Artorius walked over to one of the shuttered windows and cracked it open, allowing just enough light in so that he could see Diana’s face. Her eyes were swollen, cheeks streaked by tears. He sighed and sat down beside her, gently caressing her shoulder and back. She let out a light whimper and opened her eyes, sitting upright abruptly at the sight of him.
“Shh, it’s okay,” he said quickly, placing his hands on her shoulders. She placed a hand over her mouth and breathed deeply.
“I thought you were dead,” she said quietly, turning her head away.
“I should have been,” Artorius conceded. “But it seems the Governor General thinks my actions were justified, so I’ve been acquitted…and promoted.” Diana turned back towards him, a shocked smile trying to force its way through the buildup of sorrow she had endured.
“Promoted?”
“Seems so,” he replied nonchalantly. “I guess the easiest way to get promoted prior to the minimum age requirement is to murder some asshole that’s standing in your way.” Diana laughed in spite of herself. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. Artorius kissed her passionately, still finding it impossible to believe that she was really there.
“What are you doing here?” he asked at length. Diana shrugged her shoulders, the smile never leaving her face.
“Vorena decided she wanted to manage the estate personally,” she replied. “She told me I needed to go where my heart was trying to take me. I cannot tell you how devastated I was to come here, only to find you had been arrested for murder!”
“Yes, that,” Artorius said with a sigh.
“Magnus told me what happened. It turned my stomach to think they would have executed you for saving the life of one of your own men!”
“It appears that the former Centurion had powerful friends…friends who would still like to make an example out of me. But I will deal with them another time. For now, all that matters is that you are here with me.”
“And I will never leave you,” Diana added, taking him into her arms once more and pulling him on top of her. She quickly pulled his tunic off him as they kissed passionately. Artorius kissed his way down her neck; the Gallic tunic she preferred over the more modest Roman stola revealing her strong arms and shoulders. He unlaced the front, cupping her supple breasts in his hands and kissing each in turn. His passion was renewed in ways that he had forgotten; his hands and his mouth ravishing Diana all over, his subconscious fear being that she was nothing more than an apparition and could vanish at any moment.
“I will never leave you, my love,” Diana gasped as her hands ran up and down his back and shoulders. She seemed to sense his fear and sought to reassure him as her own passion came unleashed. Frantically she pulled her riding breaches off and guided him inside her. Artorius grinned as her eyes grew wide, her attempts at stifling her groans in vain. Diana closed her eyes, arched her back and let loose a scream of passion that no one within two blocks of the barracks could mistake for anything other than pure, erotic ecstasy. Her screams continued for some time as Artorius brought her to climax again, neither one of them caring who could hear them. Soon the virile Centurion found himself unable to hold back and he let loose a loud groan as he was taken over the edge. He then collapsed on top of Diana, both of them sweating from the exertion. As he rolled onto his back, Diana laid her head on his chest and held him tightly.
“Tell me this is not all just a dream,” he said as he slowly regained his breath.
“If it is a dream, then I hope I never wake,” Diana replied, kissing him gently on the cheek.
“So does this mean you’ll marry me?” Artorius asked. Diana sat upright, a grin crossing her face as he stammered, “now that I’m a Centurion, I am eligible and all…” He was cut off by Diana’s laughter.
“Hmm, such the romantic proposal,” she laughed, giving him a playful smack on the chest.
“I didn’t exactly have time to come up with something more poetic,” he replied with a shrug. “So is that a yes?”
Diana simply smiled and leaned down to kiss him on the lips. “I told you, I will never leave you.”
“So, that’s a yes I take it…”
In that moment Artorius found he was finally able to let go. All that had happened; the reign of terror under Fulvius, his murder, Artorius’ trial and acquittal, the promotion to Centurion, and the knowledge that he now had some powerful enemies in Rome no longer mattered. All that was important to him was that which he held in his arms. In an instant he knew that no matter what happened, as long as Diana was there for him, everything would be alright.
“You need to select a new Optio,” Rufio observed the next day as he helped Artorius sort through the post. There were a few official dispatches, ironically addressed to Centurion Fulvius. Artorius had been trying to sort through all the other dispatches that his predecessor had neglected to even open. The majority were personal letters addressed to men within the century. A couple had been delivered to him by mistake, and he handed these to his aid with instructions to deliver them to the correct units.
“I know,” the Centurion replied with a nod as he slumped into his chair behind his desk, his chin resting in his hand. “Forgive me, but I need to think about this.”
He decided to take a walk along the river. It served him well whenever he needed time alone to contemplate a difficult decision. The men trusted him completely to make the right choice. All the same, he did not wish to leave any perception of favoritism. Magnus was his best friend, and definitely a leader the men would follow should the worst happen to him. He also knew there were plenty among the Decanii who were worthy of promotion as well, to say nothing of his remaining Principal Officers, Praxus and Rufio. Was his desire to promote Magnus born out of respect for his friend’s talents, or was it simply that he wanted to give the position to this best friend? Even if the men would not perceive any favoritism, Artorius had to be certain for himself that he was not making ready to commit the same folly of nepotism and cronyism that he damned much of Roman society for.
He had already gone through the service records for every man in the Century that held a leadership position and Magnus’ was exemplary. He also knew that his Nordic friend was quite happy with his current position as a squad leader. He was also the Chief Weapons Instructor for the Century, a position Artorius had held for a few years. Though the Chief Weapons Instructor was not one of the Principal Officers, and the position gave Magnus no additional leadership authority, it did provide him with a handsome stipend. With this added incentive pay, Magnus’ salary was almost that of the Tesserarius. It was then that he made his decision and returned to the fortress.
Tiberius glared at the message and then threw down the scroll. Sejanus knew immediately what it contained. The Emperor sat resting the side of his face on his clenched fist.
“That bastard Gallus never ceases to be a thorn in my side,” he growled. The man he referred to was a senator who had married Tiberius’ former wife, Vipsania. The two were bitter enemies, their animosity unabated even after Vipsania’s death. “Another one of his pets that he wants to assign as an imperial magistrate. Who is this Olennius, anyway?”
“A former Centurion, one whose appointment Gallus secured for him many years ago,” Sejanus answered.
“Typical,” Tiberius scoffed. “Instead of making their way through the ranks, they use political influence to garner rank that they have no right to hold.”
“Yes, I remember the abject hatred you feel towards those given direct commissions within the army,” the Prefect concurred.