The hands of Rome
Left, right, left, right, left, right…
The continuous thumping like the heart beat of a colossal creature had lulled a blonde headed, freckled legionnaire into a catatonic state as he marched along to the joyless tune.
Small dust mites snuck up the young mans nose and tickled the sensitive membranes inside his nostrils and brought about the usual affect of a humongous sneeze that echoed around the mountain side the army was marching close to.
"STOPPABLE!" 'by the gods why is it always him?' the legionnaire groaned inwardly as a shadow reached out and plucked him from the ranks and pulled him out of the way of the other soldiers "did I give you permission to sneeze?" the veteran soldier and commanding officer of Ron stoppable cohort bellowed at the young man as he sweated in the heat, the dust that had caused this problem clung to his sweat covered body mockingly watching the drama unfold.
"no you didn't sorry" Ron smiled his goofy grin and scratched the back of his head with his free arm "just the dust made me a bit sneezy"
"It made you?…" commander barking scar matted but clean shaven face changed several colours in half as many seconds then he unleashed a torrent of curses and foul language that made the passing soldiers turn their heads in awe at the imagination that must have gone into the creation of such volatile words.
"have you forgotten all of my training boy!" he yelled shaking his spear at the blonde boy
"no commander Barkin, I have not sir!" Ron's back straightened as he replied. Years of training overwhelming his carefree personality.
"good" the commanders voice evened out "it would be a shame if you put a black mark on your families name by failing in Rome's imperial army"
Ron visibly stiffened at the mention of his family and commander nearly smirked at the steely glint that appeared in the boys eyes.
"use it boy" he told Ron tersely "now get back into formation!" Barkin ordered Ron pounded his fist on his large rectangular shield then padded off to catch up with his cohort.
"run foul of the big B again did you?" brown haired and blue eyed cavalry man Felix Renton asked Ron quizzically, as his friend meandered over to where he was brushing down his bay mare, his saddle and tack sat on a post near by waiting to be attended to.
"You heard that did you?" Ron asked slumping down next to the saddle and tack.
"The entire army heard that my friend, I think they even heard that old boot chewing on you then spitting you out in Rome"
Ron put his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands "am I really that much of a failure? How in the heck can a make a name for myself when I cant even march properly?"
The mare tossed her head in Ron's direction and whinnied.
"Monique's right marching and guard duty have nothing to do with earning a name for yourself its what you do on the battle field that brings the glory and fame"
Ron raised an eye brow "you got all that from a horse"
"Hey she knows what she's talking about, all you have to do is learn the language. I call it Monique speak"
Ron chuckled and shook his head "who knows maybe later on in the future there will be a chocolate coloured woman that offers advice as good as yours girl" Ron patted Monique's flank, She snorted.
"Not likely" Felix translated .
Later on that night Ron and Felix sat around a small fire nursing large bowls of a pale stew. With the two sat three other young men, the tallest and the largest of the group was Brick Flagg a sandy haired farmers son who had found appreciation in Rome's army, for his height and broad shoulders offered a very opposing sight upon the field of battle.
His immense size proved too troublesome in the packed ranks of the cohorts, with his standard size shield that was supposed to be just over the height of a man but it may as well have been a buckler for all the protection it would have offered him in a shield wall he would have had his legs hacked out from beneath him. So the young man retained the shield but was also gifted his a stone masons hammer and sent to battle alongside the gladiators men who had been given the opportunity to repent in death.
The next man was a tall, well muscled, dark skinned African man whom had been fathered to a roman soldier while Rome had been extending their reach around the world.
His mother had died in child birth and the roman was compelled to take the boy and raise him as any roman born son should be, on the march. Thus hardening the boy to fear and propelling him to near fanatical views of Rome and its cause. This man was Wade load. A man who could pluck a single strand of hair off a mans head with a bow.
The last young man who gazed around at everything with an arrogant air of self confidence that only a pampered politicians son could possess was Josh Mankey, his sharp and angular face and jet black hair added to his charming personality seemed to leave even the most devout priestesses and wives craving his half lidded gaze, not to mention that his position in Rome's social structure had made him a shoe in for Decanus (sergeant) in the same cohort that Ron served in.
The men lounged around the fire trading tales of their triumphs with the fairer sex and telling of their yearning for home.
"I hear these Gaul's are just blood crazed men fighting in for the very sake of opposing the pope and Rome" Ron commented when the conversation turned to their destination and the opposition that would be waiting.
"one could say that but they are also fighting for their freedom and liberty" josh told Ron, his position of power left him unafraid to say anything he wanted.
"they reject Rome, so they reject peace and their right to live" Wade commented vehemently tossing a large log onto the fire and watched the flames lick up its sides then finally begin to engulf it.
"could you really blame them for rejecting a super power that is the complete opposite to what you believe in?"
Ron chose this moment to zone out of the conversation, Josh and Wade could argue for hours when they became enthralled in this sort of conversation, and a movement made his ears prick up.
Ron excused himself from the group and wandered off in the direction the noise had come from.
Being the youngest men in the army and as such the lowest in rank and experience the boys had been forced to pitch their tents on the very out skirts of the army's camp that was situated next to a river, all the men had already bathed and washed off all the dust and grime that they had collected marching across the country.
The odd noise had come from a secluded part of the river where trees that's limbs hung over the water like lonely poets. As quietly as Ron could manage he moved up to the trees and as he grew closer a soft voice reached his ears and the light splashing of water.
'weird, that almost sounds like a woman' Ron mused as he approached.
Beside a large tree trunk there was infantry armour and the badge of Ronald's own cohort "ahoy their friend!" Ron laughed and leapt through the overhanging branches and splashed merrily in the moonlit water until his eyes found the figure standing in the centre of the water waist deep and Ron realised that the figure was not a man at all.
"oh shit! Sorry miss, I didn't know!" before Ron could turn to flee a auburn streak flew at him and he suddenly found himself under the water.
The water was beaten to a foam as Ron flailed around trying to gain a grip upon anything, luckily for the young man one of his legs hooked about the flame haired harpies legs knocking her over.
Ron dragged himself onto the bank, coughing and spluttering half expecting to feel the woman's talons carve into the flesh of his back but no attack ever came. In his confusion Ron looked back behind him and saw nothing but calm water.
Ron regained his feet and searched for the female attacker but no trace of her could be found until Ron looked down stream and saw a body floating down the river straight for the rapids and the water fall after that.
"oh god no!" Ron cried out and with the same breath leapt into the water and powered to the floating woman.
Ron reached the woman and pulled her to him while holding her head above the water just as they came to the rapids. For a brief second Ron raised his eyes to the heavens 'what did I ever do to you?' he thought as he and the naked woman were sucked into the swirling foam.
It seemed to Ron that there was no rock in that watery hell that he did not get dashed against though the main reason for that was that he turned his body towards every hazard as he and the woman approached so that she was not harmed in the moist melee.
Ron pushed the nude redhead up onto the muddy bank careful not to touch or look at any part of her that would usually be covered. He dragged himself up after her his legs and arms shaking from exhaustion. Ron collapsed face first into the soft mud next to the woman his breathing causing small bubbles in the mud.
Ron felt two cold legs press against each side of his rib cage and a soft caressing hand snake its way into Ron's fair hair toying with his comical cowlick gently until the grip tightened and his head was pulled forcefully back and out of the mud right back until he saw two green orbs framed by swirling fire.
Ron shook his head slightly as much as the grip would allow and his vision cleared to show the woman dishevelled and wet staring down at him with wary and confused eyes.
"fine you wanna kill me then fine, just be quick about it I'm tired and sore and could use a break" Ron grunted angrily but moved his head Weakly, his bark he knew at that point in time was only a little worse than his bite.
The woman's eyes darkened and with a heave she rolled Ron over so that she straddled his chest instead of his back and Ron did not run the risk of drowning in the mud.
Her slender hand pressed lightly down on his throat, her eyes giving away her reluctance to kill her hapless rescuer. Ron continued to stare up at her only now in the full moon light and out of life threatening situations did he realise how remarkably beautiful this Harpy was. The fullness of her lip, her angular face 'like a cats…no' he thought 'like a lionesses', the smoothness of her skin now upon his own, the curvature of her hips and breasts…
His eyes wandered over her body marvelling at her until she slapped him roughly across the face jerking his head across so fast it made his neck crack.
"owwww" he whined "why must everything you do have to hurt me? I apologise for staring miss or sir or what ever you are" 'definitely a miss' a little voice spoke up from the back of Ron's collar. The seemingly granite nerved female leapt back with a small yelp as a small pink blur leapt into view and sank its small teeth into her slender hand.
The pink naked mole-rat leapt onto Ron's mud covered chest jittering angrily, beating his two front teeth and hissing.
"Rufus, what have I told you about biting? But thanks for saving me from warrior goddess over there" Ron patted his pink companion on his bald head then locked eyes with the redhead standing perfectly still staring dumbly at the pink rodent.
Rufus leapt upon Ron's shoulder as he slowly dragged himself from the sucking mud keeping his eyes locked on the red haired vixens face, carefully gauging if she was about to fly off the handle and beat his sorry legionnaire ass again.
When Ron was finally back on his feet he slowly reached around himself and gripped his muddy and soaked cloak, thick sheep wool, a parting present from his family it pained him how much he knew it had cost them. Dear little Rufus already knowing his masters mind, had undone the knot holding the cloak at Ron's throat.
Painfully slowly Ron dragged the cloak in front of him, off his shoulders and held it out to the woman who moments before had tried to kill him and then proceeded to cause him to be half drowned and beaten against rocks like undergarments on washing day. Yet here the young man stood, dripping wet and bleeding holding out the only thing his family had ever given him willingly.
"you'll catch a cold if your not careful miss" Ron smiled his goofy grin as Rufus nodded his head while he covered his eyes with his little paws.
Like a tentative wild animal the woman reached out slowly eyes darting from Ron's chocolate brown eyes to the muddied cloak in his hand.
Their fingers touched briefly as she gripped the cloak. Her long slender finger tips brushing against his own dirty and calloused by weapon drills and cultivation but also covered in scars. The woman shuddered as she wrapped the cloak around her firm body covering her entire body.
Ron reached forward again as the woman's attention was to the relative warmth and protection of the cloak "her miss" his hand reached over her shoulder to the cloaks hood and flicked it up over her head not realising that the hood was filled with mud.
Ron retracted his hand and cowered slightly as the hood spilled mud all over the females head and face. The effect was so complete that only two green orbs could be seen blinking in shock at him, that shock quickly turned to anger and soon not only were eyes visible but white teeth, white teeth bared in rage.
Ron let out a extremely unmanly squeal as the mud covered red head took a step towards him but froze in horror as light washed over the two of them.
'what are you two doing down there?' a gruff voice called down from higher up the bank, a sentry holding a burning brand aloft looked down at them his greying eyebrows raised.
'nothing friend just a mishap that got my friend and I washed down the river care to lend a hand? These thrice damned banks are too steep for even the worlds greatest soldiers to climb' Ron grinned up at the fellow roman.
The grey haired man chuckled and lowered the tip of his spear down for Ron to grip and pull himself up with, the covered red head followed after a moments hesitation.
Ron laughed nervously and slapped the other man on the back "many thanks my friend god knows how long we would have been stuck down there freezing had you not come along"
The grizzled veteran stood a little straighter "well I wouldn't have left my post at all if I hadn't heard something that sounded like a little girl screaming from down there. I take it you were the cause of that?" the corners of the mans grey beard twitched in amusement as Ron rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment "its alright lad I was young once two now get along before old iron hide come along"
As if on cue a booming voice echoes around the camp "STOPPABLE!" the thundering footsteps of the centurion drew closer to their current position.
"give me a break will you" Ron groaned staring up at the clouds until centurion Barkin was a bare foot away from his own face spraying him with spittle as he berated him with out stop.
Centurions are the leaders of the general century comprised of eighty men, they are battle hardened veterans and also known for a high mortality rate as they were prone to sacrificing their own safety for that of their men as they fight in the front line. Barkin it seems was an acceptation to the mortality rate and had flat out refused promotion into first cohort (higher paid veterans) many times over standing by his words that they were 'old men too lazy to fight and bleed in the front lines'.
"…WITH A FROG AND A PIG!" Ron had, like every other time centurion Barkin verbally abused him, slipped off to his 'happy place' where no one abused him and tired to drown him and his family was not nearly destitute.
"yes centurion Barkin SIR!" Ron took the pause in the rant that he was finished and could go back to being a happy soldier and dig the latrine that he no doubt had just been ordered to dig some where amidst the insults spewed from the centurions mouth.
"and what where you doing down there with him boy?" Barkin directed his rage at the still cloak shrouded woman that was assumed to be a male soldier for all intents and purposes.
"you two down there doing it Greek style were you? I wont have soldiers in my century taking it from the rear flank understood? Look at me while I am belittling you boy"
Barkin gripped her chin and lifted it up to see the face covered in mud and sticks the eyes still shone their fierce emerald. "what were you doing down there?" Barkins eyes flicked to Ron once more until the woman/boy stepped forward and landed a swift uppercut to Rons jaw causing his head to snap back and send him toppling down the muddy embankment once more.
A strange thing happened after that, Barkin's booming laughter rang out and for some reason that filled the listening soldiers (the entire camp) with fear, they knew how to handle a angry centurion but a happy one was unheard of.
Mud was flung forward from the woman's face as Barkin slapped her hard across the back as he continued to laugh "I like your style boy, don't lose that fiery spirit" with that Barkin turned on his heel and his beady eyes found the helpful sentry and then the bellowing started up once more as he pursued the fleeing sentry back to his guard position screaming abuse and threats the entire way.
Ron groaned as he was hauled back up the embankment once more then dumped onto the soft grass face down, the scent of it filling his nostrils and soothing his acing jaw slightly. By all accounts the young man had a hell of a night. And as two hands encircled his wrists and began dragging him away, he realised it was not over yet.