by David Adkins
“Dacia is somewhere I would prefer not to visit.”
“You have asked about Glyca, Parthenian, and she is the reason for my visit. I received a communication from Glyca and enclosed within it was a message for you.” He handed me a letter and I looked at it in surprise and saw that the seal had not been broken. Casperius had not attempted to open it, but then why should he?
“Thank you, Casperius,” I said.
“I expect she says much the same to you as she did to me. I will leave you to read it,” he saluted and left my chamber. I turned the letter over in my hand and then I broke the seal and unrolled the parchment.
Dearest Parthenian,
I am writing to you from Athens where I have now settled and where I believe my future lies. The world of Hellas suits me better than the world of Rome and as you know I have talents that are always in demand. I wanted to thank both you and Casperius for saving my life, though I would have preferred it not to have been such a close run thing. I know that you constantly pestered Casperius to intercede with the Emperor on my behalf. Fortunately for me when he did act he acted decisively and saved my life and he even engineered my release from the gladiatorial school after my contest with Aria. I nearly had her despite her prowess as a gladiatrix.
I see now that you and Casperius were right and I should have listened to you both. I had the vast amount of money from Marcus Gracchus and there was no need to fulfil the demands of a dead man. Indeed it was reckless folly to try to do so. Being so close to death in the arena has taught me a lesson I will never forget. I will not carry out the demands of Gracchus, and so Hylas is safe as indeed is Solanus Fuscus, who was my other quarry. I will not take unnecessary risks in future and nor should you. I am aware of your feelings for Corelia but they are feelings that could get you into fatal trouble. I never loved you and I do not think that you ever loved me but we had great fun together.
I will never return to Rome but if you are ever in Athens then seek me out and we may have some more fun if you wish it. If I do not see you again then have a long and happy life, Parthenian.
Your Sorceress, Marcella/Glyca
I put the letter down in a thoughtful mood. It was good to hear from Glyca and to know that she was fine. I smiled for I knew she would always be fine. She was a survivor and a woman of many talents. I almost felt sorry for the great city of Athens.
Her letter had brought my attention back to thoughts of Corelia. Glyca was right and I did have feelings for Corelia but I could not take her advice. I had to see Corelia before I left for the Danube. I knew that I could not go to Tibur for if Domitian got to hear of it, as he probably would, then I would be a dead man. I had to get a message to Corelia and meet her somewhere safe but even sending a message was dangerous. There was only one person I could totally trust to take a message to Corelia. Drusilla left the palace on a regular basis to see her sick mother and so I would ask her if, on one of these occasions, she would take a letter to Corelia at Tibur. I did not like to ask Drucilla to do this because I did not wish to involve her but I could think of nothing else to do. I immediately set about drafting the letter.
Dearest Corelia,
I never get to see you these days and it is a situation that I find difficult to cope with. You never come to the palace because the Emperor prefers to go to you at Tibur and he has refused to bring me with him ever since that day at the Colosseo when he caught me admiring your great beauty. In fact he forbids me to go to Tibur on pain of death. It is a situation I find difficult to bear.
Domitian is planning a campaign to the Danube with plans to subdue several tribes and then march on Dacia. He is adamant that I am to accompany him as his servant and though I have tried to dissuade him it has been to no avail. As you know I am a lover and not a fighter and so the coming campaign fills me with horror even though he assures me I will spend my time with the baggage train. He calculates that the campaigning could last for years and what fills me with even more horror is that I will not be able to see you during this time.
We will be leaving Rome in a few weeks and I must see you before I go and declare my feelings to you. I believe that you will be happy to see the back of Domitian and to be no longer at his beck and call but I would like to think that you would not be so happy about my departure. If you wish to see me before I leave then please write an immediate reply and hand it to Drucilla for her to bring back to me personally. It is imperative that our communications do not fall into the wrong hands and Drucilla can be trusted implicitly.
Please then if you wish to see me, as I so hope you do, then write with a place and time in the next two weeks where we can meet both secretly and safely. I will be there.
Love Parthenian.
I then found Drucilla and prevailed upon her to deliver my message to Corelia at Tibur as soon as possible. I told her to hand the letter only to Corelia and to wait for a reply that she must then bring straight back to me. I impressed upon her that it was imperative no-one knew of my clandestine communication. She asked no questions and readily agreed to do as I wished. She probably felt she owed me for keeping her Christian beliefs a secret and hence safeguarding both herself and her mother. She wasted no time and left the next morning.
Drucilla had planned to travel to Tibur and then to return to Rome to spend the night with her mother and would not return to the palace until the next morning. So for the full day that she was away I was in a state of high suspense wondering what Corelia’s reply would be, and hoping that nothing had gone wrong. Drucilla arrived surprisingly early in the morning, but I was up and ready to greet her in the deserted palace gardens. We went and sat on the bench where we had so recently watched the funeral entourage of the unfortunate Julia leave the palace.
“Did it all go well?” I asked tensely.
“Yes, I have a reply,” she said.
“Did you see Corelia?” I asked.
“Corelia gave me refreshments and I was with her when she opened your letter and I was still with her when she wrote her reply.” She passed me the reply.
My hand was almost shaking as I took it. “Thank you Drucilla, for all you have done.”
“Do you wish me to leave while you read it?” she asked.
“No, stay and sit with me,” I smiled nervously as I broke the seal and started to read.
Dearest Parthenian,
It was so good to hear from you again after so many months. I am pleased that you have not tried to contact me until now as it would have put both our lives in jeopardy, particularly yours. The Emperor is a very jealous man and he has already told me of his intention to campaign along the Danube though he did not tell me that he was taking you with him. He has made it clear I am to have no other man in his absence on pain of death even though he may be away for years. He intends to visit Tibur a week before he leaves but I am sure that he does not intend to bring you. He has also hinted that I may have to travel north to see him during any lull in the campaigning.
I would like to see you before you go but we will have to be very careful. I will meet you on the day of Jupiter at noon by the Tiber. I will meet you at a grassy bank by the river close to the Dionysus tavern where we can talk in private. Do not tell anyone of our meeting and make sure that you are not followed. I do have feelings for you which is why I wish to protect you from the dangers you seem determined to put yourself in because of me. It will be our only chance to meet before you go. Stay safe and destroy this letter after you have read it.
I will see you soon.
Love Corelia.
Her words heightened my spirits and brought a smile to my face which was obviously noticed by Drucilla. “Her words make you happy,” she observed.
“They do indeed and thank you once again for your help. How was your mother?”
“She is quite well; and now I will leave you to read your letter again,” she smiled and left me on the bench in the late winter sunshine.
I did read the letter again and then I took it to my room and burnt
it. I was reluctant to do so but I knew it was the sensible thing to do. I felt elated because Corelia had admitted that she had feelings for me, and I would be meeting her in just three days time.
I arrived early at the Dionysus tavern and walked down the grassy bank that led to the river Tiber. I was sure that it was here that Corelia intended us to meet and so I sat down on the bank and waited for her arrival. I wrapped my cloak around me for there was a chill in the air despite the nearness of spring. I sat looking up the slope hoping to catch a first glimpse of the gladiatrix as she neared our place of rendezvous. I did not have to wait long and my heart leapt when I saw her approaching. She was unmistakable even though she wore a long cloak and a hood. I stood to meet her. “Corelia, it is good to see you again.”
“It is good to see you too, Parthenian, but let us go further down the slope and further away from prying eyes.”
We went further down the grassy bank towards the river and found a suitable place to sit. “I was so glad that you agreed to meet me,” I said enthusiastically.
“I had to when I heard you were going to Dacia. I could not let you go on such a dangerous venture without saying goodbye.”
“Corelia, you know how I feel about you.”
“You just lust after my naked body after that brief viewing,” she laughed.
“I do, very much,” I admitted. “But you know it is more than just lust. I....”
She put her finger to my lips. “I belong to Domitian. It is not something I want but that is how it is. Even when he is on the Danube I will still belong to him. He is the Emperor and he will not share me and so I will not endanger those I care about. If Domitian were to die campaigning or if he were to tire of me and no longer cared about me then my situation would be very different. Do you understand, Parthenian?”
“You are telling me that though you do not desire it, Domitian can be your only lover.”
“It is the way it is, Parthenian. He is the ruler of the world and neither you nor I nor anyone else can deny him and hope to live. In two days time he will come to Tibur for a few days and that will be the last time I see him for some time.”
“And me?” I asked.
“I will not see you again after today, though it is possible I will be summoned north for the Emperor’s pleasure when there is a lull in campaigning. If that happens I may see you but there can be no communication of any sort between us, for I do not want to arouse Domitian’s suspicions about me any further.”
“Are his suspicions justified?” I asked.
“They are and I will say no more. It is difficult enough as it is, Parthenian.”
“You are strong, Corelia, stronger than me.”
“You are a lover and not a fighter,” she smiled. “I suppose I am a fighter, for I have little experience of what it is like to love.”
I wanted to take her in my arms but I knew I could not. “Your time will come, Corelia.”
She sighed. “We must part and wait and see what the future might bring.”
I took her hand. “I have a feeling the future may be kind for both of us.”
“I hope so,” she said and stood up. I also stood up and looked into her beautiful blue eyes.
“You are truly the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“Farewell, Parthenian, and remember to stay with the baggage train and keep safe. Let the soldiers do the fighting.”
“I will certainly do that, farewell Corelia.” I watched in total admiration as she strode away. I felt sad at her departure and the circumstances of it, but I also felt strangely optimistic. Domitian would die at the hands of the Dacians. Or was it just wishful thinking on my part?
Chapter 21
Aquileia – Spring AD91
We left the palace on a spring morning at the beginning of the month of Martius. It all seemed very appropriate for the month was named after Mars, the god of war and we were heading for the Campius Martius to join up with two cohorts of auxiliaries under the command of Domitian’s friend, Manius Glabrio. From the Field of Mars we marched north at a steady pace with a proud Emperor at the head of a small army, which must have numbered about one thousand if you included the hundred Praetorians under the command of Otho. I was sorry that Cyprian was not among them as he was the one Praetorian that I regarded as a friend. The weather was warm and dry but not hot and so progress was steady. I imagined that conditions were ideal for an army on the march but then I had no experience of such matters.
We entered the city of Aquileia to a grand reception from the local inhabitants who seemed genuinely pleased to see their Emperor. We had made excellent time and we had arrived before the end of the month, and I must say I was impressed for I had expected more of a frontier town and less of a sophisticated city. The people lined the streets for a glimpse of Domitian and he was in his element. This was no frontier town but a city of opulence and grandeur surrounded by impressive city walls which would deter attacks from the barbarian tribes to the north. Domitian was welcomed with great pomp by the city magistrates while I admired the many fine houses and imposing statues. Many were of the Goddess Venus, the goddess of beauty and protector of the city, but they served only to remind me of Corelia and her matchless beauty, for Corelia had indeed been touched by Venus. This was a new showpiece Roman town which had only been built a few decades earlier and which had grown at a rapid pace due to the enormous trading links to the north and east.
It seemed that Domitian and his servants plus a contingent of Praetorian Guards under Otho would stay for two nights in Aquileia while the rest of the army would join the two legions of Sextus Fronto which were camped just outside the city. Domitian was ever conscious of his safety and so he wanted this protection at all times, even in a city that seemed as friendly and loyal as Aquileia. Domitian would rest the night after his travels and then attend a banquet the following night hosted by the chief magistrate, before rejoining the army outside the city. I was to have a small hotel room and then be simply left to my own devices and it was an arrangement that I was particularly happy with. Perhaps this campaigning was not so bad after all.
I slept well that night after weeks on the road and had the next day to myself while Domitian was looked after grandly by the fawning city folk. For recreation I strolled down the main thoroughfare of Aquileia taking in all the sights, for it was a city of many fine mansions and gardens but above all splendid statues. There were statues of famous Romans and Roman Gods and Goddesses but mostly there were impressive statues of the Goddess Venus. This was the city of Venus and I paused to admire a particularly splendid marble statue of her that must have stood twelve feet high. She looked down on me like a marble deity observing a frail mortal. Once again I was reminded of Corelia and as impressive as Aquileia was I wished to be back in Tibur with a living goddess.
There were tall buildings with high Grecian style columns and houses with carved friezes and red tiles on the roofs. There were temples, administrative buildings and wealthy mansions with fountains, some carved with mythological scenes or deities and surrounded by beautiful gardens from which pleasant smells pervaded the air, and fountains which deposited their water into fish-laden ponds. I could smell roses and other spring flowers and even the climate seemed kind but I suppose it was a good time of year. When I wandered away from the main avenues there was another side of Aquileia; narrow alleys where the poorer people lived and life was much tougher, but there was nothing here to match the unique squalor of the Subura.
After spending much of the day wandering around the city streets I returned to my hotel and taverna. I ordered some cheese, bread and watered-down wine and settled back to watch the bustling activity outside as busy citizens rushed back and forth on their business. I told myself to make the most of this pleasant lull in proceedings, for there were undoubted hardships ahead. The streets of Aquileia were crowded and there was a sense of purpose about the place. This was still a new city built only thirty years earlier by order of the Roman administration of the
time. It was in a strategic position at the head of the Adriatic Sea with the mountains and barbarian lands to the north, and the rich pastures of Italy to the south. It had grown quickly into a major trading centre and this was reflected in its busy cobbled streets, thick with artisans and traders. I was staying in an excellent house for travellers in a very cosmopolitan city. I finished my meal but stayed to watch the busy streets. When two attractive women walked by I thought about making inquiries about female company but then I thought of Corelia and discarded the idea.
I stayed until dusk fell upon the city and then I decided to return to my room. Domitian had informed me that we would leave at dawn the next day to join up with Sextus Fronto and Manius Glabrio on a large field outside the city walls and that I should be ready to leave early. Domitian, however, had not returned to his room and was no doubt still enjoying the hospitality of the city magistrates. If he wanted me, which was unlikely for he had rarely needed me on the trip north, he would call me. At the moment he was happy just being one of the men and they admired him for that, but I wondered how long it would last. I would now dream of my own flesh and blood Venus and then I would sleep. Even the Emperor could not control my dreams.
We left Aquileia the next morning and at that early hour people were on the streets to wave at their Emperor as he departed the city. There was Domitian plus me and two other servants and also Otho and nearly half of his Praetorian Guard. The rest had left with Glabrio and his two cohorts to join Fronto and his two legions outside the city. Domitian leaned across to me. “No more comforts for you, Parthenian. This is where the real soldiering begins.”
“Yes, your majesty,” I responded, trying to seem enthusiastic but I grimaced as I looked away.
Otho saw and grinned. “I am no more enthusiastic than you, chamberlain,” he whispered.
I was astounded when we reached the top of a hill that overlooked the city. There in the vast plain below was a real army, and most impressive it looked. There must have been about ten thousand men assembled on the plain below. Domitian looked down with pride on the large host and said out loud but to no-one in particular, “Six thousand men of the II Adiutrix under Sextus Fronto and four thousand men of the III Italica, plus our one thousand auxiliaries under the command of Manius Glabrio. The Alamanni will be overwhelmed by such a large and disciplined force.”