The Price of Duty

[KnightSabre]

Hi all - this is my first Civ story, and in fact the first story I've written in years. Be gentle, please. This is the first part only - will follow with the final part soon.

A beautiful, serene peace settles over the palace when night falls. During the day, the halls and grounds are filled with people rushing here and there, each one intent on his or her private affairs. The air resonates with the trampling feet and babbling voices of merchants and priests, scribes and supplicants. The world is noise and motion from the moment the sun appears until long after she sinks into the western sea. Privacy and silence are treasures that I never have the chance to hold during the day, but at night . . . then I can finally be alone, if I choose. Then I can sit on the balcony overlooking my private garden, and breathe the clean salt air borne on the cool night breeze without thinking even once about the thousands of lives I hold in my hand. At night, there are no crucial decisions to make, no supplicants to hear. The night is the only time of peace I am ever allowed . . . and so it was that I found myself deeply resenting Atemkah's intrusion even before she began to speak. Still, I had no real choice but to listen . . . a true leader rules with his intellect, not with his emotions. So I listened, and felt my heart grow heavier with each word.

When she had finished speaking, I sat and thought for a long while. Atemkah knelt in respectful silence on a cushion beside me, awaiting my response. She knew me well enough to understand the effect her report would have on me. At last, I sighed and turned to face her.

“So this is the way you truly believe it must be?” I said.
She raised her head to look at me, and as always I found myself stirred by the clarity and intensity of the emotion that simmered in her dark eyes. Her voice was calm as ever, though. “Yes, my lord.” She shrugged lightly, her slender shoulders bathed for just a moment in the pale moonlight. “The Romans are our friends for the moment, but either we fight now on our terms, or we die later on Caesar’s terms. It is inevitable.”

I nodded slowly. “So . . . the rebels in Veii have won enough support to oust the governor, and turn the city over to us. What about the common people of the city? How will they react to suddenly being a part of the Egyptian empire?”

Atemkah smiled slightly. “I am certain the commoners will be even more eager than their leaders to embrace your rule. Almost half the population of Veii makes the annual pilgrimage to the temple in Heliopolis. A number of them even travel all the way to Thebes herself to worship at our great temple here! Many of the noble families are tied to us through marriage and trade . . . some of our soldiers are even allowed to live in Veii herself, and train with the city garrison!” She smiled confidently. “The city is ours, if we want her.”

Directly across from the palace, at the opposite end of the Street of Song, the Temple of Heaven sat in her majestic beauty. Moonlight gleamed from the pure white marble – marble cut and carted to us from the quarries outside Rome. A gift from Caesar himself, to thank the Egyptian people for supplying the Romans with rich pelts from our southern jungles . . . and now we were to repay him for his friendship with this betrayal. Still, Veii was a fine city, and would bring even more wealth and resources to my empire.

“Very well,” I abruptly announced. “I will fold Veii in my arms, but I am still not certain of the need for war. You must convince me.”

Atemkah nodded obediently, then paused to prepare her thoughts. She followed my gaze, and suddenly pointed toward the temple. “My lord, I will state this as plainly as I can. If we do not take this chance now, then within a few years you will see Roman soldiers burning and pillaging in that very temple. You will see the Street of Song stained with the blood of our own people. It is inevitable. For the time, Caesar has spread his kingdom too thin in his eagerness to expand his control throughout the north. He has founded cities in every available space, but has neglected to properly develop these areas. His military is weak, but it will not remain so for long. The iron mines west of Rome have seen greatly increased activity in recent months, and the first Legion has been trained and outfitted in Rome herself. Given enough time, Caesar will strengthen his forces, and soon his infantry will march down the Merchant Road directly into the heart of our empire. Caesar is too power hungry to do anything else.” She smiled at me sadly. “Not all rulers prefer peace, my lord. Building a temple in each of our cities has made your people happy and wealthy, my lord, but it has also created a tempting prize for our northern neighbors. So . . . we strike first. When Veii turns, it will completely disrupt the Roman government. They will take some time to determine a response, but before they can make a decision, our armies will be on the move. Our elite charioteers in Elephantine are poised to invade the eastern half of the Roman empire. With Veii in our hands, we are only a short step from Rome herself and the grasslands north of Veii will allow our chariots easy passage. Before Caesar knows anything is amiss, his kingdom will be split in half, and his capital will belong to us. Once this initial step is complete, we can take his remaining cities at our leisure. Then the land will belong to us, and you can throw all your energy into building cities which will be the envy of the entire world!”

In the face of her enthusiasm, I could not restrain a smile. “You truly understand me, Atemkah. And you could always convince me to listen to you. You are by far my most trusted advisor, and I will heed your words. Put your plan into motion, then. If we must strike, let us strike hard and fast.”

Atemkah smiled. “You have made a wise decision, my lord. I salute you for your wisdom.” She bowed low, and touched her forehead to the floor. “Now, if you will permit me, I will withdraw to pass word to my agents.”

“No,” I shook my head, and grinned slyly at her. “Tomorrow is soon enough for war. Tonight, I require your expertise in.. another area.”

Atemkah stared in surprise for a moment, then returned my smile. “My lord, it has been so long since you needed my . . . companionship. I thought perhaps your feelings for me had changed.”

I sighed and shook my head. “You know better than that, Atemkah. You know well the pressure the nobles put on me when our son was born four years ago. If I could have taken you as my bride, you know I would have done so. I may be the Supreme Ruler of our empire, but even I cannot blatantly flout generations of tradition and marry a commoner. I have taken care of you as best I could, and kept you as close to me as possible. Do you not realize that many of my nobles cried for your head?” I laughed bitterly at the sudden surprise that bloomed in her lovely eyes. “Yes, its true! They felt that word of this ‘scandal’ might interfere with their desire to have me wed the daughter of Caesar. They demanded I remove you and the boy immediately!”

She shook her head numbly. “But . . . you have fathered other bastards. Why was it so different with me?”

“Atemkah,” I said in exasperation. “You are not that naïve. There is a difference in a child from a concubine and a child from a free woman whom I have publicly admitted to loving. A concubine is accepted and expected, but a free, willing lover . . . “ I shrugged. “That is another matter. Appearances must be maintained.”

We were silent for a time then, as she pondered this revelation. “I did not realize –” she finally said. “I did not know that our lives were actually in danger. How did you . . . save us?”

“That was a simple matter, my love. I held a private audience with the nobles who demanded your death, and I was able to convince them of the depth of my feelings for you. Once they understood that, I was quickly able to make them see that their own health would mirror your own. You would have smiled to see how suddenly your greatest enemies became your staunchest supporters!”

She smiled a little then, but her words were bitter. “So, the stick and the carrot. First you threatened them, and then . . . then you agreed to wed the Roman *****.”

Something in her voice spurred my anger, and I stood abruptly, towering over her. “Yes! I married Caila! Politics demand sacrifices, and that was the price I had to pay to appease my people! They wanted peace, and they wanted strong ties to Rome . . . and that is what they received! I did my duty as a ruler, and I do not care to be questioned for that! How dare you speak to me in such a manner? I would not tolerate such impudence in one of my own children, much less – “ I stopped then, and stood still.

“Much less what, my lord?” she asked. Her eyes were on the floor, but her voice fairly shook with emotion.

“Nothing,” I sighed heavily. My anger was spent as suddenly as it had appeared. “Atemkah, please, let us not fight.” I knelt before her and took her in arms. At first her body was stiff with anger, but gradually she relaxed. “Be with me tonight. We will talk about the past later.” Slowly, her arms rose to embrace me, and her lips met mine . . .

[History Guy]

Your story looks to me like:

Or, at least it makes my story look like:

Good work!

[KnightSabre]

Weeks passed, and plans came to fruition. The city of Veii rose up in revolt, threw off the Roman yoke, and embraced me as their lord and ruler. As we had expected the Roman government fell into confused turmoil, and rather than making a strong response, Caesar sat on his hands and waited. When the first of my chariots rolled into Rome, he realized much too late how gravely he had erred. Defended by only a single legion against a powerful force of horsemen and war chariots, Rome fell with hardly a struggle. At the same time, another force of charioteers surged out of Elephantine and into the eastern half of the Roman empire. With his kingdom split in half, Caesar was unable to mount any serious resistance. Disheartened by the fall of their capital, and completely overmatched by my rapidly moving chariots, the empire of Rome crumbled and fell into my hands with nothing more than token resistance. So complete and overwhelming was our victory that not a single battle took place on our own soil. Not a single Egyptian city had to fend off even the feeblest attack from the battered Roman army.

When the last Roman stronghold fell, Caesar himself fell to my forces, and the war was over as suddenly as it had begun. I found myself ruler of a united empire, unchallenged by any enemies from within or without our borders. A few loyal Roman citizens attempted to resist my rule, but my practice of immediately commissioning the building of temples and libraries in every captured Roman city quickly convinced them that they were indeed a part of my empire, and not simply enslaved victims of war. So at last Caesar himself was brought before me.

On his knees, wearing only chains and a filthy loincloth, this battered man was barely recognizable as the former ruler of a large, powerful nation. He was still defiant, though, as befitted a ruler. He glared at me on my golden throne, and spat at me. The guard beside him immediately stepped forward and furiously smashed the haft of a spear across Caesar’s face for that insult. Blood and broken teeth sprayed from the Roman’s mouth as the impact knocked him flat onto his stomach. The guard raised the spear to strike again.

“Enough!” I snapped. The guard staggered, off balance for a moment as he struggled to halt the blow. “Back away from him,” I ordered. The guard frowned, but bowed and obediently retreated. I rose to my feet and descended the golden steps of the dais, then stood above the fallen Roman.

“That was a foolish and worthless gesture, my proud friend,” I sadly whispered.
Caesar looked at me incredulously. “Friend?” he hissed, as blood trickled over his split lower lip. “You have the nerve to call me a friend? You who treacherously attacked my land, sacked my cities, and slaughtered my people? How dare you call me a friend, coward!” His voice rose to a shout at the end, and I heard a mutter of anger ripple through the assembled soldiers and nobles.

“Keep your voice down, Roman,” I demanded. “They will tear you to pieces here and now if you persist in insulting me. Keep silent, and do what I tell you, and I will yet spare your life. Now, stand up and hear what I have to tell you. I called you here to honor you for your bravery, but if you do not swear fealty to me I will have no choice but to give you over for execution.”

Caesar slowly got to his knees, and paused there for a moment, breathing deeply, face twisted in pain. His chained hands were under his loincloth, and I noticed a stream of blooding trickling down his inner thigh. An old one, do doubt, that had reopened during the beating he had just received. I dismissed it, and considered the course I was about to undertake. I had no desire to see the Roman executed, though my council advised that. I preferred to exile him to a prison island off the coast of Thebes, and allow him to live out his life in relative peace. It would not be an easy task to convince my people, though, and to be truthful I was beginning to wonder if the effort was worthwhile.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Atemkah watching us intently. She had argued against me meeting Caesar like this, but I had ignored her protests. He had been a valiant foe, and I was determined to honor him face to face, as he deserved. So I gave him time to gather his strength and rise. I wanted him to stand before me, and then bend the knee to me willingly.

With a great effort, the Roman lurched to his feet. As he stood, his knees buckled and he fell forward weakly into my arms. I caught him almost by instinct, and helped him to stand. As my guards shouted in sudden fear and raced forward, I held up a hand to stop them. At that very moment I felt a sudden sharp, burning stab in my chest. I looked down, horrified, to see the hilt of a slender knife embedded in my ribs . . . a hilt held firmly in the manacled hands of Caesar himself. “A present for you, my lord,” he whispered triumphantly. “A present from all the Roman people.”

I gagged at the pain, and fell backwards helplessly. My blood poured from the wound. I could feel the cold metal of the stairs beneath me, and hear dimly the shouts and screams from the assembled people. As darkness fell over me, my last sight was of Caesar standing calmly above me, offering no resistance as my guards fell over him and cut him to pieces. Then all was darkness.


I awoke slowly, drawn reluctantly from the peaceful void into a world of pain and blood. As my vision slowly cleared, I realized that I was in my own bedchamber. A haggard, exhausted priest sat by my side. My chest was swathed in blood soaked bandages; each breath I drew felt as though knives were scraping me on the inside. I had never in my life felt so weak and helpless.

The priest sat upright with a start as he realized that I was awake. “My lord! You . . . you are awake! Let me get your advisors-“

“Wait . . . “ I hoarsely whispered. I tried to raise a hand to grasp his sleeve, but my arm only twitched weakly. “Wait.”

The priest stopped halfway to the door, and reluctantly returned to my side. “Yes, lord?”

“Tell me . . . how bad?” Those few words exhausted me, and the room began to slowly blur around me. I was suddenly dizzy, and felt as though I might vomit. After a moment, the pain eased and my eyes cleared. “How bad?” I repeated.

“My lord,” he began uneasily. “Surely you would rather speak with your council, or perhaps your wife-“

“How bad?!” I snarled angrily. The effort cost me, and I suddenly coughed and choked. The priest sprang forward and helped me sit up, then held a soft cloth to my mouth until the spasm passed. There was fresh blood on the clean white cloth when he took it away from my lips. I fixed him with my eyes, until he sighed and lowered his gaze.
“We have done all we can, my lord,” he said quietly. “There is nothing left but to . . . prepare you.”

I closed my eyes as despair and exhaustion swept over me. To die now, when I was on the verge of forging an empire of such beauty and glory . . . it did not seem just.

“How long?” I asked softly.

The priest hesitated for a moment, then sat down next to me. “It could be hours . . . or minutes, my lord. It . . . it is very close to the end, now.” He rose again suddenly. “My lord, please let me get your council. They need to see you-“

“No,” I stated calmly. My mind felt a bit more clear now, and I knew instinctively that I had very little time left. “No, I do not want the council.”

He looked at me uncertainly. “Your wife . . . your children, perhaps?”

I shook my head lightly. “Atemkah. Only her.”
The priest stared at me. “My lord? Are you certain?”
“Yes,” I said. “Atemkah. Now.”
He bowed obediently, and left the room quickly. In the silence, I closed my eyes and let myself dream. I thought of the years Atemkah and I had shared, of the love we had felt for one another. I remembered the nights we spent in the palace flower garden, her long dark hair falling around my face, with a sky full of stars blazing in the sky above her. She was the one I loved; the one I had always loved. If I was to die, it would be with her. There was no one else I wanted beside me.

I felt a soft hand on my arm, and opened my eyes to see her kneeling beside my bed. Her eyes were sad, but there were no tears to be seen. What a girl she was! To see me like this, and still have the courage to hide her tears!

"Atemkah" I said softly. "I am dying. I wanted . . . more than anything else . . . to spend my last moments with you." She nodded, but did not speak. "Tell me . . ." I continued, "tell me how it happened."

Atemkah sighed heavily. "One of your palace guards betrayed you, we believe. He was the last one to be with the Roman before he was brought into your presence. He must have hidden the knife under Caesar's kilt . . . after the attack, the guard fled. He is being sought now, but none knows his location." She paused and looked at me. A wave of weakness swept over me, and I could only nod slightly. She took my hand in hers. "My lord," she whispered. "Your hand is like ice."

My vision was beginning to dim slightly, and I was far too weak to reply. I only wanted to lie there and hold her hand until the end. It would not be long now. Then Atemkah leaned in closer to me, and I was startled to see a slight smile on her beautiful lips.

"As I was saying, my lord, no one knows his location . . . no one except me, that is. I know his body is hidden in a closet not far from the throne room."

My eyes must have betrayed my surprise, for she smiled even more broadly. "You see, my lord, I know his body is there, because I put it there. After I put a knife in his heart, of course." Now her smile disappeared, and she glared at me with eyes full of hate. "You should never have spurned me for that Roman whore, my lord. I have hated you since that moment, and so I have waited at your side for all these years. Waited for the right moment to punish you for what you did to me. I can tell you that now, because you are too weak to do anything about it." She leaned forward slowly, and as I stared at her in disbelief, she smiled again.

"Yes, its true," she said. "A long time to wait for revenge, but I am a patient woman. For a while, I thought perhaps I would forgive you. But no . . . I could not forget the way you tossed me aside. Yet still, you were willing to use me for your pleasure, even after your Roman love arrived." Her lips curled derisively, and she cursed me then. "So, when you told me of your decision to meet Caesar face to face, I knew my best chance had arrived. I bribed one of your guards . . . and not with money." Her smile cut me deeper than the assassin's knife. "He was . . . quite eager to please me, I can assure you. He gave Caesar the knife, along with some instructions from me. The Roman was most eager to avenge his empire. I was sure you would die on the spot, but this has worked out much better for me. Now I know that you will face eternity utterly broken, in body and spirit. That will bring me joy for many nights to come, my lord. And now, I think it is time to say goodbye. No, don't get up," she laughed. "I want to remember you just like this."

I wanted to scream at her, or stand and strike her, but I was too weak to even protest. So I lay there helplessly, and as darkness slowly closed over me, I could only hope that I might face her again on the other side. Something tells me that I just might have that chance . . .

[KnightSabre]

By the way, that was the final part. Hope it doesn't completely suck!

[History Guy]

I like it...but has anyone noticed that it always seems as if Caesar gets killed in most of the stories he's included in?

Anyway, good one, KnightSaber!

[History Guy]

However...I do have one question...Who is the narrator of the story?

[civman2000]

Good first person! maybe you could write a prequel, it was a bit short...

[steven8r]

Good story. Intense ending. Hell hath no wrath.......