 It is possible that he had also a daughter, whose husband, Thraustila, avenged Aetius' death by killing emperor Valentinian III.As a boy, Aetius was at the service of the imperial court, enrolled in the military unit of the "Protectores Domestici" and then elevated to the position of "tribunus praetorianus partis militaris", setting him up for future political eligibility.Between 405 and 408 he was kept as hostage at the court of Alaric I, king of the Visigoths.