Swords of Rome

by Christopher Lee Buckner

  Once more, the two young Romans collided, but this time Gaius’ attention was turned elsewhere as a messenger rode into the compound and galloped towards Valerius’ office.

  This rider had been the third one this week and while the contents of what they carried was private, everyone in the camp, including Gaius, had some idea what the fuss was about.

  There were rumors spreading across the countryside that trouble was coming from the north. A Carthaginian general was moving fifty thousand men down through the Alps, and would enter Italy in a few weeks.

  Gaius was now twenty-three, and he felt he was prepared to defend Rome if the word came from the Senate that the Republic was going to war. He had studied harder than most in the legion and thought himself eager as any veteran in the Sixth Legion.

  He still recalled the promise, he'd made to his father the day he left home with Valerius: he vowed to make the man proud and do his very best to be a proper soldier like his father was, and to this day, from the moment he walked through the camp gates, he had done everything that had been asked of him.

  While he legally couldn’t join the legion until he was sixteen, he spent those first three years in Valerius’ shadow, learning and watching the old legate’s every move. When his training began Gaius found he had a natural talent in many forms of warfare. He easily bested men twice his age in numerous forms of soldiering: wrestling, swordsmanship, horsemanship, boxing, and most important, tactics, strategy and command. Because of these skills, he was made an optio when he was seventeen — greatly due to his ability to read and write. Two years later he was made a junior centurion and giving the command of his own century. Currently, Valerius had him assigned to the first cohort of the legion, where his promotion continued to climb. The old man seemly wanted Gaius to stay near him as he came of age, grooming him to perhaps one-day take command of the legion itself.

  He knew that Valerius had great faith in him, and would one day entrust him to lead the Wolves. That was an honor that both excited and scared Gaius greatly, most of all because he could not imagine living to see a day that Valerius did not command this legion.

  Gaius’ thoughts return to his duties as he heard another loud thump, as a body hit the mat.

  Taking a deep breath, without having to turn his head to see who lay on his back, he called out, “Again. And do try to win a match while we’re still young, Maurus.”

  Later, that evening Gaius walked into Valerius’ office and stood quietly at attention near the doorway as he waited to be called forward.

  He watched his old mentor pack several maps into a stack of satchels, assisted by two young aides who rushed around quickly from shelve to shelve.

  Ten years ago when he first met Valerius, he seemed as frightening as a titan. Gone now was the burly, haze-eyed brute that donned a thick grey beard. Replaced, Valerius had in him the fire of a teenager.

  He was clean-shaven, although there were still some streaks of grey running through his short hair, and a few extra lines under his eyes. He moved and acted with a renewed sense of purpose, which gave Gaius hints about why he had been summoned.

  The legate’s eyes were locked on one map. From Gaius’ vantage, it seemed to be a detailed map of northern Italy. The two aides, no more than fourteen, rummaged through the shelves that were filled with other documents. They were busy sorting, collecting and categorizing them into small travel bags that would be moved with Valerius’ command. Gaius smiled as the boys glanced over at him. It wasn’t too long ago when he was in their shoes, doing errands for Valerius or the other officers of the legion. The work was tedious and thankless, but they were learning important lessons, even if they hadn’t realized it yet.

  One of the aides, a young dark-haired boy fumbled as he was carrying an arm full of documents, most of which seemed to be dealing with the payroll for the legion.

  The papers rained down onto the floor, turning Valerius’ attention away from his work.

  “Dammit, boy! Pick those up and be more mindful of what you are doing, or by the gods, I’ll send you back to the whore of a mother of yours,” Valerius yelled.

  “Yes, legate, sir. I apologize,” the boy repeated several times over as he franticly dropped to his knees and quickly collected the papers.

  “Centurion,” Valerius said without even raising his head to look at Gaius. “I want the first cohort ready to march in the morning. Have them in full kit and enough rations for two weeks.”

  “It will be done, sir,” Gaius responded obediently.

  He did not move or say anything more even though it was clear those were all the orders Valerius wanted to issue at the moment.

  Valerius lifted his gaze; his eyes showing signs that the old Roman didn't sleep for a full day now.

  “Is there something else on your mind, Centurion Gaius?”

  “Yes sir, if I may ask. What is our destination?” Gaius quickly replied without hesitation. Even though he and Valerius showed each other the proper formality that was expected of any legionnaire, they still had an easy relationship with one another that Gaius knew he could ask anything of the legate and probably get an answer.

  “You may ask, but that does not mean you will get an answer.” Valerius leered at Gaius with cold eyes, a stare that would have made other officers nervous, but Gaius held his ground with an unmoved expression. He was as eager, if not more so than anyone else to know what was going on. War, was, after all what these men had trained for their entire lives.

  Valerius snorted.

  “The Senate is having a special session in four days. My presence has been requested in Rome, and the legion placed on standby,” he finally answered.

  “Then it is true. We are going to war with Carthage?” Gaius asked, his question shared by the whole legion, who waited eagerly to hear if the rumors spreading were true or not.

  “It is not for me to decide such things, lad. However, if I were a betting man, I would say we are. It was bound to happen sooner or later,” Valerius answered with an unwavering reply. While he would never say it, Gaius could see in the legate’s actions that he was excited as well. He’d been stagnated for too long — away from a real fight for years, with only hunting pirates and putting down tiny Greek rebellions to occupy his decades since the last war with Carthage.

  Gaius tried to hold back his smile, managing only a faint grin.

  “Then if I may inquiry further, sir. Why only one cohort? Won’t the rest of the Sixth be needed if up north if Hannibal is crossing the Alps?”

  Valerius stared at Gaius, knowing full well he had not mentioned the particulars of the message or what is transpiring in the Alps as they spoke. However, as he fought to hold back his smile, he knew that Gaius was smarter than he had ever been, and had deduced that knowledge from careful observation.

  “The Senate is fearful of a possible Carthaginian naval invasion of either Sicily or southern Italy. If that is to happen, then the Sixth needs to be on call and ready to respond, the moment the first whore-sons set foot on our territory.”

  “Even if the fight is in the north?” Gaius asked, sounding disappointed.

  “Other legions will be levied. We have our orders, centurion. Now, if there isn’t anything else that is pondering your young mind, carry out my orders and have the first cohort ready to move by sunrise. You are dismissed.”

  “Yes, sir,” Gaius saluted before he turned and quickly left Valerius’ office, keeping his smile from being too obvious, only with difficulty.

  As he walked outside, Gaius saw Maurus was already waiting for him before he quickly ran over, a big cheerful grin on his face.

  “Well?” Maurus eager asked.

  “Well what?”

  “You know what I mean. Are we going to war or not?”

  “My word, Maurus, I think you should see the medicos. You look terrible,” Gaius observed as the deep bruises on his friend’s face had been swollen to large purple welts. He hated to think what the rest of his body looked like by now, but the you
ng soldier shrugged it off, too excited by the news that Gaius was withholding.

  “Forget that. Just answer my original question: are we going to war?”

  Gaius chuckled, “Yes, or so it would seem. The first cohort is heading for Rome tomorrow, and the rest of the legion is on standby, until further orders are giving. So, it would appear the rumors are true, for once, the enemy is coming to our home, and we’re going to stop them.”

  Maurus couldn’t hold back his cheer as he beat his fists into the sky, hollering at the top of his lungs.

  “Oh, such wonderful news. Finally, those Carthaginian bastards will fill the iron of the Wolves once again. And off too Rome, how grand, you’ll get to see home again, my dear friend.”

  Gaius’ smile hardened sudden as Maurus’ words resonated deeply through his mind. It had not dawned on him, until now — home. He would be going home.

  “I will not keep you, my friend. I will go tell the boys the news. I doubt, however, very many of us will be getting much sleep tonight.”

  Maurus ran off, still joyful as he quickly spread the news across the whole camp. For Gaius, however, the excitement of the moment had escaped him as he walked toward one of the larger structures in the camp, needing to be alone so he may be with his own thoughts a moment longer.

  Grabbing a lantern, which hung on the wall near the entrance of the stables, Gaius walked down the narrow path that was centered between two rows of holding pins that housed the army’s horses. When he reached the one, he was moving toward, Gaius opened the gate where his horse, a black-coated stallion, which he named Apollo, raised his head with interest as Gaius stepped inside, hanging the light on the wall.

  The horse lifted his ears and nodded his head as Gaius ran his hand along Apollo’s neck.

  “Hello, my friend, guess what?” Gaius spoke softly.

  Apollo, whom Gaius had named in honor of his father, recalling the story that Valerius had told him ten years ago near the camp fire, about his father’s bravery, of course did not respond as he nudged his master, indicating that he wanted Gaius to continue rubbing his neck.

  “We are going to Rome,” Gaius finished, his voice still low. In the distance, he could hear the beginnings of celebration as word had spread quickly about the prospects of going to war.

  Most of the legion was young — legionaries from sixteen to twenty-two, with a few hundred older veterans, yet few who saw action during the last war. So, with excitement, the Sixth was eager to prove itself in doing what it had been trained for, glorious war. Gaius’ mind was, however, trapped in the past. It hadn’t dawned on him that he would be going home, back to Rome until Maurus had said as such. Now, his thoughts plagued him with memories of Antony and Julia, who had never been far from his mind.

  “I wonder what they are like now. Antony was only a year younger than me — how he must have grown. And his sister, Julia — I’ve told you about her, haven’t I?” Gaius mussed.

  Again, Apollo failed to reply.

  “She must be sixteen. I wonder what has become of her, how beautiful she must be now, nearly a woman — a Roman lady.”

  Gaius felt silly, not because he was speaking with his horse, but at the memories of the girl, he only remembered as a frightened child that had cried in his arms when he left home.

  “I wonder if she even remembers me. So much time has gone by. I’m not so different, am I?” Apollo lifted his head, staring at Gaius with his big brown eyes. “I am being silly, aren’t I? We were children, and she was much younger than I. Our time together was brief, less than a year. How can I expect either of them to recall a distant friend they hardly knew?”

  Gaius knew that he could not expect their memories of him to be as cherished as his. They had lives of their own; years to make new friends, to fall in and out of love. He couldn’t help but feel selfish and arrogant to think that he meant as much to them as they did to him.

  “I should not worry about such things, should I? We might be going to war soon. I’ve trained, and I’ve excelled at becoming a soldier. I have a duty to my men and to my country, and yet, I can’t stop thinking of them — of her.”

  Gaius put his head down on his horse’s neck, rubbing its fur with his hand as he asked his last question.

  “Tell me, Apollo, am I a fool for being in love with a dream?”

  Gaius waited, but Apollo just made a faint noise that was either disagreement, or a statement that he was indeed a fool. Which it was, he could merely guess.

  “Thanks, you are a lot of help, you know that,” Gaius smiled as he went back to brushing his horse. Outside, the camp was making preparations for war. What would come next filled Gaius’ young mind with all sorts of possibilities. At the very least, he would get the chance to see Rome again. He wondered how much the city had grown since his last visit.

  In three days time, he would know.

  CHAPTER TEN

  A harsh wind cut through the city just as thick gray clouds opened and unleashed their captive water, which seemed to fall like buckets down onto the sooty paved streets.

  The rain beaded off Gaius’ red cloak as if it was in retreat the moment it touched him. The discomfort wasn’t enough to impair the joy that he felt, to be back in the grand city he had only visited once in his youth. Nothing about Rome seemed to have changed from last he remembered; running through the streets as a boy, enjoying all the wonders his young mind hadn’t experienced before. Only now, his perspective was different as he looked at his city with older eyes.

  He wore full armor, the same dark leather plate that his father had given him ten years ago, when he left home for the Sixth Legion. A long red cape draped from his shoulders and wrapped around the hindquarters of his horse. Apollo trotted in a slow rhythmic pattern as if the animal believed he was on parade. The hooves of Valerius’ steed, who rode beside Gaius, echoed down the crowded streets, causing all who stood before them to step aside as they headed towards the great forum, in the heart of the city, and while not customary to ride horses in the city, Valerius wanted to reach the Senate without pause.

  A week ago, Gaius was frightened by the prospect of returning to Rome. Now, he could hardly contain his excitement as he caught himself talking in every sight and sound, with the same enthusiasm he had when he was twelve.

  Valerius, on the other hand, did not have any interest in the city, and in fact, he loath it. Gaius knew the old Roman well enough to know that he preferred the open country to the artificial stone and wooden structures and narrow streets of the city. He might defend Rome to his last breath, but walking through it was another matter.

  Valerius kept his attention forward. A tight-ridged expression that Gaius had lovingly become used to over the years was present on his weathered face. It was painfully clear that he wanted to hurry and get to the Senate, and be done with his duty, and off to join the campaign. Gaius tried his best to follow his mentor’s example. He rode tall atop his horse and gripped the reins firmly; chin held high like an officer on display. Even the continuing annoyance of the dripping water from the brim of his helmet was ignored. Still, despite his best efforts, he found that his attention continued to drift from one sight to the next as it had done when he was younger.

  The streets, even with the heavy rainfall, were filled with hundreds of people who shopped or ate at the numerous stands that lined the busy corners. There seemed to be a pub or brothel on every block, Gaius noted, and not a single one seemed short of business.

  One brothel caught his gaze as he rode by. It was quite elegant, made from white stone and freshly painted red wood. Out front stood several beautiful women who chatted to each other, or enticed only the wealthiest of men to enter their establishment, with wooing comments of great pleasures and wondrous exploitations of the flesh they won’t soon forget.

  The women wore silk dresses that were cut low around their breasts, and had slits that showed their long and shapely legs. They adorned themselves with a wide assortment of jewels in their ears and or around t
heir necks. Many of the women wore bright-colored wigs of red, blonde, black or other assorted colors that weren’t natural to the female body. However, most engaging about them was their odor; their exotic perfume carried over the street, drawing any man to them like a Siren' call.

  One woman caught Gaius’ eye, in particular. She was an extremely beautiful young lady with lengthy hair. Her skin was tanned and seemed softer than a bed of feathers as long lashes, heavy with dark mascara wrapped around her piercing eyes, giving her an exotic, foreign look.

  She watched Gaius as he rode past her, never taking her eyes off the young officer.

  He smiled at her with a boyish grin, which she returned pleasantly.

  So focused on this woman, Gaius veered his horse into Valerius’ own animal as both horses neighed and nipped at each other. This quickly brought Gaius’ attention from his fantasy as he corrected his error.

  Valerius looked oddly at him, not saying a word as Gaius quietly voiced his apologies.

  Valerius grunted his reply, knowing all too well what had caught his young officer’s eye.

  Looking backward over his shoulder Gaius saw the exotic woman giggling with the girls who stood with her, before she glanced over towards him, still with a big smile on her face.

  He continued to watch her until his vision was obstructed by the dense crowds, disappointed. He suddenly realized that some things were indeed quite different than the last time he was in the city — things his eyes couldn’t have appreciated ten years ago, now served only to pique his curiosity as he wondered what other hidden gems Rome held tucked away.

  Slowly, the narrow streets began to open as they rode into the great Forum of Rome, which house the Senate, the Temple of Jupiter and other assorted government and religious buildings.

  The forum was filled with thousands of people. Dozens of shops had been set up where merchants sold items from across the Mediterranean: rugs from Persia, silk from Africa, Slaves from all corners of the known world, each auctioned in open markets as hundreds of buyers eagerly placed bets on the best bodies, strongest men, youngest boys or shapely women.