“What is it?” she asked.
“Diana…” he started. His mind and his heart were flooded with conflicting emotions, soaring elation and deep despair. “…I’m afraid.” She looked at him puzzled, yet still continued to caress him.
“Afraid…of what?”
“Afraid that I may be falling for you.” He looked her in the eyes, his own suddenly wet with emotions he had never experienced before. He had once thought that he had feelings for a courtesan that he associated with in Rome at one time. But that had only been powerful lust. He was no stranger to women in the physical sense, but this was completely alien to him. Plus, what would he do once he returned to his fortress on the Rhine? His fear was compounded by the thoughts of never seeing this woman again. He had fought so hard against building up any feelings for her. And yet he had failed, and failed miserably.
“Well I have already fallen for you,” Diana replied. She then brought her lips to his and kissed him passionately. As his passion for Diana completely unleashed itself, Artorius pulled her close to him, returning her kiss firmly, yet gently and with much affection. Normally he became a savage animal when he became intimate with women, yet now he found his passion was borne out of more than just primal lust. There was a sense of affection that he had never felt before.
In spite of the impossibilities that seemed to loom over any future together, something inside told him that everything would be alright. Never in his life had Artorius been superstitious, yet suddenly he believed that everything that had happened to him recently was meant to be. He was meant to lead the attack on the residence. It was predestined that he would get wounded. And above all it was fated that he save this woman’s life.
It was reckless and impossible to conceive, yet as he held her close, kissing her deeply, Artorius realized that he did in fact love Diana. Though her physical beauty was truly stunning, his feelings for her stemmed from the beauty that dominated her very soul. The invincible soldier of Rome had met his match.
Chapter XX: The Journey Home
Summer was in full bloom as Artorius rode towards the city of Cologne and the fortress of the Twentieth Legion. He took a deep breath and sighed audibly as the city came into sight. It had been more than three years since he had left, and much had changed. Cologne no longer looked like a frontier outpost, but a thriving metropolis. Buildings had been modernized, the streets were now paved in many places, and the “dirty” feel of the town had evaporated. As Artorius rode through the streets, he saw that the locals had started adopting more of the Roman style of dress and appearance. There was a mix of Roman tunics, as well as traditional garb worn by the men; women of the city’s upper classes could be seen wearing the same type of stola seen in Rome as well as similar hair styles.
Outside the gate were a row of houses; many of which belonged to soldiers within the legion. He saw Magnus’ sister, Svetlana, walking down the road towards one, a basket full of berries under her arm. She smiled and waved at him as he rode by. Her servant, Erin, was pulling weeds from the garden in front of the house and did not notice Artorius as he rode by. Little Tynan, who had grown much in a short period of time, was running around a tree, laughing while being chased by Olaf, who had elected to stay in Cologne with his grandchildren for the time being.
Once he arrived, Artorius had no trouble navigating his way through the legionary fortress. He turned his mount over to the stable hands and negotiated with the Master of Horse a stall rental for his horse before making his way over to the Second Century’s barracks. He walked into the main office to see Sergeant Rufio sitting behind the Signifier’s desk. Rufio looked up from his paperwork and smiled when he saw him.
“Ah, Optio Artorius,” he said as he rose to his feet, extending his hand, “good to have you back!”
“Yes, it is good to be back,” Artorius replied. It was only a half-truth. Though he was glad to be back amongst the familiarity of his home in the legions, he found himself deeply missing Diana. How long had it taken him to win her over; two years? And now she was gone. He figured his feelings would fade with time, though at that moment he had his doubts. Twice in his life he had allowed himself to love, and twice it had been taken from him. Still, he knew that there would be plenty for him to do, and that by keeping busy he could more easily forget about her. Of course he knew he was merely living in denial, but what else could he do? He cursed himself for simply trading one pain for another; the regret surrounding Camilla’s death now replaced by sadness at the loss of Diana.
“So what are you doing here, Rufio?” he asked. “Where is Camillus?”
“A lot has changed in the time you were convalescing,” Rufio replied. “Camillus is the new Aquilifer for the Legion. He moved over there last week. I was selected to replace him. Seems some asshole told Macro about my father having been a bookkeeper and that I knew a thing or two about numbers!” Artorius grinned and nodded. He was glad for Camillus, seeing that the Aquilifer was his life’s dream in the Legion; a position steeped in honor, answering only to the Centurion Primus Pilus. Artorius then furrowed his brow in thought and gave the new Signifier a hard look.
“Rufio, why did you address me as Optio when I walked in?” he asked. Rufio’s grin broadened.
“Like I said, a lot has changed while you were gone. Flaccus retired and disappeared off the face of the planet. Macro immediately chose you to succeed him. I made a note of it on your pay chit. You will be getting about a month’s worth of back-pay, minus the expense of your horse! Your promotion has been back-dated to the day Flaccus retired.”
“I don’t understand,” Artorius remarked. “What about Statorius? He was next in line for the Optionate, I’m certain of it!”
“Yes, Statorius has moved up as well. He is working for Vitruvius now as his Optio. It’s been quite hectic, what with a turnover occurring at every Principal rank within the Century; Praxus is the new Tesserarius, by the way. Oh, and you have been replaced as Chief Weapons Instructor. Macro said with as big of a shakeup as this has caused-Camillus’ promotion came completely unexpected-he said no way in hell is he going to let you take on both duties.”
“So who replaced me?” Artorius was concerned. He wanted to make certain that whoever replaced him was competent enough to warrant the position. Plus the total realization of his having been selected for Optio seemed surreal.
“Me,” a voice said from the doorway. Artorius turned to see his Nordic friend, standing in the doorway.
“Sergeant Magnus,” Rufio remarked. Artorius laughed out loud, reached out and embraced his friend hard, slapping him on the back.
“It’s about time!” he said with enthusiasm. “I take it they made you a section leader as well?” Magnus nodded.
“I took your place, as a matter of fact. Thankfully I picked up a couple of new guys, so I’ve almost got a full crew. Stop by and see me later; right now I’ve got to go over duty rosters with Praxus. Funny how most of us were at one time in the same section and now we’re running the entire Century…Oh, and just so you know your stuff has already been moved over to the Optio’s room.” Artorius shook his head as Magnus walked out. Indeed everything had changed overnight it seemed.