Enewald: Neither did I! That's what happens when Alexi leaves Rome for a few years; crazy things start to happen.
Tommy4ever: Well, with support like that, how could I not keep going?
SplendidTuesday: I can't blame you for drawing that conclusion. But no, this is not the UED commander Alexi Stukov from Starcraft. I stole the name many years ago for my very first AAR way back in HoI1, and just stuck with it because it has a nice ring to it.
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October 21, 1068
Alexi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, sucking in the cool morning air before exhaling in a long, slow motion. Hands clasped behind his back, he strolled leisurely through the ancient Roman ruins. Every now and again, he could catch a glimpse of one of his bodyguards, shadowing him while still giving him enough space to give the illusion that he was alone. Ever since he had arrived on Earth, he had routinely wandered through these ruins, taking advantage of an opportunity that had been deprived him his whole life.
Fidgeting with his hands slightly, Alexi's mind drifted back to the past ten months. After settling some of the more pressing issues regarding the conquest of Sicily, Alexi had hurried back to Rome to see his new son, leaving Isaac and Staurakios behind with most of the army to oversee a smooth transition to Roman rule. After a swift voyage, he arrived to find, greatly to his relief, that the birth had been without any complications. Both Ingrid and Nicholas were as healthy as Alexi could hope.
Alexi stopped walking, staring down at a dilapidated brick wall, before which it was alleged the ancient emperors' throne stood. Half-covered by dirt and grass, there was nothing left now but broken slabs of stone. Alexi never thought he had ever truly loved anything before. His father's empire had always seemed a distant, inconsequential thing as he had grown to maturity. At times, he had even wondered if he even had the capacity to love. But as he held Nicholas in his arms that first day in Rome, with Ingrid smiling warmly from the corner of the room, he felt he better understood why his father had done what he did to him for all those years.
What good is an empire that only lives as long as its founder? Alexi thought.
If he dropped dead this very instant, Alexi had little doubt that history would remember him. But being remembered was not enough. He had to leave some lasting mark on the world, something that would defy time and continue on into the future. He would live on through his children, in some form or another.
Nicholas would have to be raised carefully. Though his infant mind could not possibly grasp it, the responsibility now resting on his shoulders was immense. For now, he was the only heir to the Stukov bloodline.
For now.
Lingering for several more minutes amidst the ruins of the Palatine, Alexi continued his journey, backtracking toward the Forum. As he drew nearer, he caught sight of a man, looking worse than one of the many beggars, rushing through the ruins, followed closely by two town watch. One of Alexi's bodyguards, already far ahead, materialized from behind a stone pillar and dropped the man with a well-placed strike with the flat end of his sword, eliciting a light chuckle from him.
The cost of the Sicilian war had been ruinous on the Roman treasury. The last of his initial wealth had long since been spent, and debts from the military expenditure of sustaining thousands of men in the field had skyrocketed. A slew of new taxes and the auctioning of some of Alexi's county property had kept the more demanding creditors appeased until coin could once again flow into the treasury, but such measures had not been kind to much of the local masses.
As Alexi approached the downed beggar, the two town watches grabb him by his shoulders and roughly hefted him up. "On your knees, scum!" one of them snarled.
"What crime did this man commit?" Alexi asked, crossing his arms and staring down at the man.
"We caught this wretch trying to steal from a local merchant, my lord," the guard replied. "Forgive us for disturbing you, but he's quicker than he looks." Alexi simply chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
"It's not true!" the man blurted out suddenly. "That man is a..."
The man could not finish his sentence as the second guard roughly belted him across the back of the head. "Hold your tongue, thief! Or we'll cut it out!"
Alexi held up his hand, stopping the guard as he reached for his sword. "I don't think that will be necessary... for now. Let him speak."
"Thank you, my lord," the man said, clutching the back of his head. "I had gone out to buy a new dress... for my daughter, you see. But that bastard, when he saw how I was dressed, he assumed I was a criminal, and called for the guards. I didn't know what to think... so I ran."
"Does he have any stolen goods on him?" Alexi asked, glancing up at one of the guards.
"No, my lord. But he could have gotten rid of it while running!" he quickly added.
Alexi nodded and turned his gaze back on the man. "I don't suppose you have the coin with which you were going to buy this... dress?"
The man stared mutely for a moment, before rifling nervously through his pockets. "Y-yes... er... it... it should be right here." Emptying out his pockets, the man looked up forelornly. "I... must have dropped it."
Alexi snorted and nodded his head. "I've heard enough. Guards, take this thief away."
"Father! No!" a voice cried out from behind them. Alexi turned to see where the new voice came from, and blinked at the sight of a woman being held off by two of Alexi's bodyguards.
"Please, my lord! He's innocent!" the woman stared at him imploringly. For a moment, Alexi stared wordlessly at the sight before him. Despite her rather shabby attire, the young woman's figure looked like something from a sculptor's dream. Flowing auburn hair framed a perfect, unblemished face.
"Let her through..." Alexi began haltingly, swallowing hard as he gestured her to approach.
Smiling in relief, the woman stepped forward as the bodyguards moved aside. A few steps away from Alexi, she halted and bowed.
Oh. Well isn't that interesting, he spoke inwardly, as a multitude of thoughts leapt unbidden into his mind.
"He is your..." Alexi paused, frowning as he tried to put his finger on the right word. "...your father?"
"Yes, my lord," she responded earnestly. "This all has to be some terrible misunderstanding. My father would never steal, even for me," she smiled invitingly, her eyes glittering.
A part of Alexi's mind wondered how she knew her father had been accused of stealing. In different circumstances, he might have even voiced his suspicions. But, in the high-spirited days following his return from Sicily, Ingrid discovered she was pregnant again. For her sake, and for the sake of decency, he had not bedded with her since then.
Nine months.
"I see," Alexi said, returning her smile. "Yes... yes, I'm sure there's been some mistake." He paused, glancing back at the woman's father, whose expression betrayed a hopeful apprehension. "Perhaps it would be better for us to discuss this matter in a more private setting?"
The woman's eyes darted briefly toward her father, then back at Alexi. The corners of her lips curled slightly, but that same inviting expression remained intact. "Of course, my lord," she replied.
"Excellent," Alexi smirked. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a messenger approaching. Clearing his throat, he gestured to one of the gathered bodyguards. "One of my men will show you the way. I will be along in a moment."
The woman bowed again, eliciting a sigh from him, before turning and following one of the soldiers. Alexi's gaze lingered on her as she retreated, before he turned to face the thief again.
"Release this man," he ordered the guards. "You were right to suspect him, but clearly a mistake has been made."
"I am in your debt!" the man groveled as the two guards let go of him. Alexi ignored him, turning instead to the messenger, who handed him a letter. Unrolling the piece of parchment, Alexi glanced through its contents, a grin slowly spreading across his lips.
"A daughter," he whispered under his breath. "A second heir."
Alexi quickly regained his composure, clearing his throat as he crumbled up the note and stuffed it in his pocket, Alexi looked up at the messenger again. "Inform them that I will be along shortly. I have a few matters to attend to first."
Neither Ingrid nor his new daughter would be in any condition to see him just yet, Alexi told himself. Far better for him to arrive with unfrayed nerves and a clear head.
Besides, what's the worst that could happen?