Hello everyone! Here is a new chapter for you :3
The next day was spent riding through the whole of the vast forest. We could only cover so much ground, but we just traveled through it never the less. We had to try to find this man, whoever he was, even if it meant riding for days on end or going in circles.
I rode beside Esca as always, and each time I passed him, I brushed my fingers against the back of his hand. He kept himself composed on his horse; one hand on the rein and the other on his thigh. I made sure I was close enough to reach across and softly graze my hand over his. He sometimes smiled when I did this, but it was always fleeting.
There was still some awkwardness between him and Marcus, more so now that my brother knew of us. Whatever we were. I tried my best to act like nothing had changed, and Marcus did the same, at least towards me.
The day was warmer than usual, still a cool and breezy one, but warmer. There was a lack of that bitter chill in the air which made it more comfortable to ride through the buggy forest.
Yet as we rode onwards, slowly scanning the trees, I couldn't help but feel we were being watched. I felt a pair of unknown eyes watching us, and I wished I knew why. I often got this feeling when I was younger. A sensation that another was out there, waiting and watching. It usually occurred when someone was hiding out.
"Does anyone else feel like we aren't alone?" I asked. I felt I couldn't keep my feelings to myself.
"Yes, actually," Marcus replied quietly. He turned his head from side to side, looking out for any sign that something was amiss.
It wasn't until I heard the soft, barely audible sound of a branch cracking off in the distance, did I realize someone was following us. I twisted my head around at the sound, but I was too late. A figure jumped from between the cover of the trees, and knocked Esca and his horse over. Drusus, taken by surprise at the attack, reared up and whinnied loudly. Holding tightly onto his reins, I hushed at him, patting his neck.
Marcus had leapt from his saddle, and went after Esca and the strange figure. It wasn't until I calmed Drusus enough to get him back on all four legs that I dismounted and pulled out my bow.
I prepared an arrow, and raised it to the man's face as Esca pressed a dagger to the man's throat. Marcus stood beside me, looking down at the two.
"Kill him," he ordered Esca. When he made no move to do so, Marcus raised his voice to a shout. "Kill him! Do it now!"
But upon looking closer at the man, Esca shook his head.
"Chin strap scar!" he exclaimed. "Only a Roman helmet does that."
In a swift move, Esca switched his position so that he knelt behind the man with his blade at his neck. Marcus moved too so that he knelt in front of him. Stepping closer, I lowered my bow a little so that I could see the proof of Esca's words. Pulling his head back, Esca made it easier for us to see the small mark under the man's thick beard.
It was hard to see, especially from where I stood, but the scar was unmistakable. My heart hammered in my chest as a realization hit me. He was a Roman, and maybe even a Legionary. One of my fathers? I didn't allow my mind to get too far ahead of myself.
"He's a legionary," stated Esca. It made sense, but I was too afraid to get my hopes up.
"Why are you looking for me?" the man asked in the tongue of the Britons.
Marcus took hold of the man's tunic and shook him.
"What is your name?" my brother asked unkindly.
The man didn't answer for the longest time. His eyes went from Marcus to me, and then back to Marcus. I lifted my arm a little higher then, ready to fire my arrow.
"What is your name?" Marcus pressed.
Taking a deep breath the man said, "I'm called Guern. My name is Lucius Caius Metellus. First Cohort of the Ninth Legion."
I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until I released a shuddered gasp at his words.
My arm fell a little, and I ended up replacing my arrow in the quiver and throwing my bow across my back. I stared at the man with a new sense of interest and love. He knew my father, he knew him. He fought beside him, he had to have done so.
I could tell that Marcus was thinking the same thing, was feeling the same thing that I was. I saw it in his eyes when he looked over his shoulder at me. There were no words that I could speak that would make any sense at the time, so I simply shook my head with my mouth hanging open.
Slowly, Esca released him and stood up. He kept his dagger in his hand, ready to strike should Lucius make a move. Marcus stumbled a little as he straightened out, so I stepped up to help him. We stood side by side as we looked the man over.
"Grab our bags," Marcus ordered Esca. Obediently, he went to our horses and began untying our things.
I stared at Lucius for a while, taking him in. He didn't look like much, considering who he was and where he came from. His hair was long and unkempt, his clothing consisted of worn furs and leathers. I realized I shouldn't have judged him for wearing what anyone living out here might wear, but I still felt disappointed.
Still, he had been a solider alongside my father, and he likely knew what had happened to him.
After Esca had grabbed our bags, Marcus and Lucius settled down by a fire that was slowly beginning to take form. I lingered by a nearby tree, just close enough to talk to them, but far enough I could keep to myself. I didn't quite trust this man, despite what he'd said. He may have fought with my father, but that didn't mean he was a good man.
"How have you survived up here for so long?" I inquired once they'd all had a fill of food.
Lucius looked up across the fire at me and said, "My tribe is called the Selgovae. They took me in and made me one of their own. I have a woman and two sons…my life is here now."
Walking up to me, Esca whispered, "I don't trust him. He's a deserter."
Marcus, who sat closely by me turned his head and raised an eyebrow.
"We don't know that. Besides, he is still a Roman," he whispered back.
I didn't really know what to think, other than Esca had a point about not trusting him, but Marcus was also right in that he was a Roman. Not that that fact immediately made Lucius a trustworthy person, but to Marcus and I, he was one of us. One of our own people in a sense.
Taking a long sip from my water skin, I leaned back against the tree and rested my head against the bark. I let one of my hands drop to my side so that I could subtly take Esca's hand in mine. He seemed a little surprised that I did so, but didn't pull away. It was a risk with this unknown man with us, but I didn't mind.
"I don't know what your father's orders were," Lucius said suddenly, breaking the long silence. "All I know is…well we had it coming. We didn't understand why they had to come north. There is nothing here worth taking. Couldn't they have been satisfied with what they had? These people they always had to punish and push on, looking for more conquests, more territories and more wars," he explained.
There was a clear and lingering anger in his tone that didn't go unnoticed by me.
Esca's grip on my hand tightened considerably, and I turned to look up at him. He bore a grim and tight expression. His eyes seemed distant, angry, and his mouth was pulled tight. I frowned, wondering what bothered him so much.
"Just tell us what happened," Marcus insisted. As though connected, I felt his eagerness to learn more of our father. Likely because I felt it too.
"When the order came for the Ninth to march north, it was autumn. It was the worst weather they had had in years. For weeks we marched and there was no sign of them. Suddenly, they just appeared out of the mist. We could hear them picking off the men at the back, one by one. Finally we stopped trying to find open ground and we turned to face them," Lucius said.
I felt my body shiver as I imagined what the battle would have looked like. Lucius mentioned it was not far off from where we were, which only made the image in my head more vivid. Esca's grip on my hand was still tight, unyielding and I nearly asked him to let go. However, I felt far too unsettled for him to do that. I wanted him close by.
"Those last few days of the legion…I've never been so frightened. We all fought back-to-back; no sleep, and pissing where we stood. They came at us like animals. All of the northern tribes were there, but the worst were the Painted Warriors of the Seal People. They hacked the feet off the dead so their souls couldn't walk into the afterlife."
I swallowed a lump in my throat at this.
"And our father?" Marcus questioned. He finally lifted his head which had been bowed in thought as Lucius told his story. "What happened to him?"
"The last time I saw your father…he was surrounded by the warriors of the Seal people," said Lucius.
"Did he die fighting?" Marcus pushed.
Lucius shook his head, and I assumed the worst until he spoke.
"I don't know…I ran before the end."
"You coward," Marcus spat.
I could understand why he said that, but I didn't think it was fair.
"No. You weren't there, you don't know what it was like," Lucius said defensively.
To that, he had a point. Who were we to judge his actions when we ourselves weren't there to experience it?
"Who has the Eagle?" asked my brother.
"They say the Seal People have it," he answered with a shrug.
"How do we find them?"
It was then Lucius raised an arm and pointed directly across the fire at Esca.
"He knows. He's Brigantes, they fought there," stated Lucius.
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know what you thought :)
