Legionary

by Hector Miller

  Pupienus looked at Marcus and replied: “What you ask is not advancement for yourself, but pardon for your comrades.”

  He sighed, drank deeply from his cup and continued: “When you look at me, what you see is an old man. I was a Primus Pilus in the army of Caracalla many years ago. I served as an imperial legate and while I governed Germania, our armies emerged victorious against the Alemanni and the Yazyges. In my heart, I will always be a man of the legions.”

  He turned the cup in his hand and said: “What you ask is no small thing, but what you have achieved in Aquileia outweighs it.”

  He turned to Crispinus and said: “Arrange for the newly appointed imperial legate and governor of Pannonia Inferior to report to me tomorrow before they depart for Sirmium.”

  Pupienus then added: “I make no oaths, but I will discuss it with my people and even provide new written orders if it is required.”

  On the insistence of Crispinus we remained in the city for another ten days. It felt like a holiday after the almost continuous fighting during the preceding months. I spent most of my time in the company of Segelinde. We grew closer, only confirming that we had made the right decision.

  Our party travelled slowly, blaming it on the two wagons fully loaded with some of the best red wine available in Italy. Apart from providing us with this gift, he committed to sending us two wagon loads of the same every year. Crispinus justified it by reasoning that by providing us with sanctuary we had eventually helped him more than he had helped us and that he was honour bound to reward us. He told us that he would be richly rewarded by Pupienus and Gordian and that he felt obliged to pass some of the benefits on to us. We did not argue with his solid reasoning. In addition, we had made a friend for life.

  In the end it took the best part of a moon to travel back to the farm near Sirmium. Marcus accompanied us to the farm and I insisted that three of our barbarian guards escort him home. It turned out to be a good decision. They were attacked by a group of seven brigands, whose scalps now decorate the saddles of my Scythians’ horses.

  Chapter 34 – Family heritage

  Apart from planning our wedding, we had a more secretive agenda to attend to. That was the reason my future bride and I travelled to Sirmium.

  I had discussed my plans at length with Segelinde, who was in agreement. For now, I decided to keep it as a surprise for Nik and Cai.

  As was the norm, the area around the procurator’s office was reasonably crowded with people standing in line to meet with officials who shared the same building.

  I did not have an appointment with Alexander, the secretary to the procurator, but I was unconcerned. Underneath my cloak I carried a purse heavy with gold.

  It only cost me one silver coin to be ushered into the presence of the clerk. He had someone in attendance, although unfortunately for him, he was immediately dismissed.

  Alexander motioned for us to be seated. He inclined his head and said: “I can see that you are getting on in the world, Lucius Domitius. Who is this beautiful lady?”

  I interrupted him before he could continue to flatter Segelinde, who had a reasonable command of Latin by then.

  “My dear Alexander, it is exactly the reason why I have come to visit with you. I need you to introduce this Roman lady to me.”

  Alexander sat with a confused expression. He raised his eyebrows and nodded slowly, as understanding dawned on him. “Well, well, well. I am certainly able to introduce you to her, but I require some information.”

  He took his stylus in his hand and started scribbling on a wax tablet.

  “Is she of equestrian or common birth?”

  “She is of noble birth, Alexander. I would think from the line of Emperor Traianus. But distant family will be acceptable.”

  “Was she born in Pannonia Inferior or maybe somewhere else?

  “I would think Dacia, but anywhere close will do. Maybe Moesia or even Dalmatia.”

  He looked up from his notes and smiled: “These things are not cheap, you know.”

  I replied: “I would certainly not expect them to be cheap, but I need them to be watertight.”

  I placed a purse with fifty gold coins on the table. He took them without opening or counting the coins, only testing the weight before securing it to his belt underneath his tunic.

  “Gold”, I said. He nodded and replied: “I would expect nothing less.”

  I said: “I assume the documents legalizing our marriage are covered by the fee?”

  He nodded, now all business: “It’s all part of the service, Lucius.”

  He stood and excused himself. “I may be away for some time. I will send a slave with decent wine. It’s also included in the fee”, he said and winked before he left.

  It took a long time. I guess he was away for the most part of a watch.

  When he returned, the little Greek appeared physically exhausted. He was sweating, wiping his brow with the back of his hand.

  “This was most challenging, most challenging”, he muttered to himself as he placed some scrolls on the table.

  Before he continued, he summoned a slave and ordered iced wine for himself.

  He suddenly smiled and said: “My dear Lucius Domitius Aurelianus, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Ulpia Severina, daughter of Ulpius Crinitus. She is a descendant from the line of Traianus and was born in Dacia.”

  Before I had time to interrupt, he handed me a scroll. “This is the official marriage document. Congratulations, you make a good couple.”

  I clasped his arm and seated myself again: “May I see the scroll you are looking at?”

  He handed it to me, I studied it, then handed it back.

  He said: “Of course that will have to be destroyed and copied from afresh.”

  I nodded and bid him farewell.

  That is the tale of how a Gothic princess became a Roman lady, a descendant from the imperial line of Traianus.

  Chapter 35 – Visitor

  I handed the marriage document to Nik. He stared at it for a while, a broad smile forming slowly on his face. He turned to Segelinde and said: “I am proud to have you as my daughter in law, Ulpia Severina.”

  He turned to me, clasped my arm and said: “You are showing me that you may have potential.”

  He slapped me on the back and left the room, his laughter echoing down the hallway.

  Cai and Felix appeared heartbeats later. They had both taken a liking to Segelinde. Felix said: “Umbra, Nik told us you have the papers. Now you have to give the girl a wedding to remember. I will stand for nothing less.” Cai stood next to him nodding his head in agreement. Both had obviously gone over to Segelinde’s side.

  In a typical Roman wedding, the bride wove her own dress and there was supposed to be a procession from the house of the bride to the house of the groom. The problem was that we did not have separate homes, neither did we have enough guests for the dinner party.

  Segelinde and I decided to do the best with what we had. She told me without blushing that she wished to have a dress made. “It is a Gothic tradition”, she explained, although I had my doubts.

  We visited Sirmium and at the stalls of the dressmakers we ordered a magnificent embroidered dress.

  I had nearly no family and Segelinde’s family was a thousand miles away. We had no alternative but to keep it small. Still, we arranged for a musician, juggler and dancers to provide the entertainment at the feast. I thought about inviting my old comrades in the legion, but legionaries are not granted random leave, so I just left it. As Marcus was a civilian as well, he was invited.

  Segelinde chose a date that was auspicious for weddings according to her culture and we made all the arrangements. I even arranged for a cook and his team from Sirmium to assist our servants with the preparation of the food for the feast.

  My bride was insistent on adhering to my culture as far as possible. On the evening preceding the wedding, Segelinde donned her ordered dress and a flame yellow veil made of silk, compliments of Cai. Felix l
it a torch dedicated to the goddess Ceres and led her and Cai, who acted as her father, in a procession around our villa, symbolising the bride’s journey to the husbands house.

  Nik and I met her at the gate, where she gave Nik a copper coin, as a sign that she would be living in her husband’s home from now on. Nik, also carrying a torch, handed it and a small bowl of water to Cai, who accepted it on behalf of Segelinde. Nik said: “I give you fire and water.”

  Felix handed his torch to Nik and carried Segelinde over the threshold of the gate.

  She said to me: “I am where you are.” I repeated her words and we clasped right hands.

  Officially we were married.

  I led her to the bedroom.

  We slept late the next morning, enjoying each other’s company. We eventually emerged and found that a delicious, but light, breakfast awaited us. We ate slowly, savouring our private time together.

  Nik had arranged baths to be prepared and my bride and I retired to our own rooms to ready ourselves for the festivities.

  I had just begun to doze off when there was an urgent knock on the door. A moment later Cai walked in and said: “A visitor has arrived.”

  I replied, still enjoying the hot water: “Just show Marcus to the spare room. He would understand.”

  Cai said: “Marcus arrived two hours ago. He is enjoying bath in spare room. This is other visitor. Come see now.”

  I quickly dried and slipped into a clean tunic, following a shuffling Cai to the Atrium.

  Hostilius was dressed in full military garb. He was drinking wine with his right hand, while his left hand was held behind his back, holding his helmet.

  Without thinking, I came to attention. “It is good to see you, sir.”

  He waved away the formality and clasped my arm, following me into the study.

  We sat down on couches while a servant brought a jug of wine and two additional cups.

  Within moments, Marcus walked in, smiling broadly and nodding to the Primus Pilus.

  He sat down next to me, both of us facing Hostilius.

  Hostilius told his story.

  “The Thracian left the IV Italica behind when he marched off to Rome. We sent cohort sized vexillations to guard all the fortresses abandoned by the Legions he took with him on campaign. Carbo told me that he left us behind because he needed people he could depend on to look after things while he was away. I think he left us behind because we fell out of favour with him after the whole incident concerning you and Marcus. It’s all guesswork. Not that it matters anymore.”

  He drank deeply from his cup and continued: “I was left here at Sirmium. We started hearing rumours that things weren’t going smoothly with the campaign. Strange tales about the gods fighting against the Legions of Pannonia.” He studied me with a gaze filled with suspicion and took another swallow.

  “Then a detachment from the Albanian legion arrived with an imperial order to place Carbo and me under arrest. We were locked up for three weeks. Three bloody weeks! We heard that the emperor was assassinated and that we would most likely be executed.”

  “On the day of the execution we were frog marched from the cells, but instead of losing our lives we were led to the Praetorium were the imperial legate was waiting for us. He had a scroll with him. We were pardoned by the emperor himself. I saw the scroll as well as his personal seal.”

  “I was reinstated as Primus Pilus but Carbo was given a forced retirement with full honours.”

  Marcus smiled and said: “It is a good tale to hear centurion. Lucius and I toast to your good fortune.” He raised his glass for a toast.

  Hostilius looked at us and replied: “Good fortune my arse.”

  “Let me tell you what I think really happened.”

  “When the Pannonian legions returned, they told stories of Belenus fighting on the side of the Aquileians. A god wielding a silver bow. Like the one you have, incidentally. They said that at times he summoned a small slanted eyed demon from the underworld to do his killing for him.”

  “Sounding familiar yet?”

  “But what really gave it away was the other scroll the imperial legate had with him.”

  Hostilius was smiling now, with Marcus and me shifting around on the couch like guilty children.

  “I think that you two somehow ended up in Aquileia and helped the townsfolk. And when Maximinus arrived, you gave his arse a proper kicking.”

  I replied: “That is truly a far-fetched tale, Centurion.”

  “Yes it is, isn’t it”, he said, still smiling, and produced a small scroll from a leather pouch, prominently displaying the intricate personal seal of the Roman Emperor.

  Author’s Note

  I trust that you have enjoyed the second book in the series.

  In many instances written history relating to this period has either been lost in the fog of time or it might never have been recorded. That is especially applicable to most of the tribes which Rome referred to as barbarians. These peoples did not record history by writing it down. They only appear in the written histories of the Greeks, Romans and Chinese, who often regarded them as enemies.

  In any event, my aim is to be as historically accurate as possible, but I am sure that I inadvertently miss the target from time to time, in which case I apologise to the purists among my readers.

  Kindly take the time to provide a rating and/or a review.

  The Thrice Named Man, Part III, Sasanian, will be available soon.

  www.HectorMillerBooks.com