The Aged searched the sea of faces that looked to him. His face was stern, marked with lines of hard determination. Many men who had only moments before been cheering for the entrance of Octavian now eyed the youth warily. Some who had just been reclining comfortably now sat straight with an alert fear. Whispers slowly spread.

Octavian silently made his way to the podium in sweeping steps, his sash billowing gracefully behind him. "Brothers!" His voice was as smooth as fine oil, but cut like a sword through the Senate. It was filled with strength, but those who had felt the fire in the heart of the Aged could feel the lingering icy coldness that hostilely clung to every word, leaving them to shatter on the ears of those who listened. "The words spoken in caution by this Aged are wise, as should be expected from one of his years. I would regret any action from this Senate that was not done in full consciousness of its consequences. Dwell upon the things he has spoken and examine my character to the letter before your good judgment is passed.

"But, pray, listen to the words I would now speak in defense of myself and of the edict that is lingering on the floor of this body. This Aged speaks of fear and terror. His words heed caution and idleness, which are both, in their own right, good things. But brothers, if the actions of Roman Republic hung only upon these attributes, to whom could we credit our success? I tell you now, there would be no one for there would be no success! The glory of our nation hangs purely on the willingness of its citizens to take risks and in those risks, reap the inevitable rewards.

"I need not remind each and every one of you, who are, no doubt, well learned to the history of our Republic, that the greatest successes of this nation came only as a result of great risks. Should we constantly hide under a veil of fear, lest we make a bad choice? Nay brothers, because in doing so we doom ourselves to a life of bad choices! It is only through danger and daring that this Republic has developed into the power it is now! And so it shall continue to be under the command of myself, who has had the pleasure to receive, and I pray continue to, the wise advice of the noble men who surround me now!

"Call action your right and hand and caution your left, for neither can exist successfully without the other, but the first will always be the greater.

"The Aged who so recently stood before you warns you of regret concerning this matter, that I in time will lose the honor I have carried as both my burden and privilege before your eyes for so long. His concern may be well placed, but what, in truth, is truly beyond doubt? In a world of difficulty, strife, and change, nothing is beyond suspicion, but that should not stop the hand from casting a vote for change. If caution held the vote of every senator before the passing of an edict, what of our laws would have been brought to execution?

"All a man can do is use the information given to him to make the best decision available. You have seen with your own eyes the honor that fills my breast and the courage that drives my heart. You have seen the genuine concern for our nation that drives my every word and movement. To what more extent can I demonstrate my goodwill? Speak the action and list the example and I will fulfill it to the letter."

A whisper of agreement and wave of heads nodding in consent answered his challenge. The Aged waited for the rustling of the crowd to dissipate before responding.

"Then there is one thing I charge you with before my vote shall be cast in your favor." A cold smile crept back onto the countenance of Octavian. "I challenge you to prove to me that you do not want, nor would you accept should it be offered to you, the office that you now stand nominated for." Popillius's mouth gaped and the Senate gasped.

"Surely you are not serious," Popillius stammered.

The Aged turned to him. "It seems you have forgotten that I still am a member of the Senate and as such I do not speak in jest when in session. My words are true and I stand by them. What say you, heir-of-Caesar?"

Artorius's words boomed through the chamber. "What would you have him say, old relic? The request you hold before him is both ludicrous and crude."

"Perhaps one of your vigor and youth would check that his words do not meet the criteria he accuses others of before he speaks." The Aged's response was a harsh slap on the perfumed cheek of the young Senator, who promptly closed his mouth.

Octavian's eyes had turned to glaring, but his mouth remained contorted into a jagged grin.

"As it appears the Senate neither understands nor approves of my request, I shall make its intentions understood," began the Aged. "Who but a man with no intention of taking on power can resist abusing it? For if we were to make him lord over us, what guarantee can be given that he will not wrap the axe in rods as Sulla before him?"

The name of that fell consul elicited a shiver from the men of the assembly and they once again eyed Octavian with caution. In the left edge of benches, another senator stood.

"Brothers, the thoughts of this Aged are wise! Should this edict pass, we will have no control of this man. Be his actions for the better or for the worse, they will be the actions of this Republic and as such, will be final. Surely no one in our number wishes to leave the future of this nation hanging solely on the whims of a single soul?"

Another stood not far from him. "What right do you have to call against the actions of this Senate? We are the voice of this nation! If our vote is to make Octavian dictator, than that is what shall be done. As the very lips of Octavian spoke, any decision can be for good or ill, but it is not for us to know in certain. Even the very wise cannot see the events of years to come, but what we can see is what goes on in this moment and it is by what we know now that we must make a decision.

"You say that none among us are wise, yet you call yourselves wiser for knowing this? It seems to me that the only intentions written on your hearts is a thirst for the power you are withholding from Octavian! If you honored the choices of the Senate you would be silent and let our decisions be made."

The Aged bowed his head and covered his face with a worn hand. Once he drew the courage to look again on the sea of men who sat before him, his eyes were melted with regret. Sadness welled there, filling his voice with emotion. "My sons.... When was the wisdom of this nation brought to foolishness? In days of the past, honor and goodness ruled the hearts of the men who sat in the benches you now occupy. I prayed that these ideals were only dormant, as though they lingered like an invisible covering on the hollowed stone of this chamber, but now I see that they were only the smoldering remnants of a nation long since passed...

"I do not call myself wise, but yes, perhaps, wiser than some that sit before me. Is that not how it always has been? Should I be ashamed for understanding what others do not? In my heart there lies no claim to the lordship of this land, only a hope for its continuance. My name will likely not be recorded in the annals of history or my words be written in the scrolls of history, but they will mark the hearts of those who make this assembly.

"The words that you have twisted are true in a shadow of a sense. Yes, even the wisest cannot see the end of days, but as the sun arcs over the horizon, shedding light on the new day, a man can discover truths of this world that will stand with him even until the end of time. There is still the right and the wrong, the good and the evil and these are all a man can know. As the shadows of dusk fall on this Republic, I fear that even these have departed the minds of the Senate, leaving in their place the vacuum of ignorance. Not only this, but they have taken with them the very want to understand what is right.

"You say that you wish not to know good or evil in order that you may claim ignorance over your decision. In your mind, you hope goodness to come of this evil, but this can never be. I pray that one day the truth will be revealed to all of you, even if it is too late, but as a man, all I can do is stand before the Senate and speak what is right to you, though my words cannot open your hearts. This is my response to the edict proposed by Senator Artorius of the Roman Republic."

Silence hung like a blanket over the chamber, with even the crackling of the flames being quieted. The stones' echo could not repeat the words that had been spoken, but in the minds every man they were heard again. In most, they did not linger but were quickly dispersed by the harsh gales of anxiousness to make the decision that had remained undecided for so many moments. Yet in the hearts of a few they clung. Fewer still truly understood them, but in the souls of those several, they burned brightly.

Popillius finally took the podium once again. His words seemed hollow and stale in light of the Aged, but he spoke them clearly and firmly nonetheless. "As Roman Consul over this assembly, I call now to order a vote in which this edict should be weighted. All opposed, stand so that you may be recognized." The elderly eyes of the Aged searched the chamber as he stood alone. At first there was nothing, not even a stirring among his the Senate, but one by one several stood with him until almost a third of the men in the room held their heads high with him. After minutes had gone by, Popillius looked to Octavian. The youth gave a short nod.

Artorius and his companion made their way to where the consul stood, each drawing the short dagger that they carried in their belts, and Popillius one that he lain beneath his toga. All around the chamber, similar weapons were revealed in the hands of many Senators who looked now to those that still stood with the Aged. The soft echoes of their footfalls mingled with the sharp hiss of iron, speaking judgment on those around who were standing before the Senate.

The Aged closed his eyes and raised a hand to the heavens as the first cry fell on the deaf ears of the bloodthirsty senators. "Have courage, brothers! Have courage."