Chapter 32: Last Night on Earth

Marcellus sat inside his villa with a cup of wine in his hands. He gazed into the red pool of liquid with a sense of desperation on his face. The goths had been rampaging on his borders lately, raiding the nearby villages with brutal ferocity. Though those lands were not under his protection, he knew it was only a matter of time before a full scale invasion occurred. Try as he might, he simply lacked the strength to repel such a large force.

Perhaps if he had been sent to guard the border a year prior, he might have been able to raise a capable force that could defend Castra Regina. However, as it stood, he simply lacked the time to establish such an army. Though he had made great lengths in strengthening his troops since he first arrived at his new post, it was not enough.

Sigefrida noticed the downcast expression on her master's face and quickly approached him, where she refilled his glass with more of the alcoholic beverage. A wry smile appeared on the man's face as he thanked the woman for her efforts.

"Thank you Sigefrida, I'd be lost without you..."

The busty slave could tell something was eating at her master's soul, and quickly inquired about the details.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Marcellus looked around to see if anyone else was present, and after confirming the two of them alone, he let out a heavy sigh before revealing the truth.

"We are all going to die..."

The barbarian beauty froze on the spot as she heard this. It took her a few moments to inquire further.

"What's going to happen?"

The young general took a sip from his drink before giving the woman an explanation for his cryptic statement.

"A horde of goths lies at the border. For the past week, they have been raiding the nearby villages that aren't under my command. My army of farmers is the only thing standing between them and the Italian peninsula. Given enough time, and I'm sure I could make this plebeian rabble into a respectable army. However, I've been here for what a month? Two? It's not enough time. I always knew I would die in the service of Rome. I just never figured it would happen as a disgraced general rotting away in some godforsaken frontier town..."

Sigefrida reached out her hand and touched Marcellus' cheek. She did not have a grieving expression on her face. Instead, she seemed to be fine with it.

"If that is our fate, then so be it..."

Marcellus' chuckled when he heard this. The woman was so attached to him, and yet she would never allow him to make love to her. Maybe it was the alcohol affecting his brain, but he figured he had waited long enough. He decided to press her for an answer.

"So, the barbarians could arrive at any hour. How about we spent our last few moments doing something more pleasurable?"

An embarrassed expression appeared on Sigefrida's pretty face. She desired more than anything to be intimate with her master at least once in this life, but there were still the fears in the back of her mind that made her hesitate. When Marcellus witnessed this, he drank more from his wine before giving up on the idea.

"Fine, if that's the way you want to be, so be it..."

Sigefrida could tell Marcellus was mad at her, and the idea that they would fight shortly before their deaths terrified her more than Aeliana ever could. She quickly explained the reasoning for her hesitation.

"Marcellus, it's not that I don't want to, it's just that I'm scared..."

Marcellus looked up from his glass and into his slave's dazzling ice-blue eyes with a curious expression on his face. This was the first time the woman had explained herself.

"Scared?"

A slight nod of the head confirmed her words. She quickly began to lay out the reasoning behind her dread.

"Marcellus, I never wanted to say this to you, but if this is really the end, then I am afraid I have to speak my mind, only if you will permit me, of course!"

The young roman general could tell his slave was being serious and silently nodded his head, giving her permission to continue.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but your mother is terrifying. She's not the woman you think she is. She may be kind and loving to you, but she also has a frightening obsession with you. On more than one occasion, she has nearly killed me for getting too close to you. The last time she strangled me was when I returned from the campaign in Gaul without you. If I were to take the final step with you and she found out about it, that woman... she would..."

It shocked Marcellus to hear this revelation, frankly it didn't make sense to him. He had taken many girls to bed over the years, and yet his mother had said nothing. He had to clarify this matter at once.

"But Sigefrida, why is it only you? I've slept with lots of women over the years, and she has never acted spiteful towards them."

Sigefrida knew the answer behind this and was quick to inform him about the woman's reasoning.

"It's because your heart belongs to me and not to those other women. Your mother doesn't desire your body, but your heart. Anyone who comes between your familial affection is seen as a threat. She's not exactly fond of Placidia either, but she would never harm the emperor's sister. At least not openly."

Marcellus was outraged. He could tell by the look in Sigefrida's eyes that she was telling the truth. His mother had clearly abused his slave without his permission. Such a violation of his trust nearly drove him mad. He had to calm himself with copious quantities of wine before responding to Sigefrida's dread. After drinking his fill, he quickly stood up from his seat and walked over to the woman, where he dragged her into his embrace and kissed her passionately.

At first the Suebi beauty resisted, however, she eventually found joy in her lover's comfort. Once the woman was compliant, Marcellus stripped her out of her ragged clothing. While kissing her on the neck, he spoke the words that were contained in his heart.

"If this is my last day on terra, then I intend to spend it with the woman I love."

After saying this, the couple moved to the villa's bed where they continued their passionate activities until the sun rose on the next day. When the two finally awoke, they were still attached to each other, as if during their unconscious state they were fearful that one another might flee the scene.

When Marcellus gazed upon his slave's beautiful face for the first time after they were joined together, he smiled, while grasping hold of her chin. He said the words to her that he had wanted to say since a young age.

"Sigefrida... I love you!"

The blonde-haired woman nodded her head slightly before kissing her man on the lips. After doing so, she responded to his confession.

"I love you too..."

Just as they were about to go for another round, the door to Marcellus' room was kicked open, causing the couple to panic. However, the general immediately calmed down when he saw it was none other than Ordius standing before him. His relief lasted for but a minute, as the first words to come out of the intruder's mouth caused an immediate since of dread to overwhelm Marcellus' soul.

"Dux, the Goths have us surrounded!"

Marcellus quickly got out of his bed and dressed himself. Sigefrida was by his side, but he gave the woman a strict command before rushing out of his Villa.

"Stay here, and bar the doors! Do not open them for anyone but myself!"

Without waiting for a response, Marcellus adorned his plumed helm and walked out the door with his scutum in his off-hand. He quickly followed Ordius to the ramparts, where he gazed upon a particularly terrifying scene. For whatever reason, the goths had not yet to enter the village below the fortifications. Instead, they surrounded it with an army of 50,000 men.

They sent forth a particularly large blonde haired man, who had a lengthy beard. This man was adorned in the finest armor a barbarian would wear and rode on horseback. Marcellus had encountered this man before during a previous campaign and immediately reacted with shock.

"Alaric..."

The Gothic King called out in a voice so loud that the entire garrison could hear him.

"Come out and face me Goth-slayer! I know you're in there! If you do not show yourself, I will flood this village with blood!"

Alaric had left him with no choice. Marcellus did not hesitate and issued a command to the soldiers below.

"Open the gate!"

Ordius immediately grabbed hold of Marcellus as the man tried to descend the stairs. He had a look of panic in his eyes as he tried to convince the general to see reason.

"You're not seriously going out there, are you?"

A look of defeat was on Marcellus' handsome face as he shook off the commander's grip. He patted the man on the shoulder before giving him one last order.

"I am afraid he has left me with few options. If he and his army take my head, make sure to defend this fortress with everything you have. Even if we all die, we must take as many of those bastards with us!"

Having said that, Marcellus did not wait for a response and calmly descended from the staircase, marching out of the gates alone and towards the Gothic King who lie in wait for him.

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