The city turned back to business as usual far faster than I had imagined. Three days had past and the resident lost all signs of fear of me or my men. Sure we had made our intentions known by making announcements all over the city and didn't sack Bari.

Those who had reasons to fear me failed to plant the seed of rebellion in the citizens. All nobles and several wealthy residents had been captured during the last days. Some had even gone so far as to hide in the sewers or with beggars. The same beggars told us about them and received an adequate reward as compensation for their service.

In total, we had apprehended around 456 noble prisoners and 347 from the well-off commoners. This included their families and close relatives. Most prisoners of war, captured during earlier engagements, have been released again. They have started to head back to their respective towns and villages. The harvest would be brought in. The process had been delayed due to the conflict.

We needed a good harvest now more than ever. So we decided to send some of our troops and even parts of the still imprisoned noble guards to help with it. In return, they would be released earlier. My soldiers received a little extra on their paycheck.

The city guards and the militia had been reorganized, their former masters imprisoned and the wage was paid out of my funds. Their loyalty was ensured for now. Allowing my legion to finally rest a bit more. Assets of our prisoners had been successfully seized and any kind of negative backlash from the general population vanished when we shared the spoils.

Fifteen per cent for all residents, five for the surrounding towns, another five for the surrounding villages, ten for my legion as a reward and the rest was managed by me currently. Supplies had been redistributed the same way.

The trial had been postponed, the feast as well. Both to my displeasure, but preparations were delayed as more important matters arose. Several notables of the rebellion had tried to flee the city. Other cities and towns have also started to establish contact with us.

They proclaimed all to not have any connection with a rebellion nor did they support it in any way. Most lied, but for the sake of it, I accepted their testimonies. For now at least. They also sent small numbers of supplies, ducats and even gifts. All much needed and appreciated by me and my retinue.

A massive amount of information had also reached us and had been verified over the last few days.

Firstly there was not one city still in uprising nor had the rebels any kind of force remaining. The only remnants were the prisoners.

Secondly, the war on Sicillia had ended. Not through a battle though. Messana had suffered during the siege, but the Oakenshields defended it fiercely. Throwing back assaults on breaches and gates again and again.

Father had arrived with uncle in tow. But they didn't manage to force a decisive engagement. Their presence however allowed Messana to breathe and restored some morale.

The Kingdom of Numidia had made peace with the Federation of Hispania. Ceding their coastal cities and territories to them. Losing access to the sea in the process. Now they were warring with Carthage to regain land and access to the sea.

The republic pulled out of the war to deal with the threat. They renounced all claims on Sicillia and ceded the island of Melita to us.

The Duchy of Corsica and the Duchy of Sardinia started to negotiate for peace soon after. Renouncing their claims as well and receiving in return a small number of ducats, gifts and a non-aggression pact for three years.

All cities in Sicillia announced to rejoin the duchy of Neapoli. Some more eager than others. With this, the war for Sicillia was resolved.

Thirdly the northern alliance had been defeated in a single engagement. Currently, a gathering by the four invaders was held. To discuss who gets which parts of the north. The East and Neapoli had been invited as guests and neutral parties.

This left our duchy as the last state lead by a human dynasty.

Fourthly my family as well. I received a letter from mother a day ago and one from uncle today. Romulus had received a wound in one of the engagements, a minor one in the shoulder. 'Scars are the trophies from war' Duran wrote. My cousin would be back to service in a few days if he inherited any of Duran's traits.

I laid down the letter from Duran onto the one from mother. Hers contained many questions I would rather answer in person. Especially the one concerning my female pursuers. I started to write a reply to both mother and uncle.

A knock on the door interrupted my writing.

"Come in", I said. Alaric entered, a small smile already forming.

"I came to report the progress for the trial", he started. "We finished preparations and announced its beginning for midday. The feast is scheduled for the evening, preparations finished as well."

"Good. I will be on my way shortly", I replied and studied Alaric. There was more he wanted to share. "And?"

"We received a note from Aegyptus. Niloticus has departed south with a small boat. Destination unknown. We lost his tracks soon after", Alaric informed. "And it seems some of your female pursuers plan to visit Napule in a few months."

"What of our allies there?", I asked and frowned at the memories of my 'potential' wives. Most of them felt so wrong and those who did act normal had no interest in me. Being there only because of their parents.

"Pyrrhus and house Ptolemy are focussing on reforming the government. Elddis and house Bilibin are doing the same. Livia and house Caesar defend our interests and the company continues to generate profit. The margin has lowered a bit though", Alaric added.

"Do we know the reason for the smaller profits?", I inquired.

"No, not yet. Livia is looking into it", he answered.

"Good. We can't afford to lose the profits from the east. Some governors have already increased tariffs on foreign trade", I added. "Tell Livia to only expand in Aegyptus and Syria for now. The governors there are less hostile to us."

"I will relay the order", Alaric confirmed. "Any news about Quintus?"

I look at the staple of papers to my left. Written documents about sightings of the wyvern.

"Yes. He has been sighted near the mountain ranges and bigger forests. So far no incident with the general population occurred. Or at least nobody reported it", I shared the information with Alaric. "He has returned yesterday night for a short while before heading west this morning."

"Good to know. I will try to keep an eye on his further movements", Alaric offered.

"No need. I trust him and there are more pressing matters. A few of my lower aides can manage the surveillance and tracking", I corrected him. "You, the centurions and I will be the judges for the trial. We will judge as discussed."

"Of course. We don't want to make a mistake now", Alaric said. There was something strange about his tone.

I stood up and he followed. A contingent of my bodyguards, lead by Cycnus, joined us outside the mansion. The three centurions were waiting before a wooden podium. Raising their fist as we passed them and climbed the stairs.

I seated myself on a wooden stool, a wooden table before me. To my left sat Alaric with a slightly lower table and then the centurions with again lower tables. The crowd gathered around us and the market place filled up.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Two rows of my legionaries ensured there was a path for the captives and some form of order. I started to speak and the crowd began to quiet down. All attention turned to me.

"Citizens of Bari you have endured many hardships in the last years. First an invasion from the east, then a rebellion against our liege. My father Jagu Vespasianus", I began. "Both conflicts are over, but the guilty ones of this have yet to be judged."

I looked at the crowd and stood up, moving to the centre of the platform.

"Have those in power not used their sway to press you into service? Giving empty promises, burdening you with extra levy and starting a needless conflict. Weren't they ready to sacrifice all of you to achieve their goals?", I continued. The people showed their agreement with shouts and nods.

"To Tartarus with the nobility!", a man yelled.

"Make them pay!", added a woman.

The crowd was riled up.

"Then lets us begin the trial. They will be judged for the crimes against the duchy and the people they swore to protect", I finished and sat down on my chair again. A row of prisoners entered through the open passage guarded by my men.

They kept the crowd separated from the captives. They didn't however stop them from throwing things at the prisoners. Eggs, dirt, rocks and … oh by the gods were that faeces? The hit noble retched. Yes, faeces.

The crowd calmed down a bit as the line stopped before the podium. Two guards held the first captive by the arms and threw him before us. His hands and feet handcuffed, gagged as well. The count himself stared up at me in defiance. He had returned to a state where we could interrogate him. The count however didn't supply new information.

"Decimus Nautikos. Head of house Nautikos and leader of this uprising", Alaric said. "You are charged with treason for leading an armed rebellion against your liege and attacking the heir of our duchy. Furthermore, your deeds resulted in extensive damage. Hurting your own people and the province in the process."

"Do you deny any of those charges?", I asked and one of the guards removed the gag.

The count looked at me and tried to stand up. The guard pressed him down on his knees again.

"I didn't commit treason, as I have never sworn fealty to your house. Nobody in the eastern half of Neapoli did! A defensive alliance was the agreement. What we received was a knife in the back and the loss of our autonomy", the count said. "The suffering of my people was what was needed to defeat the tyrant, to free us!"

I will need to speak with father about that agreement. The truth should lay somewhere in between. This information troubled me. The fact that I couldn't rule out that father broke an agreement did so even more.

"Is that all?", I inquired. Hiding my thought behind a blank expression. Alaric gave me a short glance from the side.

"Yes", the count answered. He was again gagged.

"What do the judges say?", Alaric asked.

"Guilty", Centurion Libanius said.

"Guilty of all charges", Centurion Pullo agreed as well.

"Guilty", Centurion Sempronius Densus said.

"Guilty of the crimes against his people. I will refrain from judgement on the first matter", Alaric said.

An uproar went through the crowd and the centurions. I myself turned hastily towards Alaric only to see him staring back at me with a blank expression. I clenched my fist and unclenched it under the table. What was this about? We had agreed on judgement beforehand.

"We will talk later", I whispered and he nodded slowly. "Guilty! And what does the crowd think?"

"Hang him!", the people replied.

"Decimus Nautikos, former count of Bari, I hereby find you guilty of all charges. Your punishment will be execution through hanging", I said. The crowd made their agreement audible.

The judgments continued for all the other captives, most of them were judged in groups and there were no further deviations from the judgments. Alaric kept to the plan with the rest of them.

The closest allies of the count would be hanged and their families stripped of their nobility and of all their lands except five hectares of farmlands. They could sell it or become farmers. All of their wealth was confiscates as war reparations.

The supporters of the rebellion were stripped of their noble titles or their wealth and property if they had been commoners. The nobles were allowed to hold thirty per cent of their remaining lands, the commoners ten. Their families would be banned from holding any public office for three years.

All commoners pressed into service or forced to help were spoken free from any kind of charge. The residents as well, not punished for aiding the count. This was well received by the crowd and we had spread the information beforehand so they were not really surprised.

The nobles who had switched sites retained their titles. They had to give up a third of their lands and wealth for their deeds and were banned from holding public office for half a year. The crowd had been less enthusiastic about their fate. Some shouting to hang them all. Order was kept in the end and I stuck to the judgement.

There was an exception for Sulla Nautikos. His family lost its nobility and Sulla his own with it. The land and properties as well.

"Sulla for your help against your own father you shall be rewarded with a new family name and position", I said and the man looked up to me with a smile while kneeling before me. He was not shackled and wore formal wear. "Do you swear fealty to me, my father and the house Vespasianus?"

"I swear", Sulla replied

"To defend our interests and the well being of your people", I continued.

"I swear", Sulla repeated.

"Then rise Sulla Labienus, guardian of Bari and vassal of Lucius Vespasianus", I ordered and he rose.

With this, the trial of all captives was over. The next part were the executions.

The legionaries set up the ropes for the count and his followers. Twenty-seven in total.

They had to stand on stools, the rope fixed around their necks.

"Begin", I said and the hangman began to kick one stool after the other. They choked and fidgeted until they hang there, limb. It was not nice to watch people die through hanging, but I forced myself to watch through all of their deaths. Only then did I avert my eyes.

"Bury them outside the city", I ordered and stood up. The crowd was beginning to leave the market place. They looked satisfied with the overall outcome.

We would gather again in the evening for the feast and celebration of our victory. My legion and the residents were eager for both.

I beckoned for Alaric to follow me and we made our way back to the count's mansion in silence.

We entered the building, dismissed the guards and headed for a closed room without any servants near it.

"Why did you deviate from the plan?", I prompted. Angry at the open discord we showed the people. That should not have happened.

Alaric taped the table a few times. Something he liked to do while thinking up an answer.

"He sounded like he was telling the truth", Alaric answered slowly. "It made me think."

"Don't be absurd ...", I started. "Father wouldn't … There has to be more behind it."

"See, doubts remain", Alaric pointed out. "Not that I am questioning your father or you, but you yourself are unsure about his claims."

"I will talk with my family as soon as possible", I supplied. "Still you should have told me later instead of deviating from the planned judgement in public."

"When you first considered me as your right hand, what did you have in mind?", Alaric asked. "That I am a yes sayer, a backstabber, traitor, leech, a disinterested noble or something else?"

"A friend", I replied without delay. "You are my friend. The closest person that isn't family."

Alaric looked a bit surprised. Tapping the table.

"I had not imagined that answer", he replied, thinking again for a while. "I suppose we are quite close friends. However, as friends, I have to tell you where my loyalty lies."

I studied Alaric closely as he thought about his following words.

"All those things between you and me started as my father planned to make connections with yours. I had treated it as a game at first. You acted interesting. Averting from the norm of a noble. Your family tends to do the same", he started.

"You stood back up after I beat you. You weren't angry, instead eager to improve. Admitting your own shortcomings. Then in Alexandria, you began to soak up the wisdom of your teacher and that of the library. Again eager to improve. Then you beat me in the arena", he continued.

I smiled at the memory of my hard-earned victory.

"That is where this began to stop being a game for me. You started to build up a network of influence first by using your family name, later through your own. Now you have powerful allies in the east and profit from their trade networks. You had used the chance your father's money had offered", Alaric said and stopped tapping.

"That is where I chose to follow you. Starting to help in earnest with the company and later with the legion. One thing became clear then. You were beginning to shape the world around you. Gaining a base in the wealthiest province of the east, building a legion in their territory with their permission. Bonding with a creature your teacher later called dangerously. Ending a rebellion before it could even really start. I want to see what you will achieve with my support", he finished.

"And what about the part 'Where my loyalty lies'?", I inquired.

"There are some paths where I won't follow you. Can't follow you", he answered. "I have my own principles. And I tend to not break them for anybody."

"So as long as I am a good leader you will continue to support me?", I asked. This conversation had turned into something I hadn't expected.

"There is no good or bad, but I suppose yes. And from a friend to a friend, I will tell you when you are going down the wrong path", he supplied. "It is for you to decide what to do with my advice."

"Does this conclude your questions?", I inquired. "You still haven't told me why you deviated from the plan."

"See it as a test. I wanted to talk and wanted to see how you react to openly shown critique", he replied. "It will not happen again. In the open that is. And yes that concludes my questions."

"Good. I can live with that", I finished and stood up. I had many things to think about. One was that I hadn't noticed this change in Alaric. Now that I think about it, he did start to help me more after the arena, that was also the time where he stopped to fool around so much. Alaric had also admitted to not follow me everywhere.

I was reminded of my breakup with teacher over Quintus. I shook my head. That and that were different.

Secondly, I will need to think about what I plan to do in the next years. Father will remain duke for many more years and I don't want to go back to just living in our mansion.

"Let us go to the feast", I said. A distraction would do me good for the rest of the day.

Alaric and I left the room and attended the feast.