Chapter Seven

When Xenophon arrived he gave the ill Romulus an odd look before looking to Livia and saying: "This is the patient?" Livia only glared at the young man of three and twenty to which Xenophon replied: "Forgive me, I thought the patient was someone of importance." Livia only continued to glare at Xenophon, even leaner than Gaius Cassius Longinus had been and with a beard that was much more than lesser than Jupiter's. "I mean I was not expecting Julia Major's illegitimate son."

"Stop babbling and get to work." Ordered Livia.

"May I inquire what is the matter with him?" asked Xenophon.

"Did Claudius not tell you?" Livia was proving to be annoyed by Xenophon's babbling as well as angry that her grandson had seemingly not make mention of who was ill and what it was the patient had.

"He merely said someone at the villa is ill." Answered Xenophon.

"He has a fever." Stated Livia. "A high fever."

"Alright then... May I ask for some privacy as I try to cure him?"

Livia huffed and exited Romulus' chamber. That young man, so strange, that Claudius trusted him with his health was beyond Livia but Xenophon was also one of the finest doctors around leaving her with no choice but to leave Romulus in his hands.

Walking into the villa's garden, Libia saw Messalina looking into a pool of water intently. "No matter how much you look at your reflection in the water it will never turn into Romulus' face, Messalina."

Messalina quickly looked up at Livia in surprise. "Is Xenophon here? What did he say?"

"Xenophon is here, my child." Said Livia. "As for what he said..." She shook her head. "Such a strange man, I wonder what Claudius is thinking by trusting him with his health... Still if Claudius trusts Xenophon with his own health perhaps I should trust him with Romulus'."

"Who is Romulus' physician?" inquired Messalina. "Should we not send one for him?"

"Romulus has never had a physician." Stated Livia, taking a seat on a bench. "Augustus' personal physician suggested a different climate would be better for him when he was a child. He used to fall ill oh so often in Rome. We took him to Ilium when he was three and he remained there until he was ten. Ilium and the slopes of Mount Ida did wonders for his health."

"What was he like as a child?"

"Messalina, Romulus was always a rambunctious child. Always running but never shouting. Other children often looked down on him and when they would fight with wooden swords he would always go for the biggest boy first. Germanicus once laughed and clapped when he saw Romulus defeat a boy a whole head taller than he."

"Did Germanicus say anything?"

"He said 'If the mixing of barbarian and Roman blood can do this against Romans imagine what he could do against barbarians!'"

Messalina looked aside for a moment. What Germanicus said did not sit well with her. It sounded like Romulus' cousin and half-brother-in-law merely wanted to use Romulus as a weapon. "Germanicus was kind that day." She ultimately responded.