Certain chieftains had already agreed to co-operate with the invading force and had received payment in gold and even weapons so the troops knew it wasn’t going to be an entirely bloody campaign. Barbarians however, had a habit of reneging on treaties especially after they had already had the bargaining tool given to them. Previous meetings with spies and local intelligence, had reported that only weeks before, thousands of tribesmen had covered the cliff tops and surrounding lands but they had grown weary of waiting, had began fighting amongst themselves and had gone home once they had heard the Romans were refusing to board their vessels.
With the horses quickly unloaded, some were already mounted and Varro ordered his men to find their own as they continued to observe the cliffs. He found his own horse Staro amongst those coming ashore as he stood out amongst the mainly brown animals because he was dark black in colour.
“Slow down boy.” Varro whispered, holding onto him by his saddle and reins as his horse snorted, stamping his feet as if to make sure the surface was solid after the rolling journey from Gaul.
“It’s alright my friend,” he stroked the horse’s mane and neck as he leaned forward and spoke, “today we begin a new adventure in another land far from home. I think you will like it here on this huge rock at the edge of the earth.”
Climbing onto his mount the horse reared up on his back legs and lashed out with a foreleg, whinnying as if in agreement before settling down and cantering forward a little along the beach. Men from the ship brought water for the animals to drink in large wooden buckets as others anchored vessels to the shoreline.
“Thank you,” he said to a marine carrying a large bucket, “my horse and his friends will need a little water inside them before the journey ahead.” He looked at Staro twitching his ears, “Only enough to wet your lips though boy, I don’t want you getting ill.”
The marine from the ship looked along the beach and up at the high white rocks now towering above them, turning back to the horse and rider he said. “They all had some water a while ago on-board so they’ll be fine Centurion.” He looked back to the cliffs that dominated the shore, “I’m glad I joined the marines but I’d like to see what this land has to offer. It’s said to be so different from anything else we’ve seen before. I wish you and your men good fortune, may the gods watch over you.”
Varro smiled, “Thank you for the good wishes.” He said looking up again at the strange white cliff, “We may need them I fear.” Although Varro wasn’t a zealously religious man, he sometimes prayed to the gods by thought preferring his own private tribute rather than the public displays demonstrated by others.
His mount reared up again sensing that it was time to move off, neighing loudly, “You see, even Staro is ready to conquer this land.” He patted the animal’s neck as he landed and then he and the others raced forward and up the beach scattering pebbles in their wake. The water carrier watched them go and said a silent prayer as the sound of the waves again dominated the diminishing noise of the hooves as the horses and men on them, moved away from the relative safety of the beach and into unknown territory. Already other ships were grounding themselves ashore as the crews began to secure them to the beach, where they would wait for high tide before their return voyage to Gaul.
Some distance away, lying in the wispy long grass above the cliffs, five men watched from cover as the large vessels unloaded soldiers and horses onto the beach, more warriors waited behind the bank unseen. Togodumnus had known that the men who had invaded Gaul would soon reach out and be tempted by their lands especially after they had refused to pay the tributes demanded of them, so he had sent men to watch the shores after the others went home. The Catuvellauni were the rulers of this land, not these intruders and they would kill any man or beast that stepped foot on their soil, just like those that had already taken their tokens of corruption and cowardice.
The men had been sent to watch the sea and they now looked on intently as the Romans scurried around and slowly spread across the beach below. They saw that some but not all wore dark red cloaks and had long spears, the blades glinted in the morning sunlight. Strange helmets were worn on their heads probably for protection, or identification, large ornate colourful plumes decorated a few of the helmets, whilst others were simply plain bronze or silver. They had clearly come ready for war but they would have their teeth and bones shattered by the warriors of Britannia until they were turned and pushed back into the sea or were destroyed where they stood.
The Britons had lived by the cliff for some days after being sent by Caratacus and his brother from the north. Patiently they had waited after all the others had left weeks before, when word had arrived that the invaders had lost their appetite for battle. They had never seen so many vessels on the water and watched with interest and trepidation as their cargo was brought ashore. Some of the equipment was already packed onto mules as they left the ships, walking unsteadily down large wooden ramps; other kit was carried by men, whilst some of their goods were towed on wagons and carts. Supplies, weapons, men, horses, mules, oxen, empty wagons, carts and other equipment they didn’t even recognise began to grow and spread over the stones between the water and the base of the cliff below. The Britons had never seen anything like it although stories were still told of the last time these men had come and were pushed back into the sea.
Men with armour, shields and spears were marching in columns as they were overtaken by riders on horses as they began to move away from the sea and take a hold of this part of the shoreline. Had the Britons waited in force for a few more weeks, these men would have never got ashore and would have been met by thousands of warriors but as it was, only five pairs of eyes had watched as the ships had emerged on the horizon.
“It is as Caratacus warned,” One of the men said in a hushed voice, although no Roman could have heard him from this distance, “two of you ride back,” he nodded at the volunteered pair, “get home as soon as you can. Tell them they are here,” he paused, a look of resignation on his face, “it begins.”
Two of the warriors pushed themselves back away from the edge of the cliff, getting to their feet they turned and ran to their mounts tethered some distance away. They climbed onto their horses, smaller than those of the invading Romans and galloped away, kicking soil and grass into the air. Togun the leader of the remaining men returned his gaze to the figures below. He could see the shock in his friend’s faces as their eyes moved from figure to figure in the distance, like insects on the beach below, countless hundreds already staining the earth.
“They are many but a lot of them will not return to their own land, they can bring all the stars and we will bring the sun to wipe them out, we will meet them with force. Even now Caratacus and his brother are forming more alliances with other tribes. Our chariots will cut these invaders down and drive them back into the sea, have faith in them.” The expressions and eyes he saw staring back at him clearly doubted his words.
“We should have waited with the other warriors and greeted them as they jumped ashore Togun. We could have repelled them and made an end of this madness before it had even begun.” One of the men said.
“Crops would have spoilt and families gone hungry, they were right to go home when they did, they’d waited long enough. We are far too few at this time to do anything but we can watch and count their numbers. We were assured by our friends in Gaul that the Romans had mutinied and were not going to cross the sea but return to their own lands instead. They were wrong and the Roman curse is here to steal our food and rape our women.” He looked angry, “It is at least a full day’s ride at pace to get word of this back to Caratacus. By then, when they have reached our own territories more will join and will begin to move south. Togodumnus and Caratacus will find a place of their own choosing to fight these demons and force them back, you’ll see. Then they will witness their men cover the ground, dead in their thousands.”