
Last Miles
I don’t remember the time before Caius Aurelius Britannicus found me. He became my father even before he officially adopted me. With him, I belonged. When I lost him to the fire, during the great rebellion, a bit of myself went with him.
I needed a new purpose and the army gave it to me. When I joined the Victrix legion, I acquired a new family, I belonged again. I thought how proud Pater would have been to see me marching as a conqueror with my comrades, the joy displayed on his craggy face when they promoted me to centurion. I was happy again.
Hard times came when I lost all my men to the Brigantes, when I and five others, bleeding and broken, barely made it to the fort at Verulamium. I was alone again, with my guilt, because I was alive and my friends were all dead. I started treating every battle as if it were my last, every meal tasted like ashes in my mouth, the shadows and wailing of the lost disrupted my sleep.
On that day when I attended the Vinalia festival in Londinium, I had no idea that the touch of her white hand, the look in her dark eyes, her words so kind would make me hers forever. Because of that, my last mission has been torture. I realised I had had enough of the fighting, the killing, the guilt, the danger. I wanted my hand to be creating, rather than killing. I longed to belong again and I soon would, Jupiter willing.
My sandals are broken, my steps unsteady. I’m hungry and cold. It has started snowing and the stones on this long road are now hiding under the white blanket. I can see the aqueduct and Londinium in the distance but these last miles are the hardest. I can’t wait to see her eyes, shining like the jet stones on the bracelet I bought for her in Sinus Fari. I look forward to attending the Sigillaria with her.
Drusilla and I will belong to each other, we’ll belong together.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleWhat a great story Greene, and one that is steeped in history. I love Roman history, it’s one of the things that I enjoyed most about growing up in the North East of England. I lost count of the number of times I trekked up Hadrian’s Wall as a child, imagining placing my feet in the footsteps of Centurions. Love it!
Thank you so much, Carrie! I love Roman history too and the story came along while I was reading about the Lost Legion.
An interesting story. I love all the details and the creative use of words. I must admit that I was about to write a story with the same plot but had to change it. Good write.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you so much, Thompson! I can’t help wondering how your story would have been. I wanted to make sure that this Roman soldier became a symbol for all those like him, across space and time, wanting to belong, aiming for a home and a family, away from conflicts and anything that makes one unhappy. I hope I succeeded…
Yes Greene, you did.
Your story is very captivating. And the use of words is wonderfully crafted. And the Roman names of your characters are super adorable. It was as if I were taken back to Roman history. Nicely done, Greene.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you so much, Lotchie! You are always so incredibly kind. Glad you liked it!
You’re most welcome, Greene. You are kind too. We are all kind here in a different way.
I can imagine many a Roman centurion longed for home and a peaceful life. Your story, with all its rich descriptions and language, brought history to life Greene. For several years I lived in St. Albans, a city steeped in Roman history and have always loved it. And I really loved your story.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you Linda! I am just wondering how many times our paths have crossed… I was often in St Albans (dear old Roman Verulamium!), as I used to live in Welwyn Garden City.
The centurion can be any soldier who only wants a peaceful life and I hope that each of them can find a Drusilla to be with…
I’m wondering too now Greene, as they say, it’s a small world!
Beautiful and touching.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you so much, Piyali, you are very kind.
You took us back 2,000 years, Greene, to give us a picture of how life and thoughts, despair and hopes, could be for a Roman soldier. It’s a very well written piece, very convincing. I am impressed by your knowledge about the circumstances and the empathy you show for the man who was fighting alone and so far from home.
Thank you, Christer, you hit the nail on the head as always! I think empathy is a feeling that knows no boundaries of time or space. I just had to imagine how the young man felt about his need to belong and the story wrote itself…
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleGreene I must be honest, I don’t know much about Roman history, but you certainly gave me a glimpse of it with your beautiful story! I am happy that he chose to leave the fighting behind and to be with the person he loved. Great story.
Thank you so much Marianna! I love History because the past makes me feel safe as it’s a certainty from which we can learn so much, while the future is only a hypothesis with too many scary unknowns…
That is so true, Greene, I agree!
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