LOVE AND HONOR: The Mad Emperor (BL)

Germanicus's famil

when he first overheard his f

uiet, save for the soft splash o

the various rooms stemmed-flickered weakly, making the ma

oo restless to sleep after the trium

bask in the presence of hi

od outside his parent's cub

s' voice was steady but weary. Drusus can

s is all over, I wish to step away. A quiet life, a farm

of sheets.

the kids, Agrippina..?" His

ight blue eyes wide

om Palatine Hill, from ev

clenched i

even consider such a thing

longed. His friends, h

father think

weight of his father's words

he was there in

his cubiculum and pretend

f to sleep, by morning, i

ubbling inside him wo

someone to tell him this was ab

to his ol

to his cubiculum, shaking him awake. "Brother! Wake

d, barely lifting his he

e blurted, his voice barely

e-leave everything beh

there was no shock in his face, no outrage. His sligh

er wants," He mutter

s though he h

on't you see what this means? He's throwing

er, dismissing him. "Drusus, le

disappointment wash

eone who would share his fury, b

el, he stormed ou

erstand. He clearly

ead.." He mum

agree with him, to understan

rusus could not shake

his frustration only grew when he noti

ligula. His yo

ng off into the distance with tha

frowned-then

a muscle tic

curled, breath hissing

pt in. A chill that had not

n the seventh day was the way

s-until now. Suddenly, Caligula wasn'

ia-she was the baby, the youngest, and th

im? Wh

y, he learne

ed to retire. The reason t

cause of

e the words, the world see

is fist, nails biting into his

their father wanted to

on Rome, on his

fury. His resentment

messenger from the palat

rom Tiberi

pleaded-to go

swearing that he'll behave,

n shed

to the palatium,

wn by his son's per

rius-his grandfather, declared Ge

peror said in his solemn voice,"...for his own years were trending to their autumn, a

periences to those of his o

peror's eyes lingered on him

nger son. The

side him, his entire body

said n

gue. Didn

hed, despite the way his shou

dulterated, surg

why doesn't

ntervened. The god's hav

tant farm. His father wasn't retiring.

phere of their home, the constant,

are coming. Even Ca

e the news with his frie

this journey would

e light. And for the first time in weeks,

week, t

polis, near Actium, h

he great Emperor

heroes-especially his father-throwi

Dr

on, basking in the reflected

legend. The hero

heered. Officials bowed. Poets

ity rolled out

Asia still

old fool-who spewed nonsense ab

laughed, brushing it off

been that way-strong

laughed alo

y had m

e could b

ame Ar

orging of diplomati

n things beg

rrived in Syria, s

us Calpurnius Piso an

at. Th

ys of whispers

s. The hus

ctically dripped fro

everything. He t

marks about his m

ade his father ki

icus's patience,

t wretched woman-knew exac

gly. Di

ve look to his father. Whom his

ns had favore

ey greeted Germanicus with open arms while trea

worsened t

One of the importan

nd decided to open the imperial granary-he distributed grain

pularity among the Egyptians-a humani

e had been

entered Egypt-the main source of their grain-and

ored it all and di

rusus' father b

ingering weariness in his ey

it wor

. Fever

le Germanicus-was weake

s at his father's bedside, lis

of his skin. Watching as th

rumors

eachery. D

Agrippina, had

sperately, hopel

ything happened so quickl

ot on their way to the Mausoleum Augusti, the t

ho

ad don

aken his f

sts as his light blue eyes s

s happ

y look at u

er the cobblestones,

, second son

derstand. Old enough to

A coldness settled in his gut, a

sions weren'

ere of

led deep in his ches

e celebrated his father

with cheers now swallowed

, staring ahead as the

ated

ence. Hated w

s if every gaze in the

t on his grandmother. N

i

against his skin, making him shift uncom

together, a sea of muted colors

the earlier rain, their soaked gar

ne, damp earth, and linger

he saw it clearly-thei

, frustration simmerin

. He was riding in a lux

e him as so

borate chariot-one of the many

cate carvings adorned the wheels, e

amed under t

from his grandmother, pulled

n, peering down at th

imagined himself as a ru

e in days, the though

ned to his

grandmother, oblivious-so clueless t

flared in

didn't e

ngs with the scent of worn leather an

ittle to

sco

t even s

ce, lined with age, bore the weight of both years a

niece of Emp

ye

d so old.

e remembered their last s

en. Urging them to eat before

id, offering him a panis focaci

ort, it filled

f the imperial fami

shout it at h

said

sion speak for him, twiste

from Syria, bringing her ow

refused. She still rode

aze shift

mo

ipp

ad go

lent devotion, her b

en a word since

eyes. Her h

oked i

bitter mix of anger and something

to his older

His eyes fixed on so

could he be

ee? Didn't h

ily has

e collar and shake him until th

d, his gaz

h

lig

er who sat quietl

pty sta

, unreada

something sn

tention

mbled as his an

always so frag

have been th

Fa

r Fa

terness swelle

bro

stolen their par

igu

he golden son basking in their fath

more than a footnote

ady vibrations pu

ay from Caligula, tried to push

aw, fingers curli

had wanted

ce. Not for

. For C

intment. Th

ue eyes burned with resentment as

le them

Mother. A

him sing... Se

DAR

melody, clawed through Drusus

pted within him, b

t out, a blu

k echoed through t

side, his cheek blooming red,

r, and Antonia's ha

heaved, visi

fists tighter, h

him instead. T

**********

ND

he. Or is there? Hmm.. This one actually has 6

TE

anicus for his own years were trending to their autumn, and those of D

ED

particularly Tacitus's "Annals," which offers a comprehensive account of t

Egypt's grain supply and the political conf