Marius walked with his father through the palace, admiring the beautiful mosaics on the floor as he did so. It was a testament to the power and glory of Rome that such a palace could be constructed along the banks of the Rhine among the conquered tribes. Whenever his father had to entertain a representative from the natives, they were always amazed by the architecture on display. Of course, Rome itself was far more amazing, but to the uncivilized tribes of the north even this palace was an incredible monument.

“I will be gone for the entirety of the summer,” His father was explaining his journey to his son. Unfortunately, even with the resources of the Governor, the capitol of Germania Inferior, Ara Agrippinensium, was still very far from Roma. The trip would take nearly a month by carriage each way, not to mention the time his father would spend in the city for his work. “I expect you to be able to handle the various tribes while I am gone, and to keep up the families observance at the temple to Mars.”

“Of course, Father.” Marius said excitedly, “I am ready for this.”

His father stopped and looked at him sternly, “I hope so. If I come back to find you have been flirting with the tribal girls at the playhouse again…”

That was just that one time! Marius thought, but kept his mouth shut as his face turned red. Whatever her social status, she had been quite cute… And it was not like his family used all the seats in the area reserved for them!

“I will take this responsibility with the utmost seriousness Father.” Marius rushed to say, really, it had only been that once… At the playhouse anyway…

“Hmmmm,” his father sounded skeptical, but had a glint of humor in his eye. “Don’t think I have not been aware of what you have been up to son, and don’t think that I won’t find out when I arrive back home again. Still, I think that is warning enough, there are more important things to discuss.”

Marius struggled to control his embarrassment, lest it seep out into the air around him and instead focused on the next part of the discussion. “Regarding the Langobardi, Father?”

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“Indeed.” His father demonstrated his emotional control by exuding such an air of calm that Marius was able to use that to aid his own efforts to control himself. “Our scouts have reported that the Emotional Atmosphere has become more tense along the border, so it would behoove you to aid the Legions and to keep a look out for trouble before it can begin to occur. The tribes lack Roman control over their emotions, but as we learned in the Batavarian revolt, their shamans are quite powerful.”

“I will be sure to keep a watch out, Father.”

“Good.” His father nodded, “You have taken the economic and political lessons to heart, so I have no doubt you will perform well in those departments.” He put his hand on Marius’s shoulder, “I have some other preparations to take care of, but I just wanted to let you know that I am proud of you and that I trust you to handle this.”

“I will not let you down, Father.” Marius swelled with pride and his father left to finish up his business before he left.

After his father left, Marius heard someone giggle from behind a nearby pillar. “Given where Lord Apollonius stopped, it was almost like he knew I was here…”

“Aelfruna…” Marius sighed as the young woman stepped out into view. “Father’s emotional control is great, he probably did know you were there…”

“Hehe, is that a problem?”

“Well he did only warn me against the playhouse…” Marius grinned, the Germanic people had changed considerably since Julius Caesar wrote the Commentarii de Bello Gallico, but some things remained relatively the same. For one, the local religious leaders, the ‘druids,’ proclaimed that men should strive to abstain from sex as long as possible… And since Marius rather liked the native ladies, well, he perfectly fine to have less competition.

That said, the voluptuous Aelfruna was far more than a cute girl. She was sharp and witty, and her education about the various families and tribes in the province had been far more useful than his tutors. That said, his father’s disapproval was understandable. Technically, he had not violated any Roman laws, but his behavior would be looked down upon if it was discovered. Still… Of all the girls he had played with, Marius had come to wish that he could marry Aelfruna, having such a powerful woman at his side could only help him in the future. But the social differences between them were too great…

“It was a bit of a risk to come see me,” Marius changed the subject. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Aelfruna’s face turned serious, “I have heard some unpleasant whispers among the tribal leaders, and I thought you should know.”