Heir of Aurelian

Chapter 145 Unification of a Fractured Empire

With Durio and Yazdegerd dead, the eastern roman army immediately became dreadfully lacking in leadership. It was not only the eastern roman army, but their empire as a whole which suffered from this. What followed the death of the Magister Militum, and the Regent, was immediately infighting among the ranks of the eastern roman generals.

News quickly spread of Yazdegerd’s and Durio’s defeats, causing what remained of the Eastern Roman Army to route from Illyricum and fall back towards constantinople, in a vain attempt to claim regency over the young boy emperor. However, when they returned to their capital city, they immediately found it blockaded by the western roman fleet, and under siege by the western roman army under the command of Marcellus.

Though the eastern romans had no choice but to lift the siege however, they immediately realized that they were pressed on both sides by the enemy. Constantius had followed them back into Constantinople, but only after liberating the Gothic Foederati who manned the various strongholds that Marcellus had built in Illyricum. Because of this, his army had increased in size.

With the Bosporus blockaded, and the city under siege, the eastern roman army became desperate for survival. Many among them broke ranks, stripped their uniforms, and ran to the Dinaric Alps in the hopes that they could escape the coming purge.

With infighting among their leadership, and mass desertion, the city of Constantinople fell with little effort, and in doing so, the eastern roman empire surrendered. Despite what one might believe, Marcellus strode through the city streets as if he was a conquering hero, yet he never removed his masked helm.

It was not until he approached the gates of the palace where he finally took off his helmet, and revealed his handsome face, which had a stern expression. The boy Emperor, Theodosius II approached his rival from the west with a cold look in his eyes. Though he was still young, he appeared to fully comprehend what his defeat meant, and simply handed himself over to this conqueror from the west.

His parents were dead, his uncle had been killed by Marcellus’ hands, and now the man who had taken care of him for so many years had passed as well. However, it was only after he gazed upon the Western Roman Emperor for the first time that he realized there was not a hint of malice in the man’s green eyes. Instead, he kneeled down, so that he could be face to face with the boy and asked him a simple question.

“Are you Emperor Theodosius?”

The boy emperor nodded his head, and when he did so a warm smile appeared on Marcellus’ face as he reached out his hand and placed it on the boy’s shoulder.

“You do not need to fear me. I can assure you that I intend no harm. Theodosius, though your uncle was a wicked man who sought to deprive me of my life and killed my mother. I hold no animosity towards you.

I am here to offer you a choice. You and your sisters can come live with me, and your aunt as our adopted children, where everything you could possibly want in life shall be provided for you. Or you can stay here, and rule over the eat as my co-emperor.

However, should you continue to reign over the eastern half of Rome, I must give you a fair warning in advance. I am sure you may realize that it is a heavy burden to rule over an Empire, and so long as you remain in constantinople, I will not be able to protect you from those who will covet your position.

So, the question is, do you wish to live out your childhood as God intended, or do you wish to assume the full responsibilities that come with your lineage so early in life?”

Theodosius gazed upon Marcellus with astonishment in his little eyes. He could not believe the man had made such a tempting offer. Better yet, there was not the slightest hint of deception or malevolence in the man’s expression. It seemed as if he genuinely had decided to adopt Theodosius and his sister into his family.

For a boy who was not even ten years old, to have lost his family, and to have been turned into a puppet by his regent, he had no desire to continue his reign. He quickly ran into Marcellus’ arms and cried his tears out as he struggled to express his thoughts.

“Take me… with you!”

Marcellus smiled as he wrapped his armed around the boy, though because he was still wearing his lorica musculata, it was not the warmth of his body which greeted the boy, but the cold metallic surface of his bronze chest plate.

It was only after Theodosius entered his arms that he saw the murderous glare of the boy’s older sister, Aelia Pulcheria, who stared at the two from the Balcony above. It was not that she was perturbed by the kindness that Marcellus had shown them, but by the fact that the man was rumored to be a pagan. As a devout Christian, Aelia was not only enraged by Marcellus’ heathen ways, but was fearful that he would corrupt the soul of her precious younger brother.

In fact, the helmet that Marcellus war was simple proof that the rumors were true. This is why she stared at him so fiercely. Of course Marcellus did not realize this, and simply thought that the girl saw him as an enemy.

Thus, he wore a warm smile and waved to her. Despite this act of kindness, the girl scoffed in disgust and fled further into the Palace of Constantinople. She made a vow then and there never to call the man “father” and immediately instructed her sisters to do the same.

As for Marcellus, he had no such intentions. He simply wanted to look after the young kids who were entirely innocent of their relatives’ sins. Thus, after striding through Constantinople, and adopting Theodosius and his sisters, Marcellus had emerged victorious in the war against the Eastern Roman Empire.

However, this did not mean that his legitimacy was recognized by all. After all, he had killed the Sassanid King, and thoroughly invoked the wrath of their empire. As soon as the Persians were finished licking their wounds, they would be back with a vengeance, and thus Marcellus had to plan carefully for the day of their invasion.