With his advisors swarming him like so many spooked chickens Tiberius made his way for his place at the banquet table in swift, purposeful strides. “You may sit down.” “But Tiberius…” “I said, sit down!” An uncomfortable silence hung in the room like a dark foreboding as the slaves served the food and retreated again. “Tiberius”, Gaius Aquila now began, his deep and coarse voice carrying through the room. He was one of the oldest legion-born warriors and had survived so many battles before becoming councillor that even he himself couldn’t remember how many. His hair was grey and his face tanned like old leather, but you could still see the warrior in him by the way he stood and moved. He was the only one of the councillors that had not yet tried to talk some sense into Tiberius about going to war, and that was the only reason Tiberius now chose to listen to him.
“Speak, Aquila.” The veteran nodded and continued. “You have known me for all your life, and you know that I have served your father like I now serve you, Tiberius Maximus. And if you chose to call for war, then to war we shall go. No one here doubts your supremacy.” He ran a hand through his beard. “Yet I, as the others, remain puzzled and I do wonder, hoping you will enlighten me: We lost almost every warrior in the doomed battle of the Dam. And as eager as I am to see the dead avenged, I fail to see how we can regain our strength as fast as you wish.” He inclined his head and sat down again.
Tiberius, in turn, got up. “Very well. It is time, I agree.” He took a deep breath. “You all can but agree that we cannot take the city of New Vegas by force. Not yet, and maybe not ever. But I now confine to you what I have kept secret so far: I have sent a group of the most senior and experienced frumentarii, those that my father left with me to protect me from intrigues, to infiltrate the city. I did so months ago. Yes, my valued advisors, I know perfectly well that we cannot take the city by force. But neither will we have to.” Tiberius lifted his golden cup and took a sip of wine. “Because that city will welcome me with open gates and open arms, for I will enter the city with the Courier herself at my side as my wife. We leave tomorrow for Kingman to await her arrival there.”
After a heartbeat of silence, the room erupted in hails and cheers, the men around Tiberius chanting his name as he sipped of his wine with a pleased smile on his face. x-x-x-x-x-x
Turn Wounds into Wisdom 4a/?
>>Flagstaff, October 19, 2282<<<
With his advisors swarming him like so many spooked chickens Tiberius made his way for his place at the banquet table in swift, purposeful strides.
“You may sit down.”
“But Tiberius…”
“I said, sit down!”
An uncomfortable silence hung in the room like a dark foreboding as the slaves served the food and retreated again.
“Tiberius”, Gaius Aquila now began, his deep and coarse voice carrying through the room. He was one of the oldest legion-born warriors and had survived so many battles before becoming councillor that even he himself couldn’t remember how many. His hair was grey and his face tanned like old leather, but you could still see the warrior in him by the way he stood and moved. He was the only one of the councillors that had not yet tried to talk some sense into Tiberius about going to war, and that was the only reason Tiberius now chose to listen to him.
“Speak, Aquila.”
The veteran nodded and continued. “You have known me for all your life, and you know that I have served your father like I now serve you, Tiberius Maximus. And if you chose to call for war, then to war we shall go. No one here doubts your supremacy.” He ran a hand through his beard. “Yet I, as the others, remain puzzled and I do wonder, hoping you will enlighten me: We lost almost every warrior in the doomed battle of the Dam. And as eager as I am to see the dead avenged, I fail to see how we can regain our strength as fast as you wish.” He inclined his head and sat down again.
Tiberius, in turn, got up. “Very well. It is time, I agree.” He took a deep breath. “You all can but agree that we cannot take the city of New Vegas by force. Not yet, and maybe not ever. But I now confine to you what I have kept secret so far: I have sent a group of the most senior and experienced frumentarii, those that my father left with me to protect me from intrigues, to infiltrate the city. I did so months ago. Yes, my valued advisors, I know perfectly well that we cannot take the city by force. But neither will we have to.” Tiberius lifted his golden cup and took a sip of wine. “Because that city will welcome me with open gates and open arms, for I will enter the city with the Courier herself at my side as my wife. We leave tomorrow for Kingman to await her arrival there.”
After a heartbeat of silence, the room erupted in hails and cheers, the men around Tiberius chanting his name as he sipped of his wine with a pleased smile on his face.
x-x-x-x-x-x