When he opened his eyes the next morning, their eyes met. Aurelia looked as if she hadn't been able to sleep all night. Sleepily, he tilted his head and tried to make sense of her expression.
"There is something I have to tell you," she said, and he was suddenly awake. He sat up bolt upright and looked down at her expectantly. Slowly she straightened up and gently rested her hand on his shoulder. Clear and composed, she told him about the failed invasion of Britain she had read about in her original time. Thoughtfully, he rubbed his chin, ignoring the scratching of his stubble. He really needed to get a shave this morning.
"Will you help me prevent these mistakes?" he asked after a while, and she rested her chin on his shoulder with a smile.
"With the greatest pleasure," she whispered and kissed him softly on the cheek. Reprovingly, she looked him in the eye and said with amusement, "Get a shave or you'll turn into a barbarian."
"Am I not already married to a barbarian?" he groaned, dropping theatrically back into the pillows and skilfully ignoring her. Her pillow narrowly missed him. His wife really was a miserable thrower - especially when she was angry. Just as she was about to get up in a huff, he shot up, got hold of her by the waist and pulled her back onto the bed with him. Mercilessly, he began to tickle her sensitive spots and her beautiful laughter filled the room. It wasn't long before she was laughing and begging for mercy. With one fluid movement he rolled on top of her and held her captive with his body beneath him. Breathless, she blinked up at him.
"Do you submit to the power of Rome, barbarian?" he teased her playfully, giving her a stern look that did not match his grin. Her eyes darkened with desire and instinctively her body pressed towards his.
"Rome - never, you - maybe," she provoked him challengingly and his throat went abruptly dry. Seductively she murmured, "Convince me, Roman."
Suddenly she froze and listened intently. Abruptly serious, he followed her example and realised from the sound of approaching footsteps that it must be a Praetorian. Only two praetorians were authorised to enter these chambers without his permission - his prefects Clemens and Suetonius. The latter had taken over the night watch and had probably been relieved by Clemens about an hour ago. Without taking his eyes off her, Gaius ordered, growling, "Not now, Clemens."
So quietly that only she could hear, he added in a whisper, "I am currently in a very important negotiation about the future of Rome with the stunningly beautiful daughter of the leader of a Germanic tribe that I intend to subjugate"
Hastily, the Praetorian Prefect's footsteps moved away. Her eyes flashed with amusement.
"Sometimes you are quite mad," she teased him with a laugh, then she pressed her lips to his mouth in a demanding manner and he forgot who was trying to subjugate whom.

Fascinated, he watched with what eagerness Aurelia participated in the planning. For hours she tried to draw maps of Britain from memory or tell him everything she knew about the island and its inhabitants. But she didn't just help him plan. With relentless ambition, she extended not only his but also her own training sessions with Clemens and Suetonius. Sometimes they fought each other and slowly he stopped worrying about her. Already he felt sorry for the idiot who would dare get in her way. She was almost his equal - even though, unlike her, he had been studying martial arts all his life.
They spent a particularly long time discussing which legions they could withdraw from their actual locations for the invasion and who should command them. Finally, they agreed on II Augusta, IX Hispania, XIV Gemina and XX Valeria Victrix. The first two would be commanded by Vespasian, who already held the empire over II Augusta, and his brother Sabinus. The other decisions were not easy for them, for Aurelia was in favour of entrusting Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo and Aulus Plautius with the campaign as well, but Gaius wanted to give his uncle Claudius the opportunity to achieve military glory as well. Finally, they agreed to keep Corbulo in Rome as a reserve and if he needed him or if Uncle Claudius could not do his job, Gaius would send for him.
After this was cleared up, Aurelia sent a coded letter to Vespasian. When he asked her about the contents, she just smiled at him mysteriously and said that Vespasian had a small task to do before the campaign could begin. Although she puzzled him, Gaius did not probe further. Presumably she had only asked her cousin to raise more auxiliaries.
They agreed on March 16 of the next year as the official date of departure from Rome. Aurelia looked at him thoughtfully but did not object. For this would give him a few more precious months in which to raise more troops in Gaul before his passage to Britain and to prepare the soldiers on the ground for the first battles. He also hoped to prevent the mutiny mentioned by Aurelia by choosing the summer for the crossing when the seas were usually gentler. The success of any campaign lay in precise planning. The right strategy not only led to victory but saved lives. Father had taught him that.

At the end of October, Gaius summoned Uncle Claudius, Sabinus and Aulus Plautius to a top-secret meeting in his official study. There he initiated them into his plans and of course they immediately agreed to the posts offered to them. Although Gaius asked them to maintain absolute secrecy, a week later the first rumour of a planned invasion of Britain made the rounds in Rome. When asked about it in the Senate in early November, he confirmed the rumour. Why should he keep his plans secret any longer? As expected, he received no criticism, only praise and flattery.
Shortly afterwards, the rumour mill continued to bubble, and it seemed that the whole of Rome was discussing all the candidates he would appoint as his deputy for the duration of his absence in Rome. But Gaius had other plans for Rome and remained ironclad.

By the beginning of March, the weather was already exceptionally mild, and he decided that there was one more thing he really wanted to do before leaving Rome for an uncertain time. Before dawn, with a heavy heart, he wriggled out of Aurelia's warm arms, crawled out of bed, threw on his simple tunic and tiptoed into his son's room. Gently he woke the boy. Completely sleepy, Julius blinked at him uncomprehendingly.
"Come on, get up, I want to show you something," he whispered in the child's ear, who immediately threw off the covers, jumped out of bed and let him put him in the simple robes. Julius didn't even complain about the rough fabric that scratched his skin. The boy was far too excited for that because he already loved the adventure so much. He was a lot like him, and not just in looks. Smiling, Gaius took his son by the hand and strode with him through the corridors of the house. Suetonius was already waiting for them in the atrium and Julius did not recognise the Praetorian prefect in his disguise at first. Aurelia would never forgive him if he left the house with Julius without a guard. When she woke up, she would find a note from him on the bedside table. Hopefully this small gesture would be able to appease her a little.
Before they stepped out into the street via a side entrance, Gaius made sure Julius was dressed warmly enough for the morning walk. Then the boy pulled him out onto the empty streets of the city and Gaius was glad he was wearing his coat. Silently they walked through the city and Julius looked around in amazement. The boy had never seen the city like this before. The twilight bathed the houses and alleys in an indescribable twilight. Suetonius followed them at an unobtrusive distance, as if he were one of those shadows of the dawn. After a short time, they reached their destination.
Wordlessly they climbed the ancient stone steps of the temple and for a moment Gaius wondered if they should sit down on the stairs. But when he saw the steam coming out of his son's mouth, he decided against it. Instead, he lifted his son up and was glad of the extra hours of training he had undergone in preparation for the war. Julius hadn't been as light as when he had first picked him up in a long time.
"Close your eyes and don't open them until I say so," he instructed the boy gently, looking out over the sleeping city himself, lost in thought. The last carts were just pulling out of the gates. His son's soft chuckle made him roll his eyes. Grinning, following his father's example, he put his hand over his eyes and assured himself that the child could cheat no more.
The red streak on the horizon grew larger. Gently, Gaius removed his hand from his son's eyes and watched his expression with fascination. Blinking, the child opened his eyes and instantly Julius absorbed the beauty of this overwhelming sight. His little face took on a thoughtful, rapt expression. He would miss his son terribly and he didn't even want to imagine how much he would miss. Immediately, Gaius vigorously pushed these gloomy thoughts away and tried to enjoy the moment with his child.
"On my sixth birthday, my father showed me this sight. We had just returned from Germania and believe me, my son, there is nothing in the world that can compare to Rome," he explained quietly, and Julius listened to him attentively without taking his eyes off this all-dominant city. "My father gave me some advice at this point, which I would now like to pass on to you. From this day forward, you will have only two choices: Either you can serve Rome, or you will be devoured by Rome. I have chosen to serve Rome and as you know, tomorrow I must leave here to serve Rome."
"Father, why may I not accompany you?" asked Julius thoughtfully after a while, tilting his head so that he could look him in the eye. In the light of the rising sun, his son's eyes reminded him of liquid gold. They should have called him Aurelianus. Sighing, Gaius pulled his son closer. This was the question he had dreaded the most. He remembered only too well how Nero and Drusus had asked the same question. But his father's situation was very different from his own.
"Because I need you here," Gaius replied gravely. "I need you to look after your mother for me and be there for her because she has to stay here too. Can you imagine the grief we would cause her if we both left?"
Wide-eyed, Julius shook his head, then snuggled closer and Gaius breathed in the fine, fresh scent of his son.
"I won't let you down, father," Julius assured him and Gaius stroked his hair gently, then replied that Julius could never let him down.
"I'll miss you," Julius murmured and Gaius assured him that the feeling would be mutual. Grinning, Julius looked up at him and demanded that Gaius explain each of the buildings they could see. After an hour, Gaius put the boy back on the ground and silently they made their way through the slowly filling streets and alleys. No one paid them a glance.

When they entered the atrium of their home, Aurelia was engaged in conversation with Agrippina. Both women looked as if they were about to leave the palace.
"Mother!" exclaimed Julius excitedly, breaking away from him, running to her and embracing her stormily. "We went to the Capitol and father showed me the whole city from there just like his father did to him!"
Gaius was prepared to receive a telling off or an accusing look from Aurelia, but she only wrapped her arms around Julius, lifted the giggling boy up and wanted to know everything about his latest adventure. The words bubbled out of Julius with enthusiasm and just as Gaius was beginning to wonder if his wife was deliberately ignoring him, Aurelia gave him a beaming smile. She looked perfectly happy.
"Why don't you go find Lucius, I'm sure he'll want to hear all about your latest adventure," Aurelia suggested and immediately the boy dashed off. There was no sign of Agrippina. Uncertainly, he stepped up to her and brushed her shoulder with his arm. Quietly he thanked her for her understanding.
"I know you, Gaius," she said with a smile, watching Julius disappear inside the palace. "You've wanted to take this trip with him since before he was even born"
How had he expected anything else from her for a second?

They had come. The Ides of March, his last day in Rome and he still hadn't named a deputy to the Senate. That morning the senators were completely fired up. They talked wildly at each other, but at least they left him alone. Gaius sat casually in his curule chair and watched the magistrates go about their business. It was time to announce his decision publicly. With a jerk, he stood up and raised both hands. Suddenly the senators fell silent, and an expectant hush fell over the body. Inwardly, Gaius rubbed his hands in anticipation of their faces. Theatrically, he cleared his throat, lowered his hands and announced in a louder voice: "Gentlemen, as much as you, if not more, I am preoccupied with the appointment of a suitable deputy for the period of my absence, during which I will finish for the people and the Senate of Rome what my ancestor Gaius Julius Caesar began almost a hundred years ago. Again and again, I have tossed to and for in my mind who can do justice to this formidable task. For he who represents me in Rome will have to be me, and gentlemen, there is only one person who can represent me in this way because he thinks and feels as I do. There is only one person who, with the same virtue, the same devotion, the same sense of duty and the same conscientiousness, will protect my family, my people and my state from all dangers as I: Aurelia Vespasia, my wife."