The dawn rose several days later, and with it so too did Marcellus. The roman General yawned slightly as he shifted under his covers towards the side of the bed. He reached out his hand to touch his beloved slave. However, despite his attempt to feel her warmth, he merely swatted the air. This caused the man to open his eyes wide in shock as he glanced over at his bedside to notice that his slave girl was mysteriously absent.

Her absence in the morning was abnormal, to say the least. Normally, Sigefrida would remain by his side until he awoke so she could properly dress him for the day, and yet there was no sight of her. In the back of his mind, there was a hint of worry. After all, she was a beautiful woman, and there were many fiends in this city who would do anything they could to get their hands on her.

However, he also remembered his fierce reputation, and his strict orders given to those beneath his command. Thus, he did not immediately resort to panic and instead tried to rationalize events. His first course of action was to simply call out to the woman. Perhaps she was elsewhere within the villa, attending to other matters.

“Sigefrida? Are you nearby?”

Only the man’s echoes resounded throughout the stale air of the abandoned villa. Upon realizing that the woman was not within the building, he quickly got dressed by himself before searching throughout the confines of the building in case she did not hear him. However, ultimately his investigation was futile as she was nowhere to be found, thus he headed for the door to continue his search within the city below.

When he was about to exit the door to the villa, it abruptly opened and slammed him in the nose, causing him to fall back into the wall behind it. When Sigefrida saw she had accidentally harmed her master, she instantly dropped the basket of eggs, meat, and produce that she was carrying while rushing to the man’s side.

“Marcellus, I’m so sorry I didn’t see you! Are you okay?”

Luckily, there was nobody else nearby to overhear her casual use of the General’s name. It took the man a moment or two to gather his thoughts, but in the end, he rose from his feet and wore a stern expression as he lectured the woman._.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was? Where were you?”

In response to her master’s worries, Sigefrida merely smiled warmly before giving him an appropriate answer.

“There’s no reason to worry. Have I not told you before? No harm shall come to me so long as you remain in command of your legions. I was merely out requisitioning some supplies from your quartermaster. If there is one thing that hasn’t changed with the centuries, it’s the organization skills of the Roman Army!”

Upon hearing this, Marcellus chuckled before patting the woman on the head. After doing so, he smiled before nodding his head in response.

“Very well. In the future, make sure to leave a note before you do something like this. Also, take an escort with you. Even if we have recaptured the city, it is still dangerous out there. Since you are fine, then I will let things slide this time around. How about you cook me up some breakfast, and then we will depart from this city towards Lugdunum?”

Sigefrida nodded her head with a smile on her face before responding to Marcellus’s orders.

“I will do as you command from now on, master.”

After saying this, she stood up and grabbed hold of her basket. After doing so, she hummed a song as she walked off towards the kitchen area of the villa. Before long, she had coal burning on the stove and prepared her master and herself for some much needed nutrition for the long march ahead.

Time passed and before long, Sigefrida had cooked a healthy meal from the contents of her basket. She proceeded to lay the food down on the table, where she and Marcellus said a short prayer to the gods before digging into the food. After a single bite, Marcellus moaned in delight as he complimented the woman for her cooking skills.

“I am always amazed at your ability to cook a decent meal, even if you are using ingredients foraged on a campaign.”

The Suebi beauty’s ivory cheeks flushed red in embarrassment as she heard such shameless flattery. Thus, she switched the subject by inquiring about Marcellus’ plans for the rest of the Campaign.

“Tell me, Marcellus, after we have seized Lugdunum, what then? Will we meet Constantine in the field? Or will we chase him across Gaul and Hispania until we have ensured his demise?”

The young General did not hesitate to answer that question as he devoured the food on his plate.

“Ideally, I would like to force Constantine into the field where I have the advantage. If I am forced to wage too many sieges, my numbers will dwindle, and then we will be forced to retreat from this campaign. That is not something I wish to do…”

Sigefrida silently nodded her head in response to this. She was no master of military matters, but she was an educated woman thanks to Marcellus’ efforts. Thus, she was able to quickly discern the reasoning behind her master’s intentions. With a smile on her face, she responded to this statement with a comforting remark.

“I believe the gods have blessed you in your endeavors. Surely you will succeed. In doing so, you will finally prove your worth to your godfather and the emperor. Perhaps they will even give you a victory title. You have more than earned it!”

When Marcellus heard this point, he merely scoffed in displeasure. His qualms with the current Emperor were more than could be counted on one’s fingers. However, he never voiced such thoughts.

After all, to do so was considered treason, and he was no traitor. Instead, he merely tolerated the indolent fool who called himself emperor. Perhaps one day a man more worthy of the Roman throne would come into existence. Until then, he was stuck with Honorius. After dwelling upon this, Marcellus finished his meal, before standing up from his seat and giving Sigefrida an order.

“Quickly, finish your meal, and prepare to embark. We have a long journey ahead of us, and the quicker we get a move on, the better off we will be.”

Sigefrida merely pouted as she continued to eat her meal in silence. Evidently Marcellus was not in the talkative kind of mood today. After finishing her meal, she gathered her supplies alongside her master and the two of them departed towards the center of the city where the Roman army was gathered.

Marcellus rode upon horseback, with his beloved slave sitting behind him, tightly wrapping her arms around his chest for stability. The Roman General gazed upon his soldiers before issuing the order to march.

“Men, though we have been victorious here in Valence, the enemy still holds much sway over the lands of Gaul. Thus, we will push forth to Lugdunum and remove this usurper once and for all! Forward march!”

With this said, the army of Romans and Foederati alike marched toward their destination. Unbeknownst to them, an unholy alliance was underway nearby.

—

While the Romans were marching towards Lugdunum, there were two factions gathered in the woods. With Selmirus’ death by the hands of Marcellus, his armies had sworn in their hearts to one day gain their vengeance. Currently, the Suebi war-band was led by a man named Osoarius, who was the younger brother of the former chieftain.

Shortly after Valence had fallen, Osoarius received a letter from Constantine III. The terms that were written were simple. Join forces with the traitor legions, and together they would claim the head of Marcellus.

Naturally, Osoarius had no reason to refuse, and thus now the barbarian chieftain was standing side by side with one of Constantine’s generals, named Iustinianus. The two men conversed with one another as their armies waiting for their negotiations to be completed.

Iustinianus was the first to speak as he presented his terms.

“The emperor Constantine would like to employ your men, swear your servitude to me as foederati, and together we will avenge the death of your brother. You know as well as I that your numbers are too few to achieve victory against the loyalist forces.”

Osoarius scratched his beard as he contemplated on the offer presented to him. The losses his tribe had suffered at the hands of Marcellus’ troop during the brief exchange of combat prior to the duel was no small number. Even before their casualties, they did not have the ability to wage battle against the Romans in an open field.

However, with the traitor legions by his side, perhaps he could avenge his fallen brother, and honor his ancestors. So, what if he was allied with another Roman? Such alliances were common among the various Germanic tribes. Thus, after ample consideration, the Barbarian chieftain reached out his hand and clasped onto the Traitor General’s forearm, signaling his agreement. With a smile on his face, Iustinianus nodded before giving his orders.

“Very well, we set out immediately. We cannot allow those damned loyalists to reach Lugdunum!”

Osoarius roared in laughter as he called out to his forces.

“Onward and to victory! Those Roman dogs will fear the steel in our hands as we avenge Selmirus!”

With this said an unholy alliance had been brokered between Suebi and Traitors alike, who would do everything in their power to prevent Marcellus from approaching the city of Lugdunum.