The Great Chieftain said nothing for a time.

The crackle of the central hearth filled the silence between them.

Julius, for all his tactical mind, understood that in this moment silence was a tool the elder wielded well.

Time slowed in that circle of earth and ash.

Only when the weight of the words settled fully did the Chieftain reply.

"You speak plainly,"

he said, voice deep but steady.

"As a conqueror should."

"I speak as one who offers choices,"

Julius countered softly.

"Even if those choices are between the sword or the chain."

"Then you are honest."

The old man's amber gaze did not waver.

"Which makes you more dangerous than the others."

Julius let the insult pass choosing instead to take it on the chin as a compliment.

He had been called worse, and from lips far less wise.

The elder glanced toward the towering trees surrounding his hold.

"Many of my people are young now. The last great war is too far behind them. They dream of glory. Of killing, becoming great heroes in battle and seizing the gold their fathers never touched to live as kings within our lands."

Julius nodded hearing the elders words.

"If left alone they will surely die for that dream... but, if rather they are focused... not all of them need to die."

A pause.

"Heh, with the soon to be fall of Achae and Francia, only Romanus, and Visigoth will remain on our borders."

The elder hesitated to speak his next words.

"Our warriors have fought alongside your men for a while now since you contracted our forces to aid you in Greecia, and now you've come to our aid in our ongoing struggle with the Achaeians, however if you win your war with Francia, claiming their lands as your own... we will be surrounded left with the options to fight Visigoth, or to fight you."

Julius heard no surrender in that voice.

Only a statement of reality, of the options provided bending of the knee was not among them.

"Then your choice is already made."

The Chieftain's gaze sharpened.

"No."

Julius raised a brow.

"I will not choose for them, this descion is not for one man to make, i will leave the choice up to each individual chieftain."

At that, Julius leaned back slightly.

"You would give the tribes the option to tear Germania apart?"

"I would let them decide what it means to be free."

A long silence stretched between the two men, bridged only by the embers' glow.

Julius understood now.

This was not a meeting to negotiate surrender or allegiance.

This was a ritual of warning.

A final courtesy from one who knew the tides could not be stopped—but who refused to betray his people by dragging them to shelter against their will.

"You called me here not to convince me, but to show me."

The Chieftain nodded slowly.

"Germania is not long for this world, our very nature cannot co-exist with our neighbors, but there are those among us that can, and it is in those of our people i place my hope for the future, all i would ask is that when they come under your fold you treat them kindly."

Julius considered this carefully.

Julius stood then, not in disrespect, but to mark that the conversation's tone had changed.

"I do not betray my people."

"Then you and I are alike."

The old man's smile was tired now.

Worn thin by the weight of years.

Nothing more needed to be said between the two.

The great elder was certainly a font of knowledge and wisdom, however his life was already nearing its end, and his power to control the tribes was waning, he knew this and now Julius knew it to.

With not further words Julius strode from the Great Chieftains hold, peacefully walking the dirt streets of the capital city of Germania until he reached the gates where he was allowed to leave and rejoin his escort.

~

The ride back to the Romanus camp was silent.

His men asked no questions of their emperor.

They knew better, and only raise casual banter as they always did during the ride, brightening the mood.

Julius did not speak until he reached the command pavilion.

There, before Sabellus and Caetrax, he wrote out new military orders, before having them sent off with the fastest of their birds.

Both commanders were wide-eyed having just seen what their emperor penned on paper.

"Sir..."

"Yes, i know, but this is their choice, when the time comes if they make the wrong choice, we must be ready to answer else they will burning us before they go up in smoke."

"We can protect the homeland no doubt, but the Francia will be another story, not to mention the tribes that choose to ally with us, there will be no guarentee that we can protect them."

"Precisely! So for now, i'll need to have the root expand operations and try to convince early migration, or even the creation of shelters where the people can hide until our forces can quell the 'rebellion' and secure the lands."

"Couldn't we just garrison forces inside of Germania?"

"If we let the war drag on with Francia... we could argue for the placement of Garrisons to secure our supply lines, but even if we let off on our attacks and just consolidate our conquested areas, Brittania has launched its assault and other nations might join in to pick the dying beasts bones clean."

"Damn these germans, why cant they just fall into line, the Greecians, and Carthaginians did so easily, but even before the offer is made they snarl and snap at their masters hand."

"Caetrax! Germanians are a proud people, historically i dont think any other peoples of these lands could earn my respect more, even in the days of the old empire they were the last peoples to bend the knee to the First Empire, and even then only part of them did so the rest were granted regional autonomy while at least on paper appearing as a part of the empire. Also dont forget that the fall of the old empire was also a direct result of the Germanic peoples whose bloodline was merged that of the Latin to become the Visigoths we know today. If the Tribes call in their ties of blood, we'll lose an ally, and gain an enemy, one who has a backer that poses a significant threat to our peace and stability."