393 AD Sirmium
Constantine suppressed his shock at seeing the white hair on his old friend.
“Honorius! It is so good of you to find the time to leave Mediolanium and come to visit me.”
Honorius nodded agreeably “I fear we are both old has-beens. We have little better to do than administer over-crowded cities, while other men lead our armies to victory.”
Constantine shrugged his shoulders, ambivalently. “I have told you, I am not a man of action. As it is, I have had more than enough blood and battle to last me a life time. You… you are different, but I fear you are more useful keeping the good citizens of Mediolanium in order than besieging Rome.”
Honorius smiled ruefully. “I got a letter from the Emperor, you know. It came all the way from Campus Alanni. He was most displeased that I had not put the pagan traitors of Mediolanium to the sword.”
Constantine shook his head. “The man is a monster. And unfortunately, most of our generals seem to model themselves on him. But our job was to unite the Empire, not slaughter half of it.”
“And have we completed our job, Constantine?”
“Not yet, my friend, but we have made a very good beginning.”
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