She was taller than most women, with strong shoulders and extremely powerful legs, molded on years of horseback riding. Though well muscled, she was at the same time very feminine, her stunning face and deep-set grayish blue eyes masking her strength. She wore a form fitted tunic and high cut riding breaches, with a legionary gladius strapped to her hip. Between her attire and with her shoulder length hair dyed a dark blonde, one would almost mistake her for a German or Gaul, rather than a Roman noblewoman.
She stopped her horse just shy of the gate. Two legionaries from the First Legion, Germanica, were on duty. She dismounted and walked towards the men.
“Good day, ma’am,” one of the men said. “If you’re wishing to enter the fortress, you’ll have to check your horse in at the stables, just inside the gate. Also, no weapons are allowed inside.”
“I see,” Diana replied with a sigh.
“Who are you here to see, miss?” the other soldier asked.
“Optio Artorius,” she replied. “He’s with the Third Cohort of the Twentieth Legion.”
“Artorius…” the first legionary said while thinking for a moment, his face suddenly brightening. “Oh sure, I know who he is! He’s Valeria’s Legion Champion. He has been for a few years now.”
“Isn’t he the one who got himself into a spot of trouble recently?” the other soldier asked, causing his companion to smack him in the stomach with the butt of his javelin.
“Excuse me?” Diana asked, suddenly concerned. She had not received word from Artorius for several months now. They had written sporadically to each other since his return from Gaul, but he had never mentioned any trouble.
“Sorry ma’am,” the first soldier replied. “Something we can’t talk about…um, is there anyone else here you know?”
“Yes,” Diana replied, suddenly agitated. “Centurion Valerius Proculus is my cousin.”
“Oh, of course!” the first soldier said quickly. “He’s one of the Primi Ordinones of the Twentieth. Here, I’ll show you how to get to his house…uh, you still need to leave your weapon here, ma’am. Most sorry for the inconvenience.”
The fortress at Cologne was huge, especially since it housed two entire legions. The long rows of century billets were laid out in neat lines, six to a group for each cohort. Diana had heard that the layout scheme for all Roman fortresses was almost identical, dependant on the terrain and location. So, in reality, a legionary would know where to find a specific cohort or century at any fortress within the entire Empire. The chaotic logistics were fascinating to watch as carts hauled grain to the storage silos, cattle hides to the leather shops, raw iron to the metal smiths. Intermixed were units and individual soldiers going about their duties. Though it looked like total mayhem, Diana saw a type of orderliness to the whole thing. The legion functioned like a well oiled machine from centuries of experience.
There seemed to be a lot of activity coming from the area around the Principia, the headquarters of the Legion, though she paid it no mind. As she walked along the road leading towards the housing for the Centurions Primus Ordo, Diana unknowingly strolled past the billets of the Third Cohort. It was then that she saw Sergeant Magnus walking her way at a feverish pace. His fair skin and mop of blonde hair made him easy to spot in a crowd. His head was down and he looked focused, uncharacteristically worried about something.
“Magnus!” Diana shouted, causing the Norseman to stumble as she caught him by surprise.
He turned and stared at her for a second, his mind so wrapped up in whatever vexed him that it took him a moment to recognize her.
“Lady Diana!” he replied, eyes wide. “W…what are you doing here?”
Taken aback by the manner of greeting, Diana stood with her hands on her hips.
“Is that how one says ‘Hello?’” she asked. “Not, ‘good morning,’ or ‘good to see you Diana.’ Seriously, Magnus!”
The Decanus chuckled nervously and shook his head after she planted a kiss on his cheek.
“My apologies,” he said, taking a deep breath. “It’s just…well; your timing isn’t exactly the best. You see, things aren’t going well right now.”
The deep consternation on his face unnerved Diana. She folded her hands in front of her and started to fidget nervously.
“Why?” she asked. “What’s happened? Where is he?” She sensed something was terribly wrong concerning Artorius.
“I think you’d better come with me,” Magnus replied, placing an arm around her shoulder and guiding her over to the Second Century’s billets. Inside the main office a pair of legionaries was scrubbing what looked like blood off of the tiled floor, as well as the far wall.
“What happened here?” Diana asked, jolting back in surprise. A look of horror then crossed her face. “Artorius…is he?”
“No, that’s not his blood,” Magnus replied reassuring. “He’s fine, at least for the time being.”
“Please explain,” Diana replied, her face darkening.
“You may want to sit down for this,” the Decanus replied, holding a chair out for her at the center table. He then snapped his fingers and the two legionaries quickly exited the office. He told Diana everything that had transpired over the last two weeks. Diana’s hands were on the table, and they started to tremble as Magnus told her about Artorius’ killing of Centurion Fulvius and his subsequent arrest for murder.
“W…what’s going to happen to him?” Diana’s voice was cracking and she found it difficult to speak as a dark shadow crossed her heart. Just two weeks before, her cousin’s wife, Vorena, had come from Rome to tell her that she was going to take over the running of hers and Proculus’ estate. Diana was free to stay with her, of course, but also to leave if she wished. On a whim she decided to visit the one she still loved. She had hoped to surprise him, but now in a mocking of the Fates, it was she who had been surprised.
“To be honest, I don’t know,” Magnus replied. “He’s not condemned yet. Fulvius had powerful friends, and they sent for one of the most venomous prosecutors they could find. However, the decision still falls under the jurisdiction of Legate Apronius. After all, he is the Governor General of the province. Yes, he is a senator, but he is fair. Artorius also has friends that he hadn’t counted on before.”
“But…but you said he confessed to his crime,” Diana argued. “Can they really find him not guilty of murder when he admits he did it?”
“There is always hope, my lady; there is always hope.”
Magnus words were of little encouragement, especially since he did not look as though he believed them himself. He suggested that she should wait inside Artorius’ quarters for the time being. The Decanus did not know how long the trial would last. He had said it could take a week, or be over that afternoon. She tried to fight the panic that consumed her as she paced back and forth in the small Optio’s room.
It wasn’t much, though given that the legionaries lived in eight-man barracks rooms, the privacy alone probably counted for much. A dirty tunic and a couple pairs of woolen socks lay tossed in a corner, but at least the bed was made. His custom fitted segmentata body armor was hanging on a wooden rack; the helmet lay on top, both meticulously clean and glossy. A trunk sat on the left side of the bed. It was open and Diana saw that it contained mostly clothes, along with a few personal effects. She walked over to the desk, which had numerous documents strewn about haphazardly. She allowed herself a short laugh at how Artorius always appeared to be well organized to his men, but in private everything was often a disheveled mess.
Diana’s strong sense of cleanliness and order gave her the compulsive habit of putting things in order that appeared in disarray. She sat down and started going through the piles on the desk; at least it would keep her mind occupied for the time being. Anything that looked to be work related she placed in one pile in a tray, which by the amount of dust it collected looked like he had never used. She then saw a series of small scrolls and smiled as she read them. They were various commendations Artorius had received over the years.