Chapter 6

The only two who didn't expect any trouble on this day back in Rome was Claudius and his wife Messalina. He was away at Ostia supervising the expansion of the port there. He had cleaned out the men who were overcharging the loading and unloading of grain for the people. Whereas Messalina was having an open marriage ceremony taking as her new husband Gaius Silius a very handsome man unlike her own Claudius. She went through with the ritual with the promise from Gaius that he had men in high places who could easily kill the Claudius then make himself the new Emperor. She believed him because' he was a very virile man and could almost keep up with her.

Messalina had invited nearly everyone who was powerful to the wedding and felt it was safe to divorce Claudius and marry Gaius. Only word got out and Claudius' Greek servant Narcissus learned of this in time. He sent a group of the Praetoriun Guard to march to the Gaius' estate and arrest everyone there. At first, Messalina thought that the men marching toward them were friendly. However when they drew their swords and started slaying many of guests, she realized her plan had failed. One of the Tribunes of the Guard killed Gaius Silius and then placed the Empress under arrest for treason.

Narcissus sent a messenger to Ostia for Claudius' immdiate return. The Empress went into a fury as she was dragged back in chains to the Imperial Palace. Although she had fucked Gaius Silius many times, it wasn't as man and wife. Narcissus also planned for her own execution but needed Claudius to sign the death warrant. When Claudius returned, he was dumb founded by the whole affair. He read the divorce writ and then the marriage to Silius. He began drinking much wine and became despondent the more he drank. He sat there glassy-eyed as Narcissus brought him some documents to sign. Without looking at them, he signed them all which included her death warrant and passed out. He had four burly men gently put him in his bed to stand guard while the Emperor slept in case the relatives of some of the noblemen and Senators tried assassinating him as a vendetta for the loses of their own family members.

"I want to see me husband," Messalina insisted to the guards. "I want to talk to him now!"

"You will see him shortly," one man said, looking at the beautiful woman in lust.

The Empress couldn't sit so she paced her chambers with chains rattling. "I will see that you are the first to lose your head," she screamed at him.

"I'm not so sure," Narcissus said as he entered.

"Where is my husband, the Emperor?" she screeched at him.

"Your husband is resting from his trip back to the Palace. You are sentenced to death!"

"I want to hear that from my husband himself," she argued.

"He signed the warrant for your death. And he isn't your husband. You had a writ made out to divorce him."

"I've changed my mind."

"Sorry, you divorced him and I have it in the public record already. You aren't the Empress any longer, you are now a common gutter slut who has shamed your position of power and now that you have played, you must pay."

"I'll have your head for this."

Narcissus smiled, "I'm afraid it will be your head. Give her a sword and five minutes to commit suicide as the honorable way out. If she refuses, take her head." He turned and walked out. The guard kneeled to unchain her then handed Messalina the sword. She held it in her hand but couldn't being it upon herself to commit suicide. The guard gave her ten minutes then he stepped forward, grabbed her by the hair, swung his weapon cleanly taking her head from her body.

The next day when Claudius awoke, he asked for his wife. Narcissus showed him the document that he had signed for her death, "She was executed last night, Caesar."

Heartbroken, Claudius cried!

With a dozen of his best men, Lucius and Attia took off to find Arminius' ruins. The map that Penelope drew was very accurate. The men were spread out a few yards apart from each other. They were on the lookout for any barbarian bandits that plagued this

Part of their country. Either they were being watched or ignored. Attia leaped from her horse and began to poke around with one of her arrows while her bow had another in case of ambush. Her mother had told her that the Germans were sneaky bastards and be on the alert because they could attack from anywhere or at any time. Attia chose not to tell her husband this bit of the story.

"There's something here," she called out to Lucius. A few men brought some spades and started digging. They heard the sound of metal. She fell to her knees and cleaned one off. "They're our eagles," she shouted happily. "Lucius, look here."

"You get them out," he called back. "We're looking for anyone who might not like our presence here. Be careful!"

It took her an hour to get all three. The soil that eventually covered them had preserved these eagles that brought pain and despair to Augustus and Tiberius. Caligula would have melted them down for their gold value. They wrapped each one carefully and placed them in a small wagon being driven by a Gaul.

As they were prepared to leave, loud screams could be heard by as many as fifty men came out of the woods brandishing their broad swords. Attia killed two quickly with arrows as the men had their own problems to deal with. Lucius was worried about his wife but it looked like she didn't need any help. She didn't have time to draw a third arrow from her quiver as two men were almost upon her. She easily dispatched the first but the second gave her trouble. 'He really knows how to use that sword, ' she thought as she dodged swings and hacks. He was a large man. He stumbled over a rock and she brought her sword down upon the back of his neck. Attia didn't have time to see if it was a killing blow as two more rushed her. There were hate in their eyes. 'Good, ' she thought as she sent one man down with a slash across his face and the other she pivoted to thrust her weapon into his side. The dying man stood there amazed then fell face first in the grass. This almost identical that Penelope encountered in her home in Rome.

None of the Romans were killed. Two had minor cuts as they watched the rest retreat and disappear into the woods. Attia herself had slain five of the barbarians. Lucius ran to her seeing tears in her eyes. The man with the slashed face ran into the forest right behind the remnants. He looked back at the woman who had wounded him. Attia saw that she not only cut open his face but broke his jaw as it hung down as he held his wound appearing to be much pain.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded, burying her face into her husbands chest. "How about you?" she asked.

"Nothing except some good screwing will be needed."

This made Attia smile.

"I don't know what's gotten into you," Attia smarted off with her brother. Agrippa was furious at not being told of their small expedition. "There will be enough glory to go around."

"It's not that, I don't want you to get into harm's way, that's all," Agrippa complained.

"I wasn't in harm's way," she turned around to show him that she wasn't wounded.

"Lucius, you should have known better," Agrippa growled.

"She talked me into it. And truthfully we wouldn't have found those eagles if it hadn't been for Attia. She knew exactly where to look. If it weren't her, we'd still be digging."

"She talked you into it?" Agrippa questioned. "I thought you had the balls between your legs. You were crazy to take her along."

"I would have gone anyway," Attia took a long drink of her wine. "He could tell me not to go but I would have followed them. And when is it your place to tell me what I can and can't do? I'm an adult, not some child. I'm not helpless like other women. I can still beat you at swordplay. Also, I'm not under command. Lucius may be but not me. I think you should get over it."