“You’re up early,” Mott said behind him, holding up the heavy door skin, “can’t sleep?” She asked.
“I slept well enough,” he replied, “they’re never far from my thoughts.” He said nodding to the east. She knew he meant the Romans but didn’t want to talk about it again, it wouldn’t change anything.
“Come back inside, it’s cold out here she said,” smiling, “I’ll warm you up.”
He returned her smile, “I’ll be back in a moment.” She watched him walk gingerly, bare footed across the frosted ground. Letting the door flap drop she turned and felt the warmth of the fire warm her again and got under the fur skins of their bed. She stared at the fire thinking about their fate and how they had come to this place, and of days long before when they were safe from harm before the invaders had come. As her eyes closed and sleep took her once more, her mind felt the warmth of a summer day on her face and she was lost to the past.
After she had first introduced Cara to Edbutt and she had kissed him for the first time, her life changed. Gone was the boring dullness of everyday, as her thoughts focused on the King’s son, she felt a warm sensation now in everything she did, people she saw and wherever she went, was it love? She had heard people talk of it, but was it supposed to be all consuming, absorbing? It was as if a glow had entered her very being and although she had always been a happy person, she now felt complete, what had that boy done to her?
It wasn’t anything to do with his status that was certain. In fact she preferred that he wasn’t the heir to the land, she wanted a private life. His older brother would be king and if anything were to happen to him, Tog would replace him as heir and everything would be fine, they could have a life together. But wasn’t she getting ahead of herself? Something told her she wasn’t and that one day Cara would be her husband.
He had returned to her later that day with a tale about what had happened after he and his two brothers had left. A girl who he had described quite vividly, called Brenna had given him and Tog a warning about Adminius. She herself had felt uneasy around the older brother, it was a feeling that she could never fully explain, but this girl had forewarned them of his treachery. Cara had been concerned about the warning and had taken it seriously, Adminius had always been different he had told her, had always been the odd one out and had eventually been banished by his father.
“Mo………” She heard his voice, it was distant.
“Are you asleep again?” He asked, clearer now, she was back in the present and opened her eyes.
“I was dreaming.” She said.
He threw his cloak down, “Something nice I hope?” He asked.
She looked at his upper torso and smiled, his broad shoulders and defined muscular arms were covered in swirling patterns. She had started the tattoos herself not long after that day when they had spoken about Adminius. Mo had been surprised that he had said she could do them. He had no idea that she could draw or tattoo, but he had placed his trust in her from the start of their relationship and had removed his top, inviting her to begin.
“What are you so happy about?” He asked.
“I was just thinking back to that day when I began your woad tattoos and you jumped when the first wooden needle pierced your skin.” She smiled and he sat down beside her on the bed, she touched his shoulder following the curving patterns.
“They help define you husband, why did you let me do them that day?” She looked into his eyes.
“I don’t know, I trusted you,” He kissed her neck, “and I also knew that if you had messed them up and made me look a fool, I would have got them covered up.” She hit him playfully.
“Things were so different back then.” She said. “The biggest thing we had to worry about was the minor disputes with other tribes, the harvest and our livestock.” She looked down. “But now I feel like there’s a dark cloud on the horizon constantly threatening to destroy us, we’ve been forced from our lands, have witnessed our people killed, our animals slaughtered, what have we done to deserve this burden?”
He kissed her again, this time on the mouth, “We have done nothing, nothing except live our lives but the great cloud gets closer every day. We are hurting it though, halting their progress, making them think, we were stupid to face them as we did but we learnt and now they bleed as much as we do.”
“But can we hold them back? Keep them out of the mountains?” She asked as her hand stroked lower, he smiled.
“We will do everything we can, everything that I can to try and stop this, even ways that don’t include our people or even theirs dying.” He let his hand fall inside the fur cover she was under and cupped her breast, feeling her nipple harden against his palm.
“And what does that mean?” She asked smiling and pushing her tongue gently into his mouth as her hand traced the back of his neck, his lower head bristly from a sharp knife.
“Time will tell wife, you just have to trust me now.” He said lying down beside her and pushing himself closer to her warm body.
“Oh you’re still cold from being outside.” She said as she hooked a leg over his cold waist and drew him closer still.
Valerius and the other survivors were stood to attention awaiting the decision of the Legate as to their fate. If they were found guilty of cowardice, they would surely be executed, if the Legate believed their version of events, he may be inclined to be more lenient, what that could result in were a whole array of things.
“So having read your reports,” The Legate said, looking up from the wax tablets and examining the men stood before him, “You were isolated and were too few to have any realistic effect on the enemy once they had swarmed the engineering position and had begun to slaughter them.” He paused, was that a question or a statement? Valerius decided not to say anything not knowing whether the pause was meant to be just that or if the Legate wanted a reply.
“The enemy,” He continued looking at a tablet again, “were upon you even before those who were building the fort could form up and come to arms. The construction area was enveloped from all sides and even the returning cavalry were hopelessly outnumbered, they were stopped from reaching the post and were destroyed a short distance away.”
He looked up again, Valerius swallowed, the cavalry had given their lives trying to get to the engineers and the legionaries charged with guarding them. They on the other hand had not.
“So you men, seeing this from your position, a vantage point that gave a clear view of the building under construction and one that was easily within range of your weapons,” he looked down again and Valerius knew he was referring to his tablet, “decided that instead of engaging the enemy and aiding your fellow soldiers, you would push back further into the copse as the battle was doomed and hope not to be seen. You planned to remain there until the centuries were dead along with the engineers and then hoped to return to Isca from where you could serve Rome again.” He looked up again his eyes boring into Valerius.
“Erm yes sir, we knew we were too few to affect the outcome and our deaths would do nothing to serve the empire. It was my decision, well I suggested it sir, and the others agreed. It was the only sensible option to me at the time.” Valerius said. “Survive and return to Isca.” He added.
The Legate opened a scroll on the desk. Valerius recognised it as a century legionary record. “I see that you have faced the enemy before and with distinction Legionary Valerius. On the documented record,” the Legate continued opening the scroll, “you fought in a situation not too dissimilar from the one you faced a few days ago and yet you lived to fight another day.”
“We were surrounded on all sides sir, deep inside Silurian territory but I was not isolated on that occasion, it was very different from this incident, there, there was hope, a few days ago there was no chance of defeating a much larger force on open ground.” Valerius said realising that he sounded desperate now and knew that he had nothing to lose. The Legate was closing in for the kill. He looked up at the assembled group.