“Augusta,” he said, stepping down from the dais, upon which the throne chair stood, and moving toward her.
“The title is no longer mine,” she protested.
“You must keep it always. I wish I could have brought you the news of his death myself, but there was much to be done in Britain before I could leave. And after that the rebel kings here in Gaul had to be put down.”
“Is it true that they are your prisoners?”
“Yes. I hope you were not troubled by the siege.”
“We were well protected. Your father fortified Treves against just such an attack.” She hesitated, then spoke again. “Tell me. Was his death painful?”
“Not at all,” he assured her. “He suffered another attack and weakened rapidly. I barely got back from the north in time to speak to him before he died. His last thought was of you and the children.” Actually, Constantius’ last words had been of Helena, but he didn’t hesitate to stretch the truth a little, knowing that the assurance she had been in the dying emperor’s thoughts would be comforting to this tall woman who had loved his father. “I promised him that I would guard you and your children as I would my own,” he added.
“Thank you. I had forgotten that you have a son.” She hesitated again. “Would you like to speak to the children?”
Wideeyed solemnity
Constantine had not thought of what it would be like to face his father’s children by another wife. But he felt an instant liking and respect for Theodora and experienced no awkwardness when she presented her six children, three boys and three girls. The oldest was a boy of about thirteen bearing Constantine’s own name; after him they ranged in ages down to the youngest, who was still a toddler. The other boys were named Hannibalianus and Constantius, while the girls were Constantia, Anastasia, and Eutropia. The six regarded him with wideeyed solemnity, until the oldest boy broke the ice in a rush of words.
“Is it true that you defeated the giant Piet called Bonar in single combat?” he asked.
Constantine laughed. “He was not a giant, though he is a large man. And he was giving me some trouble, until Dacius brought him down with the butt of a spear.”
“Why didn’t you kill him?”
“Bonar is a brave man and much beloved by his people,” Constantine explained. “It was better to make him my friend, so he would rule them for the Empire.”
“Your father would have done the same,” Theodora assured her son. “Don’t forget that he made a treaty of peace with Ascaricus and Regaisus.”
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