell me more about Corelia and how you and Aria are faring”

  “Corelia has all the materials things that she could ever have dreamed of having; a beautiful villa, servants and some degree of wealth. She no longer has to fight in the arena and she has her friends by her side. She has all this but she is not happy for she sees herself as the Emperor’s possession, ready to receive him whenever he decides to call. She has no man to love and dare not have one for his sake as well as hers, but instead just a man who she despises but she has to please. Corelia, it seems, is no longer welcome at the palace but Domitian comes regularly to Tibur with his escort of which you are no longer one. I feel for her and pray to the gods her situation might soon change in this respect. Aria and I are faring well and that makes us almost feel guilty. We enjoy a love and a happiness that is beyond the reach of Corelia and yet we benefit from her wealth and possessions. We fervently wish that she had what we have.”

  I felt sad. “So do I, Hylas, so do I.” I was sorry to see Hylas go for he was a good friend and I did not know when I would see him again.

  *

  At the beginning of the next year in Januarius Domitian made what he regarded as a momentous announcement to the senate and the Roman people. For the coming year he would be consul and he would take as consular partner his niece’s husband. The consuls would be the Emperor Caesar Domitianus Augustus and the senator Titus Flavius Clemens. This was a great honour for Clemens, for consul was the highest political position in the Empire after the Emperor himself. When I heard the news I was aghast for that would mean Clemens would be much more in the public eye and he would be under greater scrutiny, particularly by jealous opponents. The Emperor would be appalled if he knew that the man he had just made his consular colleague was a hated Christian, particularly as Domitian had just stepped up the persecution of the Jewish sect, which he regarded as a grave danger to Roman stability.

  As the months passed by the tyranny of Domitian increased and there were further executions of senators and equestrians, but Clemens flourished in his consulship though he walked a dangerous road. He tried to persuade Domitian from his worst excesses and convince him that the Jewish sects were not the danger that the Emperor believed them to be. Then, in the heat of summer, I received a summons to the Emperor’s chamber. I knew that something was amiss when I met Drucilla in the corridor and realized that she too had been summoned. The Empress was approaching his chamber as we were and she looked pale.”What is this about?” I asked her nervously.

  “I am not sure but I do not like it,” she answered.

  We entered and saw that the room was quite full and still people where arriving. It seemed that all of the royal family were here plus Secundus, Norbanus and some of the Praetorian guards and the most prominent of the servants and even Manius Glabrio. I felt a gut-wrenching tug at my stomach for I sensed that one or more of us were in deadly peril.

  Domitian emerged from a conversation with Secundus and Glabrio and addressed the gathering. “I see we are all here and so we can begin. Step forward Maximus.” Maximus walked anxiously towards the Emperor. Almost everyone in the room gasped as Domitian punched the big man
viciously in the stomach. As he collapsed to the floor in agony he followed up the punch with a cruel kick. “I am in a rage and before I start I had to take it out on somebody but Maximus is luckier than some in this room.”

  “What is it, husband?” Domitia Longina stepped forward to placate him.

  “Kick him, for when I reveal what has happened your rage should be as great as mine.”

  “Please husband, calm yourself.”

  “Kick him,” I said.

  The Empress hesitated then kicked Maximus, but not as viciously as the Emperor, but it seemed to satisfy Domitian. He addressed Maximus who was now on his knees. “Return to the other servants for you have served your purpose.” Maximus crawled away and I felt so sorry for the big man for the pain and humiliation that he had suffered.

  Domitian turned to the rest of us and I could see the fury in his demonic eyes. The man was mad. He looked around him. “There are Christians in our midst.”

  I felt Drucilla tense as she stood beside me.

  Domitian continued. “I did not believe it but it is true. I did not believe it because you all know how much I despise these vermin. We have our Gods that have brought prosperity to our city for hundreds of years, and we have our customs and our morals. These are all being undermined by the enemy within. This enemy is the Jewish sects and the most dangerous of all these is the evil cult known as Christianity, which tries to suck the strength out of Rome. I will not stand for it! I have done my best to stamp it out in the city so you can imagine my horror when I find it has taken root in my own palace.” He looked around at the disbelieving, nervous faces.