Chapter Three

Sitting with his cousin Claudius, Romulus watched the dancing girls do what they were trained to do. Each one wore a wrapped loincloth of cloth and a band of cloth to support the breasts. Romulus' eyes were on one particular girl his age who had light skin, reddish-brown eyes and red hair that was long and straight. Her attire consisted of an amber breast band and a brown loincloth. She was beautiful, she truly was. Helen and her thousand ships would have had to die of shame but considering that the Trojan War had ended over a millennia ago to think such a thing was redundant since Helen and all who had been on those thousand ships were indeed long since dead. Romulus kept his eyes on this dancing girl even as he half-listened to Claudius speak.

"I-I-I am h-h-happy with Plautia, it is just t-t-that w-w-we have been m-married f-f-f-f-five t-t-twelvemonths and still I-I-I-I-I have y-y-yet t-t-to f-f-f-father children. I-I-I'm beginning t-t-t-t-to w-w-w-w-worry t-t-t-that maybe I-I-I c-c-cannot father children o-o-or if s-s-she is b-b-b-b-b-barren. O-O-On t-t-the o-o-o-other h-h-h-hand, w-w-w-we h-h-have o-o-o-o-only b-b-b-been s-s-sharing a b-bed once a twelvemonth s-s-s-so t-t-that m-m-might b-b-be t-t-the p-p-problem. P-P-P-Perhaps w-w-we should t-t-try twice a twelvemonth."

"Claudius, you aren't on campaign away from your wife for twelvemonths on end. Share a bed with your wife every night." Replied Romulus, keeping his eyes on the redheaded dancing girl.

At four and twenty, Claudius was tall and of a well-built figure. Black haired and eyed, he was a good-looking man that was nearly non-descript that was saved by a look in his eye that screamed constant alert. "Yes, p-p-perhaps. S-Still I c-cannot h-help but wonder if f-f-finding a nice Macedonian w-would be better. The Ptolemaic dynasty was of Macedonian stock and Cleopatra gave my maternal grandfather Marcus Antonius three children."

"Are any of those children still alive?"

"They are all dead. My aunt Cleopatra Selene died when I was four. Queen of Mauretania and Numidia, you know, very nice. My cousin Ptolemy now rules Mauretania as a client king of Rome... Rome! The old Rome is dead! We never would have been able to survive if we left the leadership to consuls. Only with a First Citizen can we survive! We have a better Rome now! A Rome that one day shall rule all the world!"

"Never Hibernia." Said Romulus, not even turning to look at Claudius. There were times when his cousin's stutter completely disappeared but they were rare. "Rome might conquer all the world but Rome will never conquer Hibernia. Consuls, First Citizens, no matter who leads Rome, the Roman spirit is ten twelvemonths dead now. No Roman would ever be able to conquer Hibernia. We Gaels are the greatest in the world. Goidel Glas, the father of our race, was fathered by a Scythian prince and born of an Egyptian princess. That is certainly better than being descended from any old Trojan."

"What is it about Aeneas that you do not like?" inquired Claudius.

"His abandonment of Dido and his slaying of the unarmed Turnus." Replied Romulus.

"Well, Aeneas was the son of Venus and I would say that is certainly better than being descended from a man lacking any divine ancestry."

"Goidel Glas' maternal grandfather was a pharaoh!"

"A pharaoh was a man even if he was worshipped as a god. In Egypt they may call my great-uncle and step-grandfather, your maternal grandfather, pharaoh whenever he is there but he is still a mortal man." Romulus clenched his fists as Claudius continued speaking. "These dancing girls bore me! We should go to the arena, watch a gladiator fight!"

"I don't feel like going to watch a gladiator fight." Commented Romulus. "I'm interested in the redhead."

"They should be finishing their dance any moment now." Said Claudius, placing a hand on Romulus' shoulder. "Go on and speak to her once they have finished their dance."

"W-What do I say to her?"

"You may start with your name and then ask what hers is." Suggested Claudius.

"C-C-Can't I just say something like—"

"No." said Claudius.

"No?" asked Romulus.

"No." repeated Claudius.

"How can you say 'no' when you didn't even let me finish?"

"Because I am one of the four people in this family who knows you best and I am telling you now that being poetic is not the best way to start!" stated Claudius. "Be laconic, be straightforward, do not be you!"

"I can be laconic and straightforward." Muttered Romulus as the dancing girls finished their dance. He stood up and approached the redheaded dancing girl. She stared at him, wondering why he had approached her and Romulus just stood there with his mouth open as he attempted to speak to her. "I-I-I—" Claudius brought a hand to his face. Unbelievable! Romulus was stammering worse than he ever could. Claudius wasn't surprised if every Roman woman would come to think of Romulus as a stammering idiot. And then, Romulus stopped stammering. "I am Romulus, what is your name?"

Claudius looked up and gave a smile. Perhaps his cousin would not be a standard of stupidity as well. A standard of stupidity was a terrible thing to be, Claudius' own mother Antonia Minor considered him to be one, believed him a monster as well. Why? Was it because his knees were weak and gave way under him? Was it because his head shook? Was it because he stammered and his speech was confused? Was it because he slobbered and his nose ran when he got excited? Was it because his voice belonged to no land animal? Was it because his hands were weak? If his mother were to know that her second son Claudius exaggerated these symptoms then would he truly be the monster?

The redheaded dancing girl gave a smile and replied: "My name is Messalina."

Claudius rolled his eyes. "Messalina." He did not like her name. If he were to tell Romulus that now, he'd probably get a response that there was no thought in pleasing him when her name was chosen from Romulus. That alone caused Claudius to give a small chuckle and smile. Romulus' probable response was true. No doubt there were people who were not pleased that there were men with the appellation of "Claudius."

Then did Livia enter and ask Claudius: "Who is that Romulus is talking to, Claudius?"

"A-A-A d-d-dancing g-g-g-g-girl. Her name is M-M-Messalina, g-g-grandmother."

"I guess that you do not like her name."

"Y-Y-You g-g-g-g-g-guess r-r-right."

Livia sighed and looked upon Messalina with a wistful look in her eye. Once she had been so young and so beautiful like Messalina. Where had the twelvemonths gone? She had married her first husband Tiberius Claudius Nero when she was sixteen, the very age Romulus and Messalina were now. She was twenty she when Tiberius Claudius Nero divorced and she went on to marry Augustus, who was then called Octavian. Tiberius Claudius Nero had long since died and now Augustus was dying. She was to become a widow very soon.

Tiberius Claudius Nero had given her two children: Tiberius and Nero Claudius Drusus. Her younger son had died young but had fathered children, her grandchildren: Germanicus, Livilla and Claudius. Tiberius had fathered Drusus Julius Caesar, husband of Livilla, by his first wife Vipsania Agrippina giving Livia in total four grandchildren. Livia was not without great-grandchildren either. Drusus had fathered Julia Livia while Germanicus had fathered Nero Julius Caesar, Drusus Caesar and Gaius Caesar.

Tiberius... Her firstborn. Once had he been so happy. Then he was forced to divorce Vipsania to marry Romulus' mother Julia Major, a woman he did not love, and two twelvemonths later his brother, her second son, Nero Claudius Drusus died. He was still somewhat happy but well did she fear what would happen if Tiberius' son Drusus Julius Caesar were to die.

In her step-grandson Romulus Livia only wanted the best. She loved the boy ever since he was born as much as Tiberius hated him. Why did Livia love him? Who could say? She merely did. As for why Tiberius hated Romulus, Livia knew the answer to that as well as anyone. He was Julia Major's illegitimate son who was born late into Tiberius' marriage to her. Once Augustus died Tiberius would become First Citizen. Tiberius did not want to be First Citizen but he would become First Citizen until Germanicus was old enough to take up the position. What Tiberius would do to Romulus as First Citizen filled Livia with dread! Tiberius had wanted to expose Romulus as an infant, no doubt he would have Romulus either assassinated or executed. Tiberius loved his son Drusus just as Livia loved her step-grandson Romulus. If she had to threaten the life of one of her grandsons to defend her step-grandson then so be it.

Banishing all grim thoughts from her head, Livia once more looked upon Romulus and Messalina and saw that Romulus' interest in Messalina was mutual. She knew in her heart that Venus, the Goddess of Love, had selected them for one another but had Juno selected them for one another?

Then did Tiberius enter the scene! As soon as he entered the room, all in the villa looked to him. The moment his eyes fell upon Romulus and Messalina he flew into a rage.

"What is this?" he pointed at Romulus and Messalina while looking at his mother and nephew. "You two are going to allow barbarian blood to further dilute our pure Roman blood?"

Romulus was about to open his mouth when Livia answered her firstborn son: "Tiberius, be silent. With your indefinable blemishes I never would have imagined you to be a deceiver."

"There is no harm from me doing it, mother!" returned Tiberius. "My father, your first husband, was a Roman but his father was a Gael. One's race is determined by who fathered them. A Roman father will beget Roman children but a barbarian father shall beget barbarian children. We already have one Roman who is not a Roman in this family, I do not want anymore!" Tiberius grabbed a chair and held it aloft, prepared to hurl it at Romulus and Messalina.

"Tiberius, stand down!" ordered Livia.

Even at five and fifty, Tiberius was under the thumb of his mother. Reluctantly, he put down the chair and put on a civil face as he began to approach Romulus. "Step-nephew..." he said. "How about I arrange a marriage for you to one of your cousins... Find someone more worthy of your position as a member of our family..."

"Who were you planning to have me married to, step-uncle? Claudia Pulchra? Domitia Minor? They are the only ones whom I could marry and they are both indifferent to me. Keep your arranged marriages, step-uncle. I'll have none of it. I shall choose who I marry and no one else." Thus did he and Messalina exit the scene!

Tiberius however was enraged by what Romulus had said to him. "You dare to insult me, barbarian brat! When I am First Citizen you will be subservient to me!"