Gaius Meridius stood, hands linked behind his back, as he looked out on his balcony. Below, in the city, his son's city, the night reigned over all. Dreams dark and light flitted through a thousand minds out there, but in this house only thoughts of intrigue and plots prevailed. Here he waited patiently for news of Liam's demise. It was such a shame he thought. For the man had been a more than capable warrior and a friend to his family, which was no small thing to Gaius. Alas that Liam had to be subjected to the most dangerous thing of all, the truth. There was hardly any regret for his actions that led to Liam's untimely death, but he did not relish the thought of his son's grief. A man in dark garb stepped onto the balcony, making no sound as he came to stand beside the eponymous senator. "You're back." Gaius said, his face turning into a faintly satisfied smile. "You have done we---" "--There was a complication." Said the assassin suddenly. "He lives, master Meridius." Gaius' mouth snapped back into a neutral expression as he slowly turned to stare at the man. He betrayed nothing of his inward anger. "...What does he know?" "He knows you sent them." "You can't even do your job can you?" The disdain in his voice dripped like rain from a gutter. The man looked aside, feeling the shame of failure. "I apologize, sir. If I had gone myself this would not have happened." "Then you should have, and you will. " Meridius sighed and rubbed his forehead as if nursing a headache. Go now, take what men you need and trust." He ponders for a moment, then says at length. "Take praetorians with you. A chance for them to restore their honor and status in the Empire. They will jump at the chance to capture a dangerous conspirator. Go." The assassin nodded dutifully and left in haste, leaving the Senator to scheme. The disappointed senator looked back at the city. Rebellious armies and failed assassins. Taking over the Empire would be far easier if everyone just submitted without him being forced to kill them, he mused. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Your eminence, I beg pardon for the late hour, but your father is here to speak with you. He claims it is an urgent matter." Emperor Tarquin arose from sleep to find one of his personal praetorian guard standing at the end of his chambers. He rose quickly and threw on his robes. He strapped on a sword and belt, for he always felt naked without some weapon by his side. Years of military experience had molded him, and he was determined not to let rulership dull his morals or skills. As Tarquin arrived at the sitting room adjacent to his chambers, he found his father there already. He seemed uncharacteristically pensive, Tarquin thought, and almost sad. Both were unusual for his stoic father and so he knew that what ever news he bore would be bad. "Father, what is it that troubles you so?" The Emperor said as he took his seat across from Gaius. The Senator looked slowly up at his son and waited until he sat down. "It is not that the matter troubles me, but rather, that it must naturally trouble you the greater. I wish that it were not so. " "That what were not so? Please, what has happened?" "Your friend...Liam, he has betrayed the Empire." "What!? There must be some mistake!" The newly crowned emperor rose quickly from his seat in protest. "I would that were so! Sit down, man, it is not good for a ruler to show distress." His father said in a parental tone, somethings never change despite stations. "You're right, of course...but explain this. It cannot be." "You remember that he came to speak with us earlier, that you had to attend to business. It was a gift, a gift of wine and...poison. He passed onto me an expensive bottle, a kind gesture as I had come to expect of him, but alas it was not what it seemed. I took it to my quarters until you had concluded your preoccupations. By this time your royal food tester had sampled the wine...I am afraid that after all these years he at last did his duty. He is dead." Dead the man was indeed, but it had not been by the soldier. Tarquin listened quietly through it all, struggling to believe what the horrible tale told. Gaius continued. "Doubtless, had you not been occupied when he gave the wine, we would have drank it right at that very spot. I sent men to capture him for questioning." Tarquin, who had sat down during the discourse, now stood up again. "Did it occur to you that maybe it was not he who had poisoned it? " "Alas, I did...but when the soldiers came to take him for questioning, he slew them. All of them but one, who reported back to me. He slipped away before the killing began. A coward, but a useful one." The Emperor, grieved at heart by the betrayal, slowly walked towards the window. "I...I wish I couldn't believe this..." "As do I, my son, as do I. Even his eagerness to hunt the praetorian who killed your predecessor must have been merely a bid to cover up loose ends." Gaius' voice was calm, falsely sad, but with an edge of compassion to it. "After all these years..." "After all these years you must learn that the only power in this world is that of rulership and family. I am sorry you had to learn this way." A pained expression was written on the man's face. He knew there would be sacrifices and betrayals as Emperor, but this was a blow he had not foreseen. "I only wish I knew why he would do this. What twist of fate lead him to rebellion?" "It is a sad truth often overlooked that the weak envy the strong, and will try to take such strength for themselves, even if it is against their prior nature. The fault is not in their stars, my son, but in themselves, that they are underlings." Gaius stood silently and watched his son for a long moment, as if judging to see if his lies had been good enough. By the sadness on his face, he deemed that they were. The throne was safe, for now. Tarquin merely looked his window, down at the kingdom that was his own. It seemed so much smaller all of a sudden, and colder. "Leave me, father. Please. I would be alone for the night." "As you need. I truly am sorry." With that the Senator removed himself, returning to his home to continue the rise of his family line. His son need not know the whole truth, for was it not enough that he was truly doing this all to keep him on the throne?