‘And a very heroic side it will be, I’m sure.’
‘The bastard!’
‘Maybe, but he’s a sensible bastard.’
Narcissus pointed at the horn-blowers and another fanfare blew, silencing the cheering.
Claudius walked along the jetty towards the two brothers with Narcissus and Pallas following. ‘Ah! My loyal F-F-Flavians, the returners of the Nineteenth’s Capricorn.’
The brothers bowed their heads. ‘Princeps.’
‘You have been outshone by P-P-Publius Gabinius who recently returned the Eagle of the Seventeenth to me. But no matter, your feat was useful; let your Emperor embrace you.’
Vespasian tried not to wince as he was clasped to the imperial bosom and received an overly moist kiss on both cheeks.
‘Will you follow me as I drive the enemy from their strongholds?’ Claudius asked, having subjected Sabinus to the same treatment.
‘Yes, Princeps.’
‘We shall have a f-f-fine time of it.’ Claudius twitched and stepped back; he looked the brothers up and down appreciatively and then frowned. ‘What’s that?’
Vespasian followed his gaze and put his hand on his sword hilt. ‘That’s my sword, Princeps.’
‘I know that weapon.’
‘Yes, Princeps, it was your grandfather Marcus Antonius’ sword.’
Claudius’ eyes probed Vespasian’s. ‘And then it was my father’s and after him it went to my brother, Germanicus.’
‘That’s correct, Princeps.’
‘I know it’s c-c-correct! I know my own family’s history. I also know that when Germanicus died Agrippina wanted to give it to her eldest son but my mother, Antonia, refused her, saying that she would decide; but she never did. After she died I looked for it but it was nowhere to be found. I asked P-P-Pallas but he denied all knowledge of it.’
Vespasian glanced over Claudius’ shoulder to Pallas; the Greek freedman’s normally neutral faced betrayed a vague flicker of anxiety.
‘So how did you come to own it?’
Pallas caught Vespasian’s eye and shook his head a fraction.
Vespasian swallowed. ‘Caligula gave it to me, Princeps.’
‘D-d-did he now? And how did he come to have it?’
‘I don’t know, Princeps. Antonia must have given it to him.’
‘I doubt it. It w-w-was common knowledge in my family that Antonia was going to give it to the person she thought would make the best Emperor; she didn’t by any chance give it to you, did she, Vespasian?’
‘No, Princeps; as I said, Caligula gave it to me.’
Claudius studied him for a short while, twitching frantically and dribbling from the corner of his mouth. ‘Well, he had no right to.’ He held out a shaking hand. ‘Seeing as I’ve come to wage war it is only right for me to do so with my family sword; give it to me.’
Without hesitation, Vespasian unclipped the scabbard from his baldric and passed it to Claudius.
‘Thank you, legate. I wouldn’t like to think that my mother gave it to you; you haven’t got the b-b-blood of the Caesars in you.’
‘Indeed not, Princeps.’
‘G-g-good. We’ll say no more ab-about it.’ Claudius drew the sword and examined the blade, tracing the engraved name of his grandfather. ‘A noble blade now back where it belongs.’ He lifted it above his head with ridiculous theatricality and addressed the troops. ‘With the sword of my sires I lead you to war.’
To cries of ‘Hail Caesar!’ he lurched off towards a quadriga, harnessed to four white horses, waiting for him on the bridge.
‘Did our master catch you fibbing, colleague?’ Narcissus enquired of Pallas.
‘Never, my dear Narcissus, it must have been exactly as Vespasian said; wasn’t it, Vespasian?’
‘Exactly, Pallas.’
Narcissus raised an eyebrow at Pallas. ‘I do hope so; you know how nervous he is about plots against him. We wouldn’t want Claudius thinking that your protégé harbours any unrealistic ambitions.’ With a courteous inclination of the head to the two brothers he followed his master.
‘Never let the truth be known, Vespasian,’ Pallas warned as he passed. ‘Messalina has Claudius seeing threats everywhere to distract from herself. He’s becoming irrational; executions have already started.’
‘What was that all about?’ Sabinus asked as Pallas walked away.
‘That, brother, was about people reading too much into a simple gift.’
‘So Antonia did give it to you, despite her saying that she would only give it to the person she thought would make the best Emperor?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well then, what if she was right?’
‘How could she be? We don’t have the blood of the Caesars.’
‘The blood of the Caesars? How long is that going to last?’
As Claudius began to lead his army across the bridge Vespasian watched the heir to Gaius Julius Caesar follow in the great man’s footsteps to the northern bank of the Tamesis and was struck by just how much the bloodline had deteriorated. How long could it last? And when it finally failed whose would replace it?
Again, the ludicrous thought that he had tried to suppress came to his mind. ‘Why not?’ he muttered to himself. ‘Why not indeed?’
‘Dear boys,’ Gaius Vespasius Pollo boomed as the senators filed off the ship, ‘I’m relieved to see you with all your limbs in place.’ He slapped an arm around each of their shoulders, led them away from the crowd and lowered his voice. ‘Thank the gods this ghastly affair is almost over; it’s been almost insupportable listening to that drooling fool going on about how grave the situation must be if Plautius felt it necessary to call for him.’
Vespasian frowned, curling his lip in disbelief. ‘You mean he actually believes this farce, Uncle?’
‘Believes it? He’s convinced that only he can save the whole endeavour from becoming an even worse defeat than Teutoburg. He’s been going on about how fortunate Rome is to have an emperor who has read every military history and manual written and has a complete understanding of the strategy and tactics of warfare.’
‘Is that why he’s brought half the Senate with him, so that he can show off his martial prowess to a flock of sycophants?’
‘Don’t be such a hypocrite, dear boy; I’ve seen you practise the life-lengthening art of sycophancy with tremendous skill. But to answer your question: no; at least that’s not the main reason. We’re here to ensure our good behaviour; Claudius’ insecurity means that he wants to keep the people that he distrusts the most, closest.’
‘So why are you here? You’ve never done anything but enthusiastically support whoever’s in power.’
Gaius laughed without humour. ‘I know, but you’re both commanding legions; I’m here to remind you of the fact that your families are at Claudius’ mercy back in Rome, should you think of misusing your legionaries.’
‘But Narcissus-’
‘Dear boy, this has nothing to do with Narcissus; this is purely Claudius, he’s got a taste for power and blood and he enjoys savouring them both to feed his paranoia. He’s executed more senators and equites in his first two years than Caligula did.’
‘If he’s so worried about his position why did he leave Rome?’
‘It’s a gamble, I agree; but every senator who has been left behind has a kinsman here under Claudius’ eye. And he’s left Lucius Vitellius, who was his colleague in the consulship for the first part of this year, nominally in control of Rome — although in practice Callistus will make the decisions as he’s the only one left in the city who understands how the enormous bureaucracy that he and his fellow freedmen have created works. Claudius feels that he can trust Vitellius because he’s a favourite of Messalina; so the Venus only knows what that little whore will get up to whilst her husband’s away and Vitellius turns a blind eye.’
‘Is she as bad as that?’ Sabinus asked, evidently interested. ‘Narcissus mentioned that she was rather willing, to say the least.’
‘Rather willing? She’s a female Caligula; anyone who spurns her advances finds themselves accused of treason. She’s got her husband so obsessed about the Senate plotting against him that they’re almost invariably convicted.’ He waved a hand at the passing senators. ‘She’s sucked the cock of every one of these men under the age of fifty and Claudius won’t see it. I can only thank the gods that I am past my prime otherwise I would be subject to the intolerable ministrations of that harpy. You watch yourselves when you come back to Rome or she’ll have you in her web; but if you’re sensible you’ll both stay away for as long as possible.’