Heir of Aurelian

Sigefrida stood across from Marcellus, who sat in his office and read over the document that had been provided to him by the frumentarii. The evidence was damning. It was not only an incident report, but a report about the punishments inflicted upon those who had survived the border crisis. It was signed by the local Dux and stamped with the seal of Constantinople. There was simply no way for the eastern roman empire to deny these allegations now that Marcellus had such proof.

Upon realizing that, the only reason he was able to obtain such evidence was because of Sigefrida’s quality leadership over his intelligence network. Marcellus quickly approached the woman and wrapped his arms around her before planting a kiss on her lips.

These actions initially surprised the woman, especially after receiving the silent treatment from the man since the morning after his wedding night.  However, she did not try to run away and simply accepted it. Marcellus released his control over the woman’s lips after a few moments and whispered something in her ears that she did not expect.

“I am in love with you so much right now…”

However, before they could progress any further, a knock resounded on the door, which interrupted the couple’s reunion. Marcellus merely sighed before opening the door with a twisted expression on his face.

“What is it!?!”

The messenger flinched when he saw how disturbed the Imperator was by his intrusion. He quickly bowed his head before handing over the letter that was in his hands.

“This letter is from Constantius. It is for your eyes only!”

Upon hearing this, Marcellus snatched the letter from the messenger’s hand and opened it with his dagger. After looking over the contents, a wide grinned appeared on his face before he expressed his thoughts aloud.

“Constantius, you mad bastard, you actually made such a gamble? Well, it looks like the Gods have rewarded your efforts, because we have just what we need to force this Persian bastard into kneeling before us!”

After saying this, Marcellus tossed the letter over to Sigefrida, who quickly scanned its contents. While she read over it, Marcellus dismissed the messenger and shut the door behind him. After finishing her endeavor, Sigefrida, too, smiled when she realized that a time and place had been set to meet the eastern Roman regent in a neutral location, and that the man had demanded proof of his misdeeds. She let out a slight giggle as she realized why Yazdegerd was so certain Marcellus was bluffing.

“Falconius said that they had barely gotten the evidence in time before the local Dux ordered a purge of all information that could be seen as damning. It would appear Yazdegerd truly believes he has gotten rid of every piece of evidence that points to his wrongdoings. Well, the gods blessed us this time around, as I can’t see how else we would have such a fortune.”

Marcellus nodded his head in agreement with Sigefrida’s assessment and paced around the room in contemplation. After several moments of thought, he espoused his views on the matter.

“Sol Invictus has blessed us with his light. It is truly a monumental occasion. We should make a sacrifice to him as thanks for his aid in this matter. However, that will have to wait until after I have concluded my business with that rat, Yazdegerd. I must prepare my Palatini to march with me to the meeting. I can permit only my best soldiers and most loyal soldiers to accompany me during these negotiations.”

Sigefrida rested her pretty head on Marcellus’ shoulder with a troubled expression on her face. She could not expect a man like Yazdegerd to abide by the conditions he had set forth. She half expected him to use proxies to eliminate Marcellus and, because of this, she expressed her concerns.

“Be safe out there, you are marching into the frontier, you never know what tribe is lying in wait. Perhaps Yazdegerd has employed the use of some barbarians to ambush you. I would advise that before you set out to enlist the aid of a barbarian army like the Huns to ensure that you can counter any schemes, that bastard might conceive.”

Marcellus scoffed as he gazed at the beautiful Suebi woman who had thought of a potential danger that he could not. He was truly and utterly impressed with her ability to predict other people’s machinations. It was actually an ability he himself lacked. Thus, he could not help but praise the woman for her talent.

“I would be lost without you. To think how far you have come in his such a short time since assuming your position. You really are the best spymaster I could ask for. Very well, I will dispatch a Legate to negotiate with the Huns about ambushing Yazdegerd and his host after we have met. It is better to kill that snake when we have the chance, then to let him slither back to the safety of Constantinople.”

Sigefrida giggled when she envisioned Yazdegerd choking on his own blood after being filled with arrows by the nomadic horse archers. However, she was a bit skeptical about his plan to enlist the aid of the Huns. Though she had suggested it, she knew the nomadic horsemen would not easily agree to work for the Romans once more. Thus, she made a suggestion to help increase the odds of Marcellus’ plan.

“The Huns used to work for your forbearer, but that alliance has since collapsed. Especially after we sent the Goths to seize Illyricum. I suggest sending someone who isn’t a roman to negotiate with the savages. My intelligence suggests that Yazdegerd tried to enlist their aid in the past, but they turned him down. They don’t appear to be fond of Romans in general.”

Upon thinking about this, Marcellus agreed with Sigefrida’s sentiment and quickly chose someone he knew he could trust. If he was going to organize an attack on the eastern Roman regent after arriving for peaceful negotiations, he could not allow it to be traced back to him. Thus, he needed to use a proxy.

“I will compel Sarus to use his connections with the other Germanic tribes to put out the hit on Yazdegerd. That way, even if that Persian snake survives, and he manages to convince the Huns to tell him who is responsible, the evidence will lead to a Germanic tribe, which we can silence before the east gets to them.”

After saying this, Marcellus and Sigefrida quickly got to work. They had much to plan for, and little time to do it. However, if things went right, not only would they be able to secure a massive ransom from the eastern Roman Empire, but they could also eliminate its regent, and hopefully place a puppet in his place who would coerce the young Theodosius II to be more friendly with his western neighbor.