Aeneas looked up in shock as his meeting with a local merchant seeking aid for a trade mission to Egypt was interrupted by the door to his office violently opening, a large crack ringing out as 1 of the door hinges broke. Before he could call his guards the intruder, gasping for air, sidesteps the merchant and shoves a scroll in his face. "What..." He stops as he recognizes the intruder, Magister Officium Domitian.
"Apologies my Emperor, I'll see to the door's replacement at once. This couldn't wait, a large Ostrogothic host has invaded."
Aeneas turned to the merchant, "Out!" As the merchant scurried out, he turned back to Domitian, "Have you informed Decius yet?"
"No, I only just received word. I have sent a messenger to have him meet us, he should be along shortly."
Just then Magister Militum Decius appeared in the doorway, pausing with raised eyebrow to examine the door. "I was about to ask what was so urgent but..." Stepping past the broken door he walked up and bowed. Rising, he continued, "Something drastic must have happened to warrant your door getting kicked in."
Aeneas nodded toward Domitian.
Domitian taking his cue, "It seems that we're at war with the Ostrogoths."
"Italy wasn't enough for them? Greedy bastards."
"No, their brethren to the east."
"The last thing we need is for 2 enemies at this stage."
At this, Aeneas spoke, "Do not worry my friend, I have no intention of going forward with the liberation of Italy with the current threat looming."
"You assume the usurpers in Italy will oblige us."
"I do actually. It seems the rumors of rebellion are true. Having used the invaders to reestablish their authority, the Senate now betray their benefactors in hopes of establishing a new Republic. Not only will this keep them out of the current war, the Eastern Empire has landed in southern Italy. Even if the rebellion is crushed, they'll be unable to intervene in our own conflict.
"If we're lucky they'll still be distracted when this host is dealt with and it
will be dealt with, allowing us to go forward with our invation with greater ease than expected."
"Yes my Emperor, it will be dealt with. As sorry as your predecessors left the army, I'd still take a shadow of a legion over these barbarian scum. It was poor leadership and treason, not our soldiers, that left us so reduced."
"Very good, Decius. Be sure Constantinus understands the importance of victory. The fate of the Empire depends on it."
"Yes my Emperor."
"You're both dismissed, I have much to attend to now."
Aeneas charged forward on his mount as the infantry line started to falter. "Hold the line you bastards, give these barbarians a taste of cold Roman steel!" The line stabalized, riding closer to the front, ignoring the Ostrogothic javelins thrown his way in hopes of a lucky shot and continued to rally the men. "Shield wall! Steady now..." With his command whistle blowing, the infantry line began to march forward, pushing back the Ostrogothic soldiers that had pressed themselves against the line in hopes of a breakthrough. "Kill them, kill them all!"
Rallied by their Emperor, the 1st Dalmatian Legion, the Western Empire's last, smashed the Ostrogothic lines and took the field.
Forced from the field by fatigue, Aeneas rested in his command tent as the latest battle raged just beyond the camp. Too tired to fight, he refused to not contribute to the battle and insisted his commanders bring him regular reports so that he could continue issuing orders. When the messenger came in, offered him a scroll and stiff salute and left, he thought it more of the same. Then he noted the Imperial Seal and quickly opened the scroll to see what news had come from the capital:
My beloved Emperor,
I write to you now in hopes that this message reaches you with haste. I have born you a beautiful son, a brother for Prince Aeneas. In your absence I have named him Saturninus, may Satern look kindly on him for this.
I know you are busy with matters of war and so I will not keep you any longer.
May Mars bring you victory,
Fortunata
Fortune indeed.
Constantinus looked at Aeneas, smiling, "A good day. The barbarians never saw it coming."
Aeneas chuckled, "Indeed. Foolish to not keep sentries on the hills. We were able to match right up to their rear. I don't think they noticed us until the javelins started flying!"
Both men chuckled at that.
"A great day," Aeneas shouted to his men as the Ostrogothic army began to route. The men cheered, not understanding his meaning. Gesturing for everyone to calm down, he continued, "Yes, yes. This day has seen a great victory. The good news does not end with this battle however for I have just received word that a beautiful baby daughter has been born to me, healthy and strong."
The renewed cheer was deafening and the Ostrogoths fled with greater haste at the terrifying sound.
The Ostrogothic king surrendering to Emperor Aeneas with an offer of tribute.
***
The Western Empire didn't waste it's victory. Taking advantage of the windfall the Ostrogothic invasion proved to be and the continued strife in central and southern Italy, the 1st Dalmatian Legion paused only to regroup before enacting it's interrupted liberation of Italy.
Aeneas looked around him. Behind the dust billowed up as a battle hardened legion in high moral marched. To his left was the 1st Dalmatian Legion's commander, General Constantius. To his right was Magister Militum Decius, 2nd only to him in command of the Empire's forces and a trusted friend.
He smiled, "A fine day, cool and fresh."
Chuckling, Constantius replied, "For us maybe. I imagine the sorry bastards behind us in the heat and dust of the march would disagree."
"Ha! No doubt. They can at least take comfort in the knowledge that glory and wealth await them if victorious."
"What of the dead," asked Decius.
"I've made arrangements. Provided the men filed the proper paperwork, 20% of the loot taken by the army will be set aside and doled out to the designated benefactors based on rank and length of service. Do not worry, I've not forgotten the burdens of military life from my lofty position.
"To the matter at hand then. Constantius?"
"We'll start at the coast to secure our supply lines, the usurpers have no navy of note and so any seabased supply will be immune to any attempts to disrupt our supply lines.
"From there, we'll march east until the entire border is secure. Intelligence reports that the Eastern Empire has occupied most of Southern Italy. The treasonous Senate has begun to falter but it seems the Eastern Empire has offered more support than we originally understood and kept them in the fight."
Decius spoke up at this, "I understand keeping the usurpers occupied but surely they don't want to see a pretender Republic any more than we do."
Grumbling at the interruption, Constantius, "No, of course not. As I said though, the Senate is losing ground. The Eastern Empire had to step up support to keep them in the fight.
"My point for bring all this up is simple, I don't foresee any serious opposition. Once the border is secure, any hope of counter attack will be lost and we'll be free to push the usurpers out of Northern Italy. That being said, our fellow Romans could frustrate any further gains unless..."
Aeneas stopped him before he could finish, "I'm not spilling any Roman blood if I can help it.
"Decius?"
"As stated, our land based supply lines are subject to disruption. I've sent word to all garrison commanders to be on heightened alert and to provide extra escorts to our supply trains as we march north. There's no helping it once we're in enemy territory but we should
mostly be fine until then. Even once we do get to Italy, the locals are Roman so the issue should still be manageable."
Constantius rode up to Aeneas to make his report, "We're making good time and our scouts report no activity ahead. It would seem that the road to Ravenna is open to us."
"Never assume anything without reason. Still, I do tend to agree.
"Even still, we can't count on the Senate and Eastern Empire keeping the usurpers pinned down. We're as much a threat as the others and no less Roman. They may decide to risk their operations further south to avoid a Roman takeover of the north. If the reports are correct, the Eastern Empire has already overrun their positions in the south."
"Indeed. Still I remain cautiously optimistic. Even if they wanted to do as you say, I'm not sure they have much of an army left to pull it off."
"Perhaps, the fact that they were able to put the Senate in a bad spot until the Eastern Empire bailed them out seems to indicate otherwise."
"True, I did say
cautiously optimistic."
"Indeed, dismissed."
Constantius offered a stiff salute before turning his mount and riding off to his other duties.
"WHAT DID I TELL YOU?! We must hurry before the usurpers outflank us." Aeneas was livid, up until 5 minutes before the scouts had reported the way ahead clear, Constantius insisting the usurpers had nothing left. They were wrong, the usurper himself had led an army north and had nearly sliped past the Roman lines opening up a flanking attack. The scouts had discovered the army almost too late.
"Apologies my Emperor. Still this could be an opportunity. If we can kill or better still capture the usurper, the war will end without any further conflict."
"If the usurper was the only concern, I'd agree. As it stands, the Senate and Eastern Empire remain concerns and I doubt they'll simply hand over the lands they've occupied."
Just then Decius rode up, "The usurper's army is in sight."
"We have them men, from battle line!" At the Emperor's urging, the 1st Dalmatian Legion formed up,eager for battle.
Aeneas waved forward Decius as he cleaned his sword at a local stream.
"I have terms."
"Read them."
Decius broke the seal and red the terms offered:
This war has cost us both much...
"Ha! He deludes himself. Go on, read the rest of his foolish words."
As I no longer have any hope of mustering a resistance and rival forces deny you any further gains, I offer the following terms of peace:
1. A tribute of 250 denarii.
2. A recognition of Roman authority under Emperor Aeneas of all lands north of the Revanna as far as the alps.
"Humph, he knows those blasted mountains prevented us from rooting out his supporters in the region. No matter, they'll be cut off and irrelevant now, please continue."
3. All prisoners of war taken from Roman ranks will be released as a show of good faith.
4. Empeore Aeneas will recognize King Odoacer's continued rulership over the Italian peninsula.
"It's fine by me if he wishes to continue calling himself king, the others will see an end to such nonsense.
"Tell the fool his terms are accepted."
***
The following months proved brutal for the Christians. Fueled by religious zeal and desire for vengeance for what was perceived as a Christian betrayal of Rome at the hands of Emperor Constantine, Emperor Aeneas enacted a purge of all Christian Romans and Ostrogothic nobles that had been installed by the Senate following Odoacer's conquest. Before the infidels had a chance to stop burning, added insult was offered to the Christians by replacing the Western Patriarch with a woman and installing a Hellenist at the Vatican, largely ceremonial appointments as the Eternal City remained under Senate control.
To secure the new gains from outside attack the western most areas claimed by the Western Empire, unravaged by war, were given over to Magister Militum Decius to defend. He took the task seriously and immediately moved to push the Burgundians out of Cisalpine Gaul.
While the fate of the rest of Italy remained undecided, Rome, both east and west, looked to be ascendant once more. The Western Empire was given 1 last prize for its victory with the birth of Prince Octavius to the Imperial couple.
The Western Empire in 485.