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Chapter XXIII: Mountainous flanking

Our units arrived there in late August, such big is the Roman Empire even if diminished. Some legions coming all the way from the Sicilian coastline, half of the units were in dire need of some free time, and to accomplish that we stopped at Iuvavum. The Thuringians were to siege it anyways.

However, no attack came for weeks. Instead what we got were many reports of constant raids and assaults on the already pillaged towns. Truly, Bisinus Almading was none the wiser. However, he did achieve one thing, which is to get us to leave our fortified position and go on the offensive. The ally units were now completely fresh and eager to meet the foe, so we didn’t have to worry about desertions or misbehaviour in our lines. Tens of villages had already been burned down in both the Monachian and Oeniponsian areas, but to be honest I’m not even impressed at this point. It’s always the same. Comes Paulus was once again scared of an incoming force, but he had nothing to fear for the victorious Legions were once again near his fort at Tauriscia.

We were forced to move our units through the mountains of the Lesser Alps, ready to reinforce once again the garrisons behind the Mura. This seemed to be a complete repetition of past actions but there is a small detail that we were ignoring back then: We were now the ones that had to cross the river.

Septimius Decius was the main leader of the Roman units, being Decimus his second in command. The current governor of the Alpes Maritimae designed a simple but smart plan to make a two flanked crossing, so as to avoid a completely centralized conflict. It was understood that there was to be a battle, and it was an unavoidable reality, but the fewer men we lost in the mountainous areas of the northwest the better.

I was separated from Decimus, as my group required the carriage I was using to carry goods through the plains, while my kinsman went with the mountainous assaultants. We did not know back then were the enemy was located, nor did we know what their intentions were. However, what we did know is that they were to be crushed, for this time they would definitely be the last ones to dare cross the border. I swear, the limitanei really need to begin doing their job correctly. It’s already been two times an enemy has crossed the Alps in less than three years and the last time that it happened the results were bleak until we arrived at the scene.

Our side of the army marched surrounding the bigger Alps, letting ourselves be seen by everyone, including possible Thuringian reconnaissance units that were scouting the roads.

We were the decoy, of course, and we were to move slightly towards the Mura but always with a second paved road near just in case we were to flee.

Decimus meanwhile, as he detailed me later, crossed the mountains directly with a group of a thousand and a half men, suffering the pain of having to wear and carry
heavy armour while leading an army that was constantly getting lost in the neverending woods. At least he had a horse this time…
 
Chapter XXIV: Tauriscian Dèja Vu

Just a few weeks after the desired river appeared to our south. The sun was shining bright in the sky so no ambush was planned this time. To our dismay, Bisinus had completely ignored our unit and was instead already busy fighting Decimus’ army, who had not achieved their surprise factor. The city was not menaced by itself, but Paulus decided to remain inside just in case.

Our units had to rush to their aid and arrived tired to the fighting ground. To our right there was the Mura, and to our left the mountains. In front: The foe. Bisinus himself was leading the armies and although not very on the bright side, he was surely capable of crushing an enemy’s chest with ease. You do not need culture for that. In fact, the less cultured, the better. He, as king, was leading the centre. There was no centre on our side and it was instead just flanks. Was it exactly as Septimius had planned? Not really, but the idea of a double flanking had worked nonetheless.

A bunch of onagers were raining down on the enemy, although I must say there was a lot of friendly fire. I feared that I would get hit if I got too close to the battlefield, so I watched from a safe distance. Safety over everything else.

The Thuringian center began to weaken after half an hour of combat, nonetheless, they resisted bravely until their King ordered them to retreat to a safer position. They weren’t defeated, they were simply attempting to get some breathing ground. I could see them advance towards the rock I was hiding behind so I had to move away quickly. Neither Decimus nor Septimius Decius persecuted them, also wanting to get some respite themselves too.

When I got closer to my kin I could see that his face had two different shades of red. The darker one due to wounds, especially an arrow hit that will leave him a scar for the rest of his life, and the lighter one his tired face, red of the effort he had just undergone.

No attempt was made by any of the two parties to persecute the foe, nor would anyone engage in combat, so we could say that the battle ended in a tie, despite both sides claiming victory.


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My take on the casualties
 
Chapter XXV: Seiani: Past and future

While we are spending the winter at camp, being the Thuringians very far away, life is very boring and there’s nothing much to break the monotony of these snowy lands; that is, until very recently as extremely auspicious news have arrived from all the way back from Florentia, from where we left no so long ago. A messenger came this morning, waking up the entire Roman camp in his quest to deliver the letter, and gave the good news to Decimus.

He is going to be a father.

I will not even attempt to hide the joy everyone in our group felt. They were all friends of Decimus after all. Comes Arsacius, who has sired three children in the past three years, joked that he would have to arrange a marriage between his daughter Constantina and his not-yet-born son. He knew that Decimus was opposed to arranged marriages, and he himself had married Agretia despising his father, Maximus, may god keep his soul rest in peace.
He would surely have liked to duplicate the pay of the soldiers just for that day to celebrate, but Orestes would absolutely punish him for his actions. The Roman treasure has been in shambles for the past fifty years and will probably remain the same for the next few years at the bare minimum.

Being the only member of the Seiani close enough for celebration, we held a little feast where we spoke of other members of the family and their whereabouts.

Most of our blood is located in the Etruria region, with the epicenter in Volsinii, but that hasn’t prohibited our members to expand and spread like the wind.

I’ve got a second cousin, Metellus, who’s currently at court in Constantinople, where Emperor Illus resides. Oh, didn’t I say? The Isaurian faction, the strongest of the Imperial Factions of the East, has sacked former Emperor Zeno from his position and has put another man, whom they believe to be more competent than the twice banished Rousombladiotes. We’ll see how long this one lasts.

Another of my long list of cousins, Tarquitius, resides in Aegyptus, where he has gotten accustomed to the local traditions. He often sends gifts all the way from the Breadbasket of Rome, but they don’t tend to arrive in good condition.

Finally, the farthest of our family members, at least that I know, is Marius Galerius, a very old member of our Gens. He is a priest and a preacher, and currently he is deep in the lands of Hibernia. where not many Romans have dared step. He is allegedly following the steps of a certain Saint called Patricius, very popular with the Insular peoples.

As you, dear reader, have seen, the Seiani are everywhere, but none except Decimus holds a post of importance, nor have we done so for the past hundreds of years. Some tragedies are small, but leave a hole throughout entire dynasties.
 
Chapter XXVI: Ides of March
March has arrived once again, and with it so has our time to march again. We’ve spent the winter of the year 481 hidden in the area of Oenipons and Monachium, between two valleys, safe from the snow and cold and any illnesses that could arise.

Bisinus, whom I have begun to believe is smarter that it may seem, hasn’t crossed the Danube a single time in four months, ever since he retreated in the lands of the Child Emperor’s uncle. We fear that he will do so very soon, now that the ice is beginning to melt. Perhaps it should be best to stop carousing and begin moving once again?

A week later:

I wish my prophetic words could function when I want them to, for Bisinus has just crossed the Danube and has begun advancing towards Iuvavum again. He couldn’t take it last year, but he will surely attempt to do so this one.

We are marching at full speed to halt him from achieving his goals but I believe we are around… one or two weeks too far from arriving on time.

Another two weeks later:

My fear was correct. Even though our troops moved as quick as their strong legs let them and they are not to blame, we didn’t make it on time. From our position, right outside the city of Iuvavum, we could see how many a fire had burned half of the city, and the other half was already in ruins.

The Alamanni hadn’t been able to crack the tough defenses of the capital fortress, but I guess Bisinus has had better luck.

Now our army is marching to strike the retiring Thuringians from the back, as they don’t expect our troops any day soon. Full of anger for the people that they had sacked, the barbarians would not have another fight. Much like what had happened with Rome, the Khonij was about to see the full might of the Imperial War Host, cohort by cohort, each and every one of them armed to the teeth and well rested despite the long marches.

Septimius Decius was once again leading the recruits at the right flank when he met the back of the enemies deep in the mountainside. Ennodius, cohort leader in the left and vassal of Decimus quickly advanced in a pincer movement to deny escape to the German hordes. There would be no siege nor any crazy cavalry charges unlike Decimus’ first recorded battle, just hand to hand combat. Archers are absolutely unnecessary in such a terrain, so they are forced to use their pilum instead of the bow. All the arrows would just get stuck in the trees.

Bisinus must surely not have expected us to arrive at his rear, for he took at least an hour to rush all his scattered units together to mount some kind of defensive position behind which they could reorganize, but this was no Second Carpi, they didn’t get a chance to do so at least, so once again, and this time harsher than the last time, Bisinus was forced to rush away and hide from our chase.
We could surely claim victory this time, but there would be no rest until each one of the invaders had either crossed the Danube once again, never to do so again, or all of them lay dead all around Pannonia, hunted one by one.

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As always, my take on the casualties for both sides.
 
Chapter XXVII: The crossing of the Danube

I recall, in my younger years, reading about how Emperors like Maximinus or Tiberius crossed into Germania by building huge pontoons and the huge hardships their armies suffered in those barren lands. I also recall, however, reading how those glorious expeditions into untamed lands stopped due to infighting, civil conflict and the breaking of the limes, especially in Gaul, where currently Aphranius remains as the last remnant of some kind of “Romanitas”, with barbarians at all sides. His borders have diminished since the last time I wrote about him, mostly to the expense of the Salians and their Frankish steel. His situation worsens day after day, but I don’t think the fort of Augusta Suessionum, the biggest of the Roman Civitates of free Gallia, will fall any day soon. I hope not.


For ourselves though, the time has arrived to reenact the glorious battles of Idistaviso or Noviodunum. I really hope this doesn’t end in a second Teutoburg, or Decimus would more than likely play the role of Varus.

Bisinus’ armies were completely routed after our huge success at Iuvavum during the Ides of March, and now they had retreated north spurred by our cavalry. So quick was their retreat, in fact, that they left the pontoons intact and ready for us to cross with ease.

Their light units didn’t pose a threat to our centuries and cohorts, perfectly organized and cohesionated. I was one of the last to cross into unknown land, for we lacked any maps of the region but I don’t think any preparation is really necessary, as the enemy is completely broken and we are just attempting to secure a lasting peace by all means necessary, even if those means mean decimating their population.

An envoy arrived not much after we had crossed the Danube, but he wasn’t Thuringian. Bloodstained and tired he revealed himself as Magnus, messenger of King Feletheus of the Rygir, the only “Romanized”, read it with huge quotes, of the tribes north of the Danube.

He, along with most of his population, had accepted Christ and God as the true deities and had abandoned his Germanic heresy… Only to become a heresiarch. Correct, the Rygir were followers of Arius, a heresiarch that believed that Jesus was not as godly as God. Imagine that.

Magnus told us that the Rygir were fighting on two fronts; a Thuringian invasion in the west and an Alamannian to their east, along with many border raids of the Heruli and the Sarmatians. He informed Decimus and the other generals how King Feletheus’ brother, Ferderuchus, had been offered up in sacrifice by the pagans, and if there is something us Romans hate more than Arianism is human sacrifices.

Disgusted by this information, Arsacius ordered the envoy to tell his master that there would be no fight between the two, and that we would attempt to avenge his fallen brother while also securing a lasting peace for ourselves.

 
Thuringia is invading Rome.

Hmm, the Seiani are scattered. When was their diaspora, I wonder? Also, I wonder what power the Seiani could have if they united.
 
Also, I wonder what power the Seiani could have if they united.
Being Decimus the only person with soldiers under his command I don't think a Seiani uprising could be organized in the near future.

Only time can tell though.
 
Chapter XXVIII: Madness or Cowardice

It’s been two months, two! That we’ve been here fighting the enemy. Well, not myself, but you get the gist. Their hordes are everywhere and the troop is beginning to suffer of hunger and sickness.

King Feletheus managed to get a quick, unstable peace from the Thuringians the second King Bisinus heard we’d managed to cross the Danube so easily so he could focus on us, but all we’ve gotten has been small raids that have crippled our supply routes and nothing more. No big armies, no nothing. We’re currently awaiting outside the walls, or better, palisades, of Strupigna, one of the many small fortifications of the Thuringians. We’ve taken tens of forts like these, and there’s no way that the Thuringians have slipped through our roads and invaded Iuvavum, so now the question is simple: Where are they?

Are they such cowards that their units, which number roughly the same size as ours, aren’t ready to fight on their own soil? Orestes wasn’t lying when he ordered the execution of each man that we found in our way, but still, nobody has showed up to avenge their countrymen.

Bisinus is either a mad coward or an overconfident tactician, for our units gain strength day by day while his domains diminish. There’s no way we leave without his head, or those of his commander’s.

Some of the legionaries are going, however, bedridden with disease, but they aren’t going anywhere but safer spots back still north of the Danube just to recover, there’s no retreating at this point.

Perhaps I do sound more enthusiastic than before, but I guess the speeches the generals deliver every night right before sending the vast majority to our huts really do their job at keeping the morale as high as the Roman Imperial Glory.
 
It seems as if Thuringia is falling.

As to where the Thuringians are... they could just not be attacking at all. No one said that the AI was completely logical.

Also, are you going to keep Thuringian lands? Overextending yourself beyond the Danube could be a very bad move.
 
Also, are you going to keep Thuringian lands? Overextending yourself beyond the Danube could be a very bad move.
This war is a defensive one, there's no way the Empire is taking land
 
Chapter XXIX: Strupigna, synonym of Hunger

Why must it be that this fort isn’t giving up? Is the entire Thuringian army hidden inside this small settlement? I can’t certainly know but it’s been another two months since the last time I wrote about the conflict and the situation doesn’t look like it’s going to change. Our units suffer from hunger and the effects of small-scale desertion are starting to be seen. Either that or the Thuringians are picking our Vigilantes apart every night. There hasn’t been a single proper enemy attack, but I don’t have enough fingers to count the raids; I lost the count three months ago, when my tent was lit on fire by a pagan savage. Who kills the messenger? I was not doing anything but write. Rude.

Nonetheless, progress has been made in the meantime. Nothing can enter or leave the small town, and the walls have been broken into several times, only to be repulsed by around three hundred properly entrenched Thuringians. I’d really like to see Sabinianus return from wherever he is to topple this “mountain”.

If we are suffering from hunger, well, then they really must be eating stones at this point, because at least we have some kind of supply route, even if half of it is drowning in mud and rainfall.

I really see no reason for them to hold for this long. Just give up! I know for certain that Bisinus’ capital is located at Erphesfurt, so inland that Teutoburg would look like a joke in comparison to what we’d have to suffer to get there, if we ever got there in the first place. Our three legions would be obliterated man by man either from hunger, sickness or javelin. There’s no way Decimus can do a repeat of what he did at Mantua so why bother?
 
It seems as if our narrator is pissed about the Thuringians’s stubbornness.
 
Chapter XXX: Furculae Caudinae

Let’s begin, before anything else, with a simple message: Either Decimus, or Arsacius, or Jovianus, or all three together, are the luckiest men alive.

With this said, I can continue narrating the events at Strupigna.

Finally, the 24th of September of the year 482 of our lord Strupigna and its decimated and sickness-ridden garrison surrendered, and to our surprise, leading the shameful display came no other but Bisinus Almading himself, Khonij of all the Thuringians that surrounded him with shields.

They weren’t going to fight, nor were they going to let go with a fair deal, as they had ransacked our domains without reason. This was no second Odoacer. Odoacer’s foederates had a reason, a weak one but still a reason, to revolt against Orestes and the Child Emperor, but Bisinus just took advantage of the lack of units in the north and went straight for the loot, even if there was almost nothing to loot.

Now, much like our extremely ancient grandfathers had suffered at the expenses of the Samnites, it was the time for the resurgent Roman army to humiliate the Samnites of our times: The Germanic Barbarians. Bisinus was forced to sign a treaty that said that for as long as he lived, along with his descendants, the Thuringians were forced to remain ally to the Romans in times of hardship and in times of gain. In turn they would get the protection of the biggest Empire history had ever seen, only paired by Alexander Magnus himself. Doesn’t really matter that our empire is shattered in two, the glory of one is the prestige of the other.

He is also forced to pay a yearly tribute of gold, denarii or other goods, along with 100 horses to fulfill the necessities of our ever growing cavalry. May this god-forsaken land obey their new masters.

Oh, right before I finish this chapter; you, as I did not long ago, must be wondering why Bisinus would have remained here, just to let himself be captured. Well, I get to answer two questions in one go. First of all, a recurrent doubt I’ve had has been whether if Bisinus was extremely brilliant or extremely unintelligent, and I finally can answer it with ease: He is, with no doubt, the most obtuse, mindless, pagan leader Rome has fought against since the times of the Cimbri. The only reason he wasn’t obliterated the second his armies met ours back at Iuvavum was because under his unskillful command lay several experienced armies, which have fought all the way from Gaul to Dacia and are several times more trained than the most fit legionary, but still they could do nothing but orderly retreat when their leadership sent them to a slaughterhouse. The reason he decided to stay there was simply because he wanted to rest, to take a nap, after the heavy fighting that followed the crossing of the Danube. Once he woke up, and much to the dismay of the soldiers that had attempted to warn him, he discovered that the entire fortress had been surrounded.

Truly, there have been no Alexanders among the Thuringian royalty, and we’ll make sure there will be none in the future.
 
What was Odoacer’s reason?

“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep. I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” - Alexander Magnus. Feels applicable here.
 
Chapter XXXI: Sertorius Seianus

The day has come. After around 10 years of continuous fighting and several emperors, the armies have demobilized and the hungry soldiers have safely crossed the Danube back home to their families.

Our trip through the northern parts of the country was one of slow marches and friendly meetings with the local commanders and garrisons, who cheered the men for their bravery. Many followers of Decimus, who had come from each and every town of Tuscany, talked with each other about what they would do now that peace had been achieved and how they were ready to return to their farmlands or simply remain in the army, just in case.

For myself, I am quite ready to enjoy some peace on my own, expanding and rechecking my writings or perhaps backtracking a bit to the days before Decimus. I don’t really know yet.

Decimus was extremely eager to meet his wife, Agretia Decia, daughter of the deceased Princeps of the Senate Flavius Caecina Decius. The Decians are a big family, and Decimus has around ten or fifteen nephews and nieces, with ages ranging from the late twenties to just recently born.

And speaking about births… The main reason Decimus was insisting of being quick to return home was because of the message he received at Germania, noticing him of the pregnancy of his wife. The child was due to be born before he returned, so he wasn’t present when the thing happened. It was the 13th of August of 482. Decimus, who is currently 42 years old, feared that the child may have been born sickly and perished before he even had the option to meet him. This has not been the case.

The child, who bears the name “Sertorius”, is as healthy as possible and his red cheeks anticipate a long and prosperous life. Of course, as the “biographer” of the Seiani, I will make sure to note everything that goes on in his life, from this very young age to at least his adulthood. I don’t expect to die before that happens, I really hope it doesn’t.

The domus where the higher Seiani reside is one outside from the main city, right outside the decumanus. It is spacious and well lighted, perfect for the child to grow safely, and also, many scholars that have lived in the northern or southern part of the empire, which have been ravaged by the many conflicts or simply come from former Roman, now barbarian occupied domains, they all now reside in the betweenlands of Florentia to Ravenna, of Beneventum to Ancona. This means that there is a large range of philosophers, historians and poets ready to teach the small child the arts of the ancient Greeks and the more glorious Roman writers.
 
Gotta met my son... - Decimus
 
Chapter XXXII: In times of peace: Maps

It’s been a pretty comfortable, peaceful, three months, and even though I shall not be a hypocrite and pray for the deaths of many men or women, Roman or non-Roman, I must say that as a writer and chronicler, this is… kind of boring.

The Thuringians haven’t caused much trouble nor have any of our other neighbours, but they surely do some active warring between them so I’ll leave the comfort zone that represents the Roman limes of my mind and search for the many Romans outside of the boundaries. Because not all Romans are under Rome, and not all that are under Rome are Romans.

I’m sure you, dear reader, will recall the vast dominion of Magnus Decius, located deep down in the Baetica and how it cracked the second they achieved independence from their Visigoth liege. King Alaricus is not the best military man, hence his interest of getting Odoacer as a commander. I find it very curious how Odoacer has submitted to the barbarian Visigoth and has reluctantly sworn featly. It is extremely ironic how his revolt against Rome, the one that could have caused most damage to the Imperial Eagle and quite possibly could have completely wiped it out from the maps happened for his and his men’s desire for freedom but now he has simply accepted a small title of Comes and has settled for a quiet life.

Returning back to Magnus now, he is constantly fighting for land with Caecilius Cassiodorus, leader of the Romans of Gades. Said Caecilius hasn’t claimed the Imperial dignity yet, and I don’t really know much about him but he seems to be much more competent than his imperial claimant counterpart.

To his left, in the smaller lands of the Suebi, a man named Sergius has been fighting a pretty large guerrilla campaign against his Barbarian overlords. Much like the ancient Viriatus, the number of men dwindle and grow every time he fights a battle or crosses a town, and he has allegedly pledged allegiance to the West and his wish to form part once again of our Empire. He hopes, of course, to earn the title of Governor for his actions. Only time can tell.

Then, slightly north and located right under the safe haven for Bagaudae that are the Pyrenees are the always burning lands of Burdunellus, another claimant to the Imperial Purple. He is constantly defending his capital at Tarraco from all kinds of raiders: Vasconi, Bacaudae, Visigoths, Vandal pirates…

Finally, to our West reside the lands of Afranius Siagrius, whom I have mentioned several times and will not bother to speak about again, as nothing really has happened to him in the meantime.

To our right there are only two Roman realms; but what Roman realms they are. The first of all, obviously, is the Eastern Roman Empire, led still by Illus, who has surprisingly managed to crush all dissidents at least for now. Being Illus technically not legitimate, as he was chosen successor of the ousted Zeno just by a faction and not by the entirety of the empire, he is more than inclined to recognize the Child Emperor as legitimate in exchange of his own legitimacy. Oh, and by the way, It’s about to be Romulus’s sixteenth birthday, the birthday in which he is proclaimed old enough to rule and Orestes is supposed to end his regency. It is quite obvious that he is nothing more than a figurehead for his father’s despotic interests, but one day Orestes will perish, and at that day his son will be alone in front of the power hungry nobility of the cosmopolite Ravenna.

The last of the realms is the one of former Emperor Iulius Nepos, whom I deeply respect, but I shall not let him take the throne from the about-to-be-adult child emperor, as he is the one I respect the most. Nepos is currently fighting against the foederates of the Eastern Empire, the Ostrogoths of Theodoricus. His intention is quite possibly to gain as much territory as possible and quite probably strike us in the near future, so there might be another war in sight soon.
 
Two claimants to the Western Imperial Throne are likely soon to fight each other... and what a war that will be!

It seems as if Hispania is mainly Roman, but they can’t decide who is to be the ruling Roman there...

Nice state of the world update!
 
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Chapter XXXIII: Nullius Augustulus
The day has come, the day when the child emperor is no more. No more child I mean, I really hope he remains emperor for a long and prosperous reign. I’ve been at Ravenna only once in my life, back when the usurper was attempting to breach the walls of the Imperial Capital. However, during all the chaos that ensued before, during, and after the actual clash I had no opportunity to meet the child emperor. It has been rumoured that Orestes had sent him camouflaged to Ancona, where a small part of his family had resided although I have no way to prove this. Maybe this was all an attempt to discourage the wannabe Imperial Dignatary, as not capturing the current Emperor means you are still not Emperor. Comparisons with Nepos are absolutely prohibited on these auspicious weeks I’ve been spending at Ravenna, much more relaxed this time. The stress of being under siege surely gets on one’s nerves.

The celebrations began the 6th of Ianuarius, the EMPEROR’s birthday. The preparations that preceded the partying that erupted all across the capital had been being prepared for almost a month, and they turned out pretty well. Gladiatores, spectaculums and many more interesting events were held for weeks, and some of those still are being held today. Using the money and gold looted from the Thuringians, who have been sure to send an envoy to congratulate the Sixteen years old as quick as they were able to, the Imperial pride has shined once again, clean as clear glass and with the prestige and respect it deserves.

The Thuringians haven’t been the only ones to send an envoy though. From all across the Empire came Duces, Comites and Barones just to see the crowning of the new Emperor. He technically was Emperor but Orestes held all the power and he was really nothing more than a figurehead. Quite a decent figurehead I must say, really outdid himself at following orders. It might sound as a joke or as myself affronting the Emperor, but think no further, as the reason for this is not one often mentioned in historical books.

You see, dear reader, many children have been Emperors, but how many of those have actually managed to reign past their adulthood? I can answer that with ease; None. Severus Alexander, the first of them, assassinated at Moguntiacum. Gordianus the third of his name, murdered by his treacherous praetorian prefect. Gratianus and Valentinianus the second, both murdered. What Romulus has achieved has never been done before. I must concede that Gratianus and Valentinianus were older than Romulus when murdered, but the reason for their downfall goes far earlier.

Let’s return back to less… murderous topics. The Crowning took place at the Basilica of Petrus Crisologus, bishop of Ravenna a few years before. It is a magnificent building, big enough to fit at least a hundred people with ease. Using my kin as a tactic to not lose such a sighting and using certain threats that if Decimus got to hear would surely have made him want to beat me with a stick, I got to watch the event go down. I was in the last of the rows, almost hidden in a corner but from there I was able to see the blonde hair of Emperor Romulus, with his well cut beard shining with either holy water or sweat. We all know what this means. Much like back at the times of Traianus, beards are going to become fashionable once again. I can’t wait to get one of his adulthood coins for myself to keep. Decimus was there too, with Arsacius, Septimius Decius, Titus and many more generals and regional leaders I won’t even try to list, because I know nothing about them, not even their names. If anyone wishes to know more about those there must surely be an Imperial List somewhere, this is a bureaucracy after all. The crowning took almost three hours to complete, which finished with a speech of Emperor Romulus Augustus. I had never heard him speak so it really came to me as a shock to listen to his voice for the first time. It was surely young but decided, and in his discourse he mentioned his wish for recovering the lost prestige and, and I quote “making sure that no dissent, either foraneous or from the inside is never ever tolerated again.” Truly a great beginning for a great epoch.

Three weeks after that event I am currently sitting at the steps of the Bibliotheca of Ravenna, the most magnificent building of the northeast of Italy, and a fanfare has just crossed the street in front of me. Imagine having to hear tens of those every day through the window of your bedroom. O god! Why have you decided to punish me, when I have done no wrong.
 
Looks like Romulus might make a good Emperor. Perhaps he will be like his namesake?

Hopefully, the glory that was Western Rome may be restored...