Vetranis sat in his office with an exhausted expression on his face. The man had been through much during his reign as the Byzantine Emperor, however with the world changing so drastically in such a short period, he wanted nothing more than to retire to a peaceful life in the countryside.
Of course, now was a time of crisis, and thus the man was needed. In fact, he was not the only one. All heroes of Byzantium were required to stand up and defend the glory of Rome from the barbarians who were at the gates.
Times had changed before the Romans truly understood what was happening. A thousand years ago. It was the Germans who were at Rome's gates. Yet now the descendents of these barbarians were not only Constantinople's greatest ally, but were also the supreme hegemon of the western world.
