Salvatoria: The Memoirs of Lucretia Aurelia

ᑕᕼᗩᑭTEᖇ ᙭ᐯI: KIᑕKIᑎG TᕼE ᕼOᖇᑎET'ᔕ ᑎEᔕT

February 1, 49 B.C

Near to Roma, Italia Province, Respublica Romana

Marcus and I had done our job well. We exchanged reports and falsified letters from northern towns, which sent the Senate and the Optimates into a frenzy. Instead of two understrength legions marching on Rome, Pompey thought Caesar had crossed the Rubicon with seven of his ten Gallic legions, or with at least 40,000 men, and with our reports that I had brought vast quantities of Gallic and German auxiliaries, they then believed Caesar had upwards of 60,000 men marching on the Eternal City, twice the size of his own army.

In reality?

We had half Pompey's force. At best.

But we had scared Pompey so much that he fled Rome and Italia mere weeks after we crossed the Rubicon, taking the majority of the Senate with him. Only a handful of Optimates remained daring enough to stay in Rome, including Cassius Longinus and Lucius Moringus. Caesar dispatched me to occupy Rome, while he rapidly marched through Italy to try and destroy Pompey or besiege the Senate before they fled to Macedonia or Greece. But not all was well. We lost Titus Labienus, who couldn't bear the fact that we invaded Italia. I saw him in the flesh just a week after the die was cast, and with tears in our eyes, having become close friends and comrades, he said it wasn't personal, but that Caesar had crossed a literal line, and that he had gone too far for him to just sit by and let it happen. Caesar was broken by the disavowment personally, as Labienus was too his friend.

But he pressed on south to Corfinium, where he managed to force a major Optimate, Ahenobarbus, to surrender without a fight, gaining three new legions under his command, while the veteran 12th and 8th legions had both arrived from Gaul, giving Caesar close to the numbers the rumours had provided. Though to Pompey, that made him think suddenly Caesar had nine legions under his command. Beautiful. Those new legions would be preparing to attack Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia, to ensure Caesar had a steady grain supply. As he marched, Caesar raised three more legions, giving him nine, and to Pompey, twelve. This prompted the latter to flee to Brundisium and flee to Greece, as I mentioned earlier. Despite his best plans, Caesar failed to stop Pompey from escaping, which meant the war was far from over. But I was about to enter Rome on his behalf, reunite with my beloved Marcus, and enforce Caesar's authority while we figured out what to do next.

As my legion approached the city, the guards had seen us coming, and threw open the gates of the capital of the Republic. As I rode my horse up to the walls of Rome, they whispered loudly.

"Wait, that's not Caesar... that's Crassus!"

"The Son of Crassus!?"

"No... his wife!!!"

I saluted the guards, and they saluted back. My soldiers poured into Rome, maintaining their formations as tightly as possible as we moved down the roads of the city. The people of Rome threw flowers, rose petals, lilacs, laurel leaves, olive branches onto the road before us. The men smiled, but retained their composure. I saluted the men and women who cheered me on, especially the women, who they looked up to as a symbol, an icon. That women weren't powerless in this world. I rode my horse through the streets, the thunderous sound of my legionaries behind me. After a time of marching, we arrived at the Forum and Senate Basilica, a place I had only dreamed of seeing in my youth. My father was a general, but we were no patricians. We lived in a small home, because that was all we could afford after my father settled his debts. A group of Caesarian senators awaited my arrival outside.

"Wait, which deputy or lieutenant did Caesar send?"

"Antony...? No he's here in Rome,"

"Curio?"