Free The Eternal Empire by Geoff Fabron Page B

question Katherine's
smile took on a slightly wicked twist.
    "I study dead Romans," she
said deliberately, looking directly at Cornelius, who was turning slightly red
as he realised that he had been rather rude.
    The Count let out a huge laugh.
    "Katherine is studying Roman
History at the university," he said as he brought his laughter under
control, "the lives of famous Roman Emperors” is the subject of her
current paper.
    The bright smile returned to
Katherine's face.
    "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to
embarrass you", she said.
    "It's all right," replied
Cornelius, "it was rather rude of me to ask."
    "Indeed it was," the
ambassador broke in with mock severity, "you shall have to make it up to
this young lady. What do you think Frederick?"
    The Count joined Taronites in teasing
Cornelius.
     "Indeed he must, I can't have my
sister treated like this," he added, "it could cause an international
incident!"
    "Absolutely!" said the ambassador,
"in penance, Cornelius will be available to answer all Katherine's
questions on Imperial History."
    "That's really not
necessary," said Katherine.
    Cornelius had been standing speechless
and now had a definite flush to his face. "I really don't mind," he
managed to get out.
    "There you are!" said the
ambassador, "Cornelius has also studied Roman history and he has an
excellent analytical mind." He turned to the Count, "that's why I
chose him for the job here."
    "Excellent!" said the Count.
"Katherine you can start by taking Cornelius to the museum at the castle
on Saturday. It contains the biggest collection of Roman military artefacts in
Saxony."
    They looked at each other blankly for a
brief moment and then Katherine said, "meet me outside the main gate of
the castle at ten o'clock!" She then turned and moved off to talk to
another group.
    The ambassador and the Count were
beaming at Cornelius, obviously happy with the embarrassment that they had
caused him. Yet for some reason Cornelius was not all that distressed and as
the evening progressed he found himself looking forward to Saturday.

     
    The next day at the office, Cornelius
kept thinking about his meeting with Katherine. He was not happy with the way
he had reacted when he had first met her and was resolved to make a better
impression on Saturday. To this end he decided to read the earlier charters of 
'Rome and Germania – A Modern History' that he had skipped on the train. That
evening after dinner he sat down in the armchair in his room beside the fire
with a large mug of coffee and started to read.
    He skimmed over the first few chapters
which covered the period of the Roman Republic and started reading in earnest
with the attempt to colonise Germania between the Rhine and Albis rivers. The disaster
of Teutoburgerwald in 9 AD and its consequences was covered in some depth. The
slaughter of Varus and his three legions signalled the end of any attempt by
Rome to include Germania within the borders of the Empire. The next four
centuries saw regular Germanic incursions and punitive raids by Rome until the
great invasions of the early fifth century and the collapse of the Western half
of the Empire. Germanic tribes established their own Kingdoms throughout the
West, Ostro-Goths in Italia, Franks in Gauls, Visi-Goths in Hispania and
Vandals in Africa.
    For the next hundred years the German
tribes had acted as an army of occupation, living off the land they had
conquered but not really mixing with the Roman population. Then in 533 AD, the
Eastern Empire launched it re-conquest of the West.
    First the Vandal Kingdom fell to the
armies of the Emperor Justinian, followed by the Ostro-Gothic Kingdom of Italy.
Hispania and Gaul were recovered more slowly but in 585 AD, the soldiers of
Rome stood on the banks the Rhine once more. By 600 AD Britannia had been
recovered for the Empire, and the frontiers of Rome were as they had been two
centuries before. It did not last for long. Forty years later the armies of the
Prophet Mohammed swept up