The Rise of an Emperor

"I knew I shouldn't have done that. I knew it. How could I have been so stupid?" said Columnus, standing upright atop a large wooden platform and leaning his strong back against a stone wall. "I can't do this"

The roar of the crowd on the other side of the pillar was deafening. The people wooed and hawed and clapped viciously. Columnus stood silently, his bald head bowed to his chest and his fists clenched tightly at his side. His hands shook, they dripped with sweat, his heart was pounding in his chest. Suddenly, a small man in a long white robe turned the corner and motioned to Columnus, "It's time".

Columnus raised his head and took a long, slow, deep breath. He nodded his head once and stepped forward. With only three steps he had rounded the corner of the pillar and appeared in the entrance way of a massive marble room with steps lining it and a sunken pit at its center nearly 50 feet across. The crowd on the steps circling the chamber went bezirk hollering wildly as Columnus stepped deeper into the room. He was dressed in a similar, floor length white robe as the small man who had summoned him. His head was adorned with a olive branch shaped crown and gold tassels fell from his shoulders.

The crowd was chanting in beautiful unison, "All hail Caesar! All hail Caesar! All hail Caesar!" Columnus' body was shaking and dripping in a cold sweat. His golden sandals made no noise as they landed on the exquisitely ornate marble floor. They propelled him into the very center of the chamber where the oculus above him shown sunlight down illuminating him.

The Senators that surrounded him still chanted enthusiastically and dozens of motionless soldiers lined the entire outside rim of the chamber. They were draped in purple robes and black armor, they held long spears at their sides and heavy metal shields in front of them. The soldiers were the Emperors personal security force, the Praetorian Guard.

Columnus finally made it to the center despite his limp. He took a brief moment to compose himself and bowing his head he took a vigorous breath. Caesar closed his eyes and in one swift motion raised his head and his arms high and waved them, saying to his audience "Quiet, quiet, my friends."

The chanting and clapping began to fade and the surprisingly strong and commanding voice of the new Caesar echoed through the chamber, his brown eyes studying the crowd surrounding him and within seconds of the start of his speech the entire Senatorial chamber was silent.

"Senators...senators...the state of our great Empire is...poor. Wars ravage our borders in the north, barbarians torment our people in the east, famine thins us in the west and in this very chamber...the incoherent squabbling of our politicians decays the glory that was once Rome. I, Columnus Publius Dominicus Caesar have set forth in these scrolls a new path. A new future for all Romans. A new Order under the guidance of me. And with it, we will forgo our problems, the wars will finally come to an end after decades and we will make peace with our enemies. But, we will not be weak. We will not give in or give up. The famine forced upon us by the gods will be undone, the gods must be appeased and so they shall be. With this new government, I can assure you, Senators of Rome, that Rome will live to see another sunrise...and so a thousand sunrises! And the glory that is Rome shall never die."

Columnus Caesar waved to his Senators and laboriously left the chamber the same way he had entered. His battle wound on the right leg caused him great discomfort and he labored as he walked. After passing through the archway back into the hallway lined with grand marble pillars, he stopped along the same one he had leaned against earlier. He leaned again throwing his hands against it to hold him up. He nearly began to weep when the same small man from earlier approached him.

"Sire, your speech was marvelous. Do you hear the applause? They still cheer for you, your Highness. They love you dearly. For the first time in along time a Caesar reigns with the full approval of the Senate." said the small man hunched over.