Thanks to
@DiagorasCinna for nominating me for Character WritAAR of the Week. In celebration, here's today's update!
Somewhere in Epirus, May 489 AD
Demetrius mulled over recent events. He needed to keep control in the future. “There have been many conflicts in recent years,” he said to himself. “Somebody is working behind the scenes… likely.” Somebody, or multiple somebodies… And if there were, he wondered who knew. Secrets piled up upon secrets, probably. He was not going there. Let others plot and scheme, but he would enforce the Throne’s will. Loyalty was rewarded by the Emperors of Rome almost always. Sometimes, so was competence.
He was reminded of an old, almost forgotten, saying: what has been written, has been written. He sighed and murmured grimly, “Unfortunately, that does not mean it cannot be erased…”
The Imperial Palace, Constantinople, May 490 AD
Emperor Longinus invited his adopted son, Prince Justinian, into his room. He would pass on his wisdom to his son, for there must be someone to carry on his plans upon his death. He expected that they would take a very long time to be completed, but monarchs should always be patient. He would begin by teaching his son military tactics, but then he would tell him about what his plans were and how they were to be enforced…
“Why have you called me here, father?,” Justinian politely asked.
“I must tell you some things,” Emperor Longinus began. “To train you for ruling the Empire.”
“First, what is the best tactic in a battle?,” the Emperor asked.
“I don’t know,” Justinian replied. “What should one do in a battle?”
“The best tactic, more often than not, is to flank them,” Justinian’s father began. “This means that you attempt to get a portion of your army around your opponent’s army, so that you can attack them from two sides at once. This can be taken further, where one attacks the same army from three or more sides at once, but this is extraordinarily hard to do.”
“Why is it hard?,” Justinian wondered. “Is it because it is hard to get your troops in that position?”
“That is exactly one of the reasons,” the Emperor began. “Another is that splitting up any army too much leaves each individual army more vulnerable.”
“Ah,” Prince Justinian realized. “The ancient principle of Divida et Impera… that division means your enemies can conquer you…”
“Exactly,” Emperor Longinus responded. “We’re down on military strategy, on how to deal with many outside enemies. That is good, but there is more to ruling this Empire than outside enemies…”
“How does a ruler deal with enemies from within, then?,” the Heir to the Throne of the Eastern Roman Empire wondered.
“For some enemies within the Empire, you can simply wait for them to revolt or make a move and deal with them as you would deal with outside enemies,” Emperor Longinus began. “For others, you can attempt to arrest or blackmail them. Unfortunately, a ruler must not only deal with their enemies.”
“Who else would an Emperor have to deal with?,” Justinian asked.
“They must also deal with their allies and those who would manipulate them,” his father said. “What do you know of what lurks in the shadows?”
“Many things can hide in the shadows,” Justinian began. “However, they mainly conceal the deeds of schemers and plotters…”
“Precisely,” his father praised. “There are many people or organizations who would like to manipulate the Throne.”
“What do we do about them?,” Justinian asked, although he already had an idea of the answer.
His father smirked. “If they wish to manipulate us,” he began. “Then we will manipulate them right back.”
“And what happens once they have outlived their usefulness to our plans?,” the Heir to the Imperial Throne asked.
“Then, we find a way to get rid of them,” the current holder of the Imperial Throne responded.
Justinian figured that his father probably meant that they should kill them. However, he had his own ideas, as he was kinder than his father was. Perhaps he would lose that kindness after he had reigned for some time as Emperor of Eastern Rome, but he still had it for now. He figured that those who were no longer useful to the plan could be given good retirements, and if they already knew about the Imperial Court’s schemes and plots, then, perhaps, they could be paid to keep quiet. Greed was a deadly and extremely common sin, after all.