Empress Liliah's Disgrace. M/ F

[WyattW5]

Request from Noggip.

410 AD.

They had come. She knew they would but they had come. Barbarian King Alaric and his armies have begun the ransacking of the city. The legions had been spread thin the empire was large too large for its own good. Why did they need to spread so far west?

Liliah shook her head there was no point in arguing with herself over her cousin's desires and ambitions. Each Caesar wanted to be greater known than that of Julius. Each one desiring lands of the West, East, and South.

From the Northwest from the Germanic tribe's the Visigoths came charging from their woods savage as wild animals and barbaric in their wake. Leaving villages burned and towns destroyed. The few survivors spread to warn the villages of the Barbarians coming slaughter.

Emperor Honorius simply laughed at the concept of Barbarians attacking now to the Empress of Rome it was never amusing. Watching the burning fire across the way of her villa. Her servants and slaves had turned their tails and burst into a run. Now all who remained was her most loyal compatriot.

Centurion Matthis Dianydus. Standing tall and immovably strong in his armor. He had remained with Liliah for the length of the siege. The Praetorians had been busy extracting Honorius and his senate out.

Liliah hears the barbarous roars and call of the savage barbarians.

“Milady if we leave now we can get you out” Lilian nods and follows her man wearing a thick dark linen cloak the man had given her. Raising the hood to cover her golden circlet. Her Centurion guides her from the empty halls of her villa. A shame all of this will be destroyed. Liliah had thought as her man led her from the house into a secret passageway leading her to the street.

When she reaches the street chaos was more organized than this. Matthis takes her hand and guides her forcefully through the hordes of wailing people as they march Lilian was amazed to see a small cohort next to her. Four men with spears and shields guarding her down one alley to another forming a barricade guiding her away.

Until they come to the Agora. Where the Savages were running wild hacking and slashing with their wide and long blades.

“Protect the Empress” the Centurion commands taking Liliah by the hip guiding her to a wall to stand against. The four soldiers held their pitiful shield wall as fierce brutal warriors push and charge. Trying to push through to get to her the Centurion drew a dagger from his scabbard.

“When they get through me... use this... you must I fear what will happen when” a wild ax came striking the Centurion to hades. Leaving Liliah unable to reach the knife.

“No!” Lilian scrambled for the blade but a firm grasp pulls at her arm and drags her away.

“Unhand me foul brute” her tone was high as she held her chin just so. Looking the brute in the face he gave only a smirk before throwing her forward a horde of savages surround her.

“Crude wretched beasts... we should have you all stuffed in our coliseum to fight for that is all you are good for” the man holding her reared up to strike her. But a voice of the crowd ceased his movement.

“Do not touch her” a younger man spoke wearing a fur cloak over his armor a wide sword in hand.

‘You are Liliah... a cousin to Emperor Honorius?” Liliah rose to try and tower the man before.

“If I am...”

“A wicked temper this one does” the man holding her jerks her arm making her turn and push him. But the man hurls her before the other younger Visigoth.

“Has to be no other Roman looks upon us and tries to hold their superiority besides royal blood” the man smiles and looks upon his soldiers.

“We have the Empress” the man takes her wrist and raises her high Liliah throws her hand free before slapping the barbarian across his face. The man stood a half head taller than her, his brown hair draped below his neck tucked behind the fur of his cape.

“We take her to Alaric?”

“No... no, not yet” the young man smiles looking to Liliah who refuses to be intimidated. The woman stood tall and proud in her Stolla and Palla gown deep red and bright orange. Liliah sneers at the Barbarian before threatening.

“My cousin Honorius is sending a Legion... straight South from the lands of Gaian and when they come... you best fear for your pathetic fur skinned hides for there will be no mercy upon your savage merciless souls” the leader turns to face her and smiles

“You will be lucky if the Mongolian Huns don’t run those dogs down first your ladyship” the leader smiles without ceremony hoists Liliah up. Screaming angrily Liliah commenced to shout and yell but they were drowned by the loud thunderous voices of the savages who were ravaging her fair city.

“Tie the wench” the leader commands stepping back and two men armed with rope. Began to wind the rough woven binds of rope around her wrist going to bind them together with the leader calls out

“hold there... raise her high... like the Roman dogs raise their eagles... we march her to Alaric on high!” the leader smiles and waves his arms around his soldiers all overjoyed at the prospect.

Liliah herself... she was becoming fearful as the two who had bound her wrists now took her and bound her elbows to the horizontal wooden bars of a t flag bearer.

Rallying his men the leader mounts his strong horse wielding his sword as the ideal leader does. He waves his blade and raises the cheers of all his men. Before he rides around smiling as he watches his men enjoying the Empress bound. Seeing her mouth move the young man rides forward approaching her side

taking his sword he cuts a swath of her stolla. The man raises the cloth on high and binds it to the tip of his sword. It acts as a flag in the breeze. Liliahs eyes widen as others soon using knives and swords and daggers cut fabric from her grasp and continue the trend of binding her garments to the tips of their spears and shafts of their axes.

“I curse you Visigoths I swear for the indignation you have tormented me through here... you shall have a hundred years of”

“Gag the witch before she can finish her foolhardy curse” a man calls out taking the cloth he was about to jump on Liliah when the leader smiles

“nay, I want to hear the colorful spells this witch will bestow upon us who knows maybe she can call upon her gods” the leader boasts proudly laughing while Liliah growls and the leader points his sword onward.

“March for the Roman Senate for my Father Alaric will long to see we have captured our prize...” Fritergern Liliah soon realized Alaric's illegitimate born child named after the Emperor Slayer of years past.

Liliah found her neck aching as she was paraded across the disgusting streets of Rome. Bloodstains their path as the Visigoths were taking men women and children and bending them before the parade. Liliah remembered the last time she had stepped out... these people had all bowed to her as if she was their queen herself... she had respect she had power... oh how she wished that could save her now.

Born of the Imperial family it made one a target for the ambitious souls yet... it made those stronger because they simply learned to deal with their threats one way or another. For Liliah this usually meant extorting a Senator or hiring a few soldiers to execute a man under false accusations. Now, what would she face at the hands of these savages?

Unsure what to do she calls out to Jupiter screaming to the god of the skies begging him to cast thunder and lightning down upon these savages.

Lowering her gaze she looks upon the sick homeless and poor of the city who were on their knees their faces were filthy and their eyes were wide and bright. Liliah felt only sorrow for those who already had awful lives now the Barbarians ransacking the city.

Liliah’s curses flew over the shouts of the barbarians the screams of their victims as Liliah continued to hope for the Roman legion from Revenna the capital. But to Liliah’s shock what her parade cross was a regiment no less than sixty or so Romans legionaries. On their knee's some of them bound some gagged all of them lined up.

Some lined up for a headsman's ax others set to be hung on the street columns. Some were set to be dragged behind chariots. These men were of the fifth Legion formerly stationed in Sicily. Sent to Rome to keep it from falling to the hands of the Visigoths... well one could just see how well that worked.

“Oh, my word...”Liliah het up a scream as she looks to the highest pillars on the Senate walls. Where General Cornelius Petilous was hung upside down his arms flailing and his legs kicking.

“Oh, that scream set her down and gag the witch...” Fitergern spoke and the two men lower the girl down and fill her mouth with the cloth of her gown before tying a sash around her mouth.

“Lephf mephf goph”

“Oh, feisty little thing is she not” Frittergern smiles as he waves his sword in the air the cloth still flailing in the wind.

This is disgraceful. Liliah speaks only to herself as the eyes of thousands of Romans soldiers and civilians alike staring at her with a look of Liliah could not place it nor ignore it. No. Never ignore their stares and muttered words.

Liliah had remembered many times she had known people whispered behind her back. She told herself to keep her head high... she was born of high Imperial born stock... but now as she was being carried around a pole raised aloft. Her fine garments torn her mouth gagged.

Her body rendered helpless Liliah could do little more than blush and cry. Demoralized as she was forced to face the reality of her situation. No one was coming to rescue the degraded Empress.

[FabianStr2016]

Interesting! I hope there'll be another part!

[Caesar73]

Indeed. Nice setting. Maybe Alaric is gracious to her Highness?