บท 21: The Indolent Emperor Honorius
In Ravenna, within the Royal Palace of the Western Roman Empire, lie a young man in his early twenties. This man had a rather unkempt appearance, and at first glance, one might assume he was a mere vagrant rather than an emperor. However, he was, in fact, the man who ruled over the Western Roman Empire.
Emperor Honorius was a man who had never lifted a finger in his life to do the work that was required of him, instead he had left the ruling of his realm up to a series of advisors, many of which were corrupt officials, and sycophants. It was partially because of this that the Empire was in such a sorry state. Thus, it came as no surprise that while his empire collapsed around him, Honorius was sitting back on a sofa, drinking a chalice of wine and playing with his pet chicken.
While Honorius was gazing at his chicken with a dull expression, he listened to the report of his supreme commander, who informed the young emperor about the disaster that was the campaign in Gaul. In all honesty, Honorius could not care less, which was evident by his behavior as he merely sighed in exhaustion while Stilicho rambled on about their losses.
"Your highness, the campaign in Gaul has resulted in defeat. Though we made initial gains and were close to achieving our goal of overthrowing the Usurper. In the end, our army suffered horrific losses and was forced to return to the Italian Peninsula. These men even endured humiliation at the hands of the Bagaudae as they forced our returning soldiers to pay a toll for safe passage to our lands."
Honorius did not immediately react to this news, and instead reached into his sack of chicken feed and tossed it towards the beast that was his favorite pet. A dull smile formed on the Emperor's face as he did so. For the briefest of moments, his perpetual boredom had been lifted. That is, until Stilicho raised his voice, questioning the Emperor's idle attitude.
"Your highness? How shall we respond?"
Honorius glared at Stilicho with a furious gaze. The man just had to keep talking about Gaul and the Usurper, none of which he actually cared about. Could he not have anything more interesting to discuss? It was this line of thought that caused Honorius to answer the man vaguely so he could keep playing with his chicken.
"I don't care. Do whatever you feel is appropriate. Just make sure to thoroughly punish the imbecile who caused our defeat. Seriously, is it that hard to get rid of one stupid usurper?"
The Emperor spoke as if he were an expert on military matters, which clearly he was not. Despite this insult, Stilicho choked down his pride and bowed his head, requesting leniency on behalf of Marcellus.
"With all due respect, your highness, I implore you to show mercy. The General I sent to Gaul is one of our best officers, and he is a rising talent. The only reason the enemy was able to defeat him was because he had received misinformation from his scouts. If not for this fact, the Usurper's allies would not have been able to surround his army."
It took little to convince Honorius to spare Marcellus. After all, the man did not care in the slightest about this issue. He was more concerned about why his wine had gone dry.
"Fine, I won't claim his head for his defeat, but at the very least he should be lashed a few times for making such a foolish mistake."
Stilicho sighed in relief when he heard the Emperor's response. Honorius was a man who acted upon his worst impulses. If he was in a particularly foul mood, he easily would have demanded for a severe punishment to be inflicted upon Marcellus. Luckily, Stilicho had approached the man while he was in the middle of playing with his pet, otherwise he was certain Marcellus would have surely suffered. Stilicho bowed his head once more before he thanked Honorius for his benevolence.
"On behalf of Marcellus, I thank you for your mercy!"
It was when Honorius heard this name that he suddenly became more interested in the topic at hand. He instantly placed down his empty chalice and shifted his gaze from his pet chicken to his supreme commander with a shocked expression on his face.
"Hold on, the General in question is Marcellus? Titus Claudius Marcellus? Your Godson?"
Stilicho raised his head when he heard this. He could tell from the tone in the Emperor's voice that he was not pleased. However, he had no choice but to nod his head in admission. When Honorius saw this, a wicked smile curved itself upon his lips. He had known Marcellus for some time. After all, Stilicho had been the man who had helped raise the both of them, thus they were bound to interact with one another.
However, unlike Honorius, who was an indolent, and foolish drunk. Marcellus was a rising star in the social circles of the Roman elite. He was handsome, wealthy, intelligent, talented, and a skilled military officer who had won many glories for Rome. Even the Emperor's own sister would never shut up about Marcellus and his accomplishments on the field of battle.
There was a reason Honorius had never given Marcellus a proper victory title, despite being well known as a slayer of goths. It was because he was envious of the popularity of the man. Out of spite, Honorius had refused to award one of his best generals for his achievements, despite the morale it would bring to his empire.
Thus, when he heard that Marcellus was responsible for the defeat in Gaul, he decided to use it as a way to bring shame to the man, and ruin his reputation forever. All of a sudden, he was very interested in the topic of how Rome had been defeated in Gaul.
"Stilicho, my old friend... Tell me everything you know about Marcellus and his campaign to Gaul!"
Stilicho immediately regretted mentioning Marcellus' name to the young emperor, but he had no choice but to comply with his demands. Thus, he spoke about every detail he had learned about the campaign. Including the captivity Marcellus was forced to endure after his defeat.
When the Supreme Commander had finally finished telling his tale, Honorius was smiling emphatically. He was truly excited. For the first time he had the ability to drag Marcellus' name through the mud, and he was going to take advantage of it. Thus, all the hard work that Stilicho had gone through to change the narrative about Marcellus' defeat was undone with a simple command.
"Tsk...Tsk...Tsk... Marcellus, to think you would insult our Empire in such a way for the sake of a simple slave... I'm sorry but I can not be lenient. We must make an example of him. I order you to drag Marcellus through the streets of Rome while naked and have him whipped as punishment! Let all see what happens to those who put their personal feelings above the glory of our Empire!"
When Stilicho heard this, he could only sigh in defeat. He really should have left Marcellus' name out of the conversation. It was only now that the man realized he had truly underestimated Honorius' bitter jealousy towards Marcellus. Though he tried his best to calm the Emperor's wrath, it was to no avail.
"And what of your sister? She lives in Rome. Are you going to force her to bear witness to such a sight? You know how she fancies Marcellus. Such a thing would devastate her."
Unfortunately, this was exactly what Honorius wanted, and as such, he wore a sadistic grin while he doubled down on his stance.
"Good, that little bitch can see what happens when she puts her faith in a good for nothing pretty boy! This is not my fault. Marcellus is the one who failed to fulfill his duty and embarrassed our entire Empire! If anything, I am being lenient for the crimes he has committed."
In response to this, Stilicho could only sigh in defeat once more. This foolish boy was more concerned about his petty jealousy than about the security of his borders. If the truth of Marcellus' actions were to be revealed, it would forever tarnish his reputation, and in doing so would leave the people of the Empire faithless in one of their greatest generals. Such a thing could only have negative consequences for the Empire as a whole.
However, there was no point debating any further. Honorius was a simple hedonist. Once he found something to entertain himself with, he would see it through. Thus, the Emperor had decided to make a proper show of Marcellus' punishment, and he would enjoy every second of it.
As for Marcellus, he was peacefully unaware of the hornet's nest he had stepped upon, and was enjoying his free time with his mother and slave at his villa. The young general was completely unaware of the public humiliation that he was about to suffer at the hands of a jealous emperor.
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