Okay, I did my research better this time and I swear it's much better this time but this time it's more focused on a remnant of the western Roman empire. And what I discovered is that the late Roman army wasn't that bad and the reason why they keep losing is because of bad leadership.

Backed with corruption, constant civil wars, emperors getting killed, the economy in free fall, and so on.

Anyways here is the story which before the game of thrones.

The history of the origins of the Roman people

The second Roman Republic is considered the largest and strongest of the seven kingdoms, with its armies being called "Aegon's Legions".

During Aegon's conquest of Westeros, house Flavius was the first to proclaim the Targaryen as Emperor of the Romans and led Nova Roma's armies into battle as their men fought valiantly and with valor in his wars, surpassing the Andal king's men at arms in incredible acts of courage in situations that could break a common soldier's mind or do such daring maneuvers that a normal commander would think it was insane.

Sadly, however, the origins of the Roman people were shrouded in mystery for almost a thousand years.

Many theories have been formulated by the learned Maesters of the Citadel as to the origin of the Romans dwelling on the lands between the Blackwater Rush, Bay of Crabs, and Blackwater Bay, which is followed by Andalos, the flatlands, the hills of Norvos, the forests of Qohor, and the complete pacification of the entire disputed lands with utter ruthlessness, thus making six of the nine free cities into client kingdoms.

Probably the most popular, due to similarities in their main ethnonym and some physical resemblance between the Romans and some Dornish, is that the Romans originated as the second incarnation of the ancient Rhyonish culture, driven away in the early part of the century of blood by the growing powers of Volantis and the Dothraki before returning to reclaim their former homelands.

However, this theory fails to account for the written histories of the Romans themselves. And I should mention that neither the Valyiran tongues nor Ryoynish appear to be related to the Lingua Latina spoken by the Romans.

According to Aelius Hostilius' De Re Romanorum, which is a compilation of historical works that the Romans brought with them to Westeros, along with a history of the Romans, up to the War of the Ninepenny Kings, the history of their people starts some two thousand and eight hundred years before they arrived in what was known as Maidenpool...

In the year 27 BC after the foundation of Rome or 4000 BC before Aegon's Landing, Emperor Augustus decided to finally lunch a military expedition through the Mists, to see the reason why so many merchant ships over the past years would bring in such valuable goods .

The General of the army tasked with leading the expedition was a man named Vitallion Atilus Flavus, who distinguished himself in the previous roman civil wars and was also loyal to the emperor since he is one of the first generals who joined him against Mark Anthony.

After going through the mists, he discovered that his fleet had mysteriously appeared off the coast of what would later be known as Provincia Andalos. Which is why it was deserted by the Andals, who abandoned the region to colonize Westeros across the Narrow Sea, making it perfect for the Romans to settle. The Andals who stayed were easily defeated by the Roman legions.

The Roman empire began sending colonists from all across the empire to populate it, thus building a city near a mountain on the upper Rhyone river. However, the Romans soon discovered that they were not the only ones who lived on Essos.

Various other migrations of different Easterners moved into the region over the course of the subsequent years that followed.

One of them was the Valyria freehold.

After the complete and utter destruction of the Ghiscari Empire, the Valyrian freehold continued to expand and conquer further west, capturing lands and using them to mine great wealth from the fourteen flames, as well as build great cities and roadways that led to Valyria.

For many years, the Romans and Valyrians were at peace, sparing the province from the Rhoyish wars and the second spice war between the Rhoynish civilization and Valyrian dragonlords, but tensions between the two empires were slowly growing to a boiling point as Valyria began greedily eyeing the Romans' territories while the Roman empire itself was slowly succumbing to civil strife and war that spanned across their entity of the Roman empire.

The Pax Romana, or the "Roman peace" that lasted for two hundred years, was crumbling into dust, and what followed was a monetary crisis when their army became the only true source of power. In the next fifty years, around thirty Roman emperors would be crowned and die in this crisis. Either through treason, assassination, plague, conspiracy, angry soldiers, their royal guards, raids by barbarian tribes, or civil wars.

Never have I, in my entire life, seen an empire go through such horrible times that it was on the verge of tearing itself apart, which it would have. If not for a pair of remarkable emperors who managed to preserve the stricken empire for another two centuries: Aurelian and Diocletian.

It was thanks to these great men who managed to reverse the trend and save the empire, at least for a while.

Then the doom happened.

In the year 456 AD or 102 BC, a cataclysmic event utterly destroyed the city of Valyria and the Valyrian freehold, which crumbled and was no more. The doom fragmented the land surrounding the city itself into numerous islands, creating the smoking sea between them. However, the cataclysmic event not only destroyed the Valyrian empire but also the mists, effectively cutting off Provincia Andalos from the rest of the Empire.

Its colonies fractured into warring cities and upstart nations, right for the taking, and Nova Roma was right in the middle of this bloody chaos. Surrounded by warring states, Rome's remaining nobility turned to a single man who was capable of leading the remaining Roman legions.

This man's name was Septimus Stilicho Caepio, Magister Militum, and Dux of Andalos, a descendant of Flavius Stilicho who once served Honorius. Thanks to Septimus and his commanders, Tetricus and Maeonis were able to permanently secure the province's northern and southern borders just enough to give Nova Roma needed breathing room to rebuild what was left of the Western Roman army.

Thanks to a large number of refugees and exiled Foederatic tribes, he was able to levy just enough men to refill the ranks of existing units under his command while also making some new laws so the nobility wouldn't avoid skipping taxes to refill the empty treasury. And if they dared send a slave to fight for them in the army, said slave would immediately become a freeman along with his entire family if the slave was married, and the master had to pay for his equipment.

These reforms were unpopular with the remaining nobility, but they allowed Septimus to revitalize the Roman army, in which they won their first four battles against Norvos and Pentos, followed by negotiating a large loan from Braavos to stabilize the weakening economy and properly pay their new soldiers.

What came out of the century of blood was an expansion of Roman lands, taking control of Pentos and Myr, and making the free cities into client states. However, the Romans came into conflict with Volantis, who regarded themselves as the rightful successors of the Dragonlords, taking control of Lyse and commanding the southern reaches of the Rhoyne. But their greatest challenge came from the Dothraki, whose horde was now on the warpath. The Roman field armies defeated a force of a hundred thousand Dothraki screamers at the battle of Qohor, thus cementing their reputation for many years to come.

Unfortunately, they weren't the only civilization that came through those mists, as old and new enemies would appear out of the woodwork.

But in the year of Lucius Licinius Lucullus, Nova Roma was again prosecuting several wars of self-defense, most notably in Westeros and near the former Dispupted lands, which was renamed Pacatis Terris Provincia since the second Roman republic pacified it. However, it was the free city of Lyse where General Lucullus was commanding the southern reserve armies.

With everyone's gaze directed at the provinces, few could have known that a seemingly inauspicious event in Nova Rome would become the central fulcrum around which the fate of the Republic would turn back into an Empire.

A venerable patrician of house Flavius Stilicho's patar families had died a senator by the name of Vitellius Scaevola had made a bid for the hand of his eldest child. His widow believed that Scaevola had poisoned her husband, and now strove to take his place and claim his property through marriage.

Acting in secret, the widow arranged for her youngest child to be taken out of their villa in the dead of night and smuggled out of Nova Roma.

Narrow Sea, Colony of the Western Roman Empire, 455 CE

The youngest and only son of Flavius Faustus Rullus stood at the bow of a Liburnian Hexareme galley deep in thought.

The ship he is currently sailing on is heading towards Westeros to join Magistrum Militarum Lucius Licinius Lucullus, who had camped his Legions on the outskirts of the free city of Lyse to relive it from an army of Ironborn raiders supported by mercenaries who were currently sieging the city for the past seven days under the direct command of King Harren Hoare of House Hoare, who wanted to avenge the humiliating defeats of his ances on the Roman people.

"Did you hear me, Domine?" said an old but wise voice behind Marcus, turning him to face his teacher and servant Syneros.

Syneros was an old man of Greek origin and was born in Colonia Alexandria. However, why he became a slave was still mysterious. He wore a white Greek tunic and asked, "Your body is surely present but your mind, but your mind seems somewhere else."

Narius let out a hard sigh. "I'm sorry, old friend. I guess I'm still thinking about what happened. "

"Our departure was very sudden, I know, but do not dwell on the past. Better to focus on what's coming at you. " He advised before deciding to change the subject.

"I asked the Triachus how close we are to Alexandria, but he would not give me a straight answer."

"He still claims we're close to our destination?" Narius asked, raising an eyebrow.

Syneros nodded, "Indeed. In his defense, the coast of Westeros is a dangerous place, and they mostly look the same. Will you check on the Triarchus? Hopefully, he will give you a clearer answer. He told me his name is Geminus. "

"The man may genuinely not know our position." Marcus exclaimed, pushing himself off the railing, "I will see if I can help him work it out."

"If nothing else, you do have a way of making unreasonable people see reason." Before continuing, Syneros complimented, "You should also go and thank Quinctius Aqulluilinus. I do believe he saved our lives with his timely appearance at the Villa."

"I agree, but without him, I would be still stuck in Nova Roma, although something has been bugging me."

"So, Domine, what is it?"

"When we bordered I noticed that there are so few passengers on this galley?"

"Your mother paid Geminus handsomely to set off in haste under cover of night," Syneros explained. "Others did board with us, also bound for Colonia Alexandria."Young Julius has been pacing impatiently over there, wearing grooves into the deck. There was a gladiator too...but I don't know where he went. "

"A gladiator, you say? Well, I feel much safer. although we left so quickly. My mother and sister..."

Syneros noticed his student's worry as he put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Do not worry. The Vitellius brothers have no reason to do any harm. " He said softly, "Besides, you cannot save them by worrying. Focus on the task at hand. "

Narius smiled, "Thank you for coming with Syneros."

"Thank you for bringing me along." Syneros thanked him as he added, "It will be wonderful to see my homeland again."

"Yeah...home," Marcus muttered quietly as he walked away from him.

What most people didn't know is that Alexandria is where his house was founded by the best general that the empire had ever produced, a man who could easily rival Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. However, his name is not so well known except in the city of Colonia Alexandria, where a statue of the man was built in his honor.

A man named Flavius Belisarius

His ancestor

Just like Emperor Agustus, Emperor Justinian ordered his best general through the mists of Hecate, which Flavius Belisarius obeyed without question, leading an army of ten thousand. But when he rediscovered Provincia Andalos, the populace's reaction was mixed because their descendants originated from the Western Roman Empire, not the eastern. By that time they were cut off, the former colonists established their own autonomy, creating their own Palatina, electing their own Consuls, and establishing their own Senate.

Many of the senators of the Andalos senate were skeptical of Emperor Justinian the First since the eastern Roman empire would always abandon the west to its fate. But some influential senators still remembered the stories of their fathers and grandfathers, and thus they were able to convince the Senate to make him dictator.

One of these influential senators was a man from the Stilicho household by the name of Claudiu Stilicho Constantinus Carus, general of the first Legio Comitatenses. He was the descendent of Septimus Stilicho Caepio, the founder, the one who founded the Second Roman Republic when the mists disappeared. Although his allies in the Senate were weary of the Eastern Roman general, they did trust him, and thanks to his family's name, he was able to gain enough support to name Belisarius Consul. Thus, the former colony was brought back into the imperial fold for the next fifty-two years until the mists of Hecate vanished and cut the former colony once more.

However, in less than twenty-five years, Flavius Belisarius had helped expand the colony's territory, but most importantly were his military campaigns to reclaim the capital of the Western Roman Empire and his expedition to Westeros, where he unintentionally founded Colonia Novum Londinium, where most of the populace was made up of colonists of Roman Britains, some Greeks, Romans, Thracians, and land, and last but not least, former Rhoyner slaves settled down, thus slowly becoming a place of culture and learning, which it is today.

Thus, refining the provincial field armies' tactics and better equipment in faraway lands, reviving the age-old tradition of Roman engineering on the move.

Years earlier, however, it once belonged to House Mooton.

Fortunately, when his ancestor landed several miles away from old Maidenpool and was first contacted by the river lords of House Mooton, which was surprisingly peaceful. For some time, the Romans seemed to have traded with the local Andals, establishing a fort at the site of modern Colonia Alexandria Andalucia. However, Maidenpool would be conquered a few years later by House Hoare, after the defeat of the Kings of the Trident by the Storm Kings, and then the collapse of the Stormlander power in the region.

The Andalic wars, as Roman historians call them, were fought soon afterward when ten thousand Roman warriors crushed an Ironborn army twice their size outside of the still unnamed fort. Gaining reinforcements from Essos provinces, the Romans managed to secure Maidenpool, which was burnt to the ground by the Ironborn, and the surrounding areas.

Another three Andalic wars were fought that enlarged the Roman realm to include everything west of the Gods' eye and north of the Blackwater Rush, save for the mouth of said river, where a small Stormlander used to exist. While Duskendale, Rosby, and some other smaller lordships became semi-independent vessels for the Roman Republic,

Soon, problems arose during the third Andalic war as the Roman population suffered under the Justinian plague that would last eight years, forcing Belisarius to buy slave soldiers from their archrival Volantis, who were later, after extensive integration of the Roman faith, as colonists in the conquered areas that were directly incorporated as part of the Provincia Andalucia. Many of those soldiers were descendants of the enslaved Rhoynar, but their language was all but forgotten by that point.

As the Romans expanded their dominion and grew in power, the question of the imperial title came to light. His ancestor insisted on his title of Magister Militum to Emperor Justinian, making it the second time that he refused the title of Emperor of the West. After his death at the end of the Third Andalic War, his son was offered the same title, but he refused it as well, stating loyalty to the old empire. To secure his position, Theodosius married Claudius's only daughter, thus cementing his legacy for years to come, eventually, he was given the governorship of the province of Andalica.

Unfortunately, the rumors did more to harm his family's reputation than heal it, as his enemies in the Senate accused his descendants of attempting to take the seat of the Western Roman Empire's emperor, and to add fuel to the fire, one of his great grandson's took the youngest cousin of a storm king's cousins for a wife, eventually leading the Senate to strip his family of the governorship of Colonia Alexandria, as well as almost all of their other positions.

Just like Emperor Justinian did to his grandfather by taking all his property and giving it to the house of Marian, the only reason that his family is not in the gutter is that he had a couple of close friends in the senate in Nova Roma who thankfully got him a position as the governor of Colonia Alexandria, which is not lost to his family.

So, the irony could be seen plainly as a rock in the hot sun.

Narius walked across the deck of the ship as seamen and marines either double-checked the ropes that wrapped the sails or rotated tired rowers in the rowing. He was talking to one of the sailors in his low thirties, wearing centurion scale armor and a red tunic, while the other had his red-feathered rigid helmet under his arm. It took Quinctius a couple of seconds to notice Marcus before bidding the sailor farewell.

"You handle the sea better than most. I'm glad. " Quinctius Aqulluilinus declared.

Narius nodded his head as he kept his two legs steady on the deck. "Centurio, I want to thank you for your timely arrival at my villa."

"The timing was fortunate, but there is no need to thank men. The Consul sent me to get you. " Quintius said humbly, "Please call me Caeso if it isn't too familiar."

"Not Aquilinus?" Marius asked questioningly.

"My subordinates call me Centurio, my superiors call me Aquilinus. My friends call me Caeso. " Quintius explained to him.

"Then you can call me Stilicho."

"With all due respect, I'd better not."

"Can we go over the plan? Our departure was far too hasty to discuss our course of action."

"Ah! She did not keep you apprised. Your mother has secretly been making arrangements with the Consul. You are to join his command staff as Tribunus. "

"I know nothing about war?"

Aquilinus laughed at how the young man reacted before replying, "Don't worry! It's a purely ornamental position, and it will prepare you well for a traditional political career."

"Ah, that's huh...good to hear, but if you don't mind me asking, but what is a Tribunus ?"

"You will have very little responsibility. The Tribunus of a legion assists the legatus while you learn how to command a military organization. " Aquilinus explained before continuing, "You will not see combat, nor will you make any important decisions. You will be safe, as your mother wanted. "

Narius sighed heavily, "If I'm going to follow the Legion around, I might as well make myself useful."

"I'm sure the Consul will find a use for you." Aquilinus assured him, "You seem to have a good head on your shoulders; you'll get the hang of things quickly. But one word of advice: I know Lucullus is a friend of your family, but remember he is the Consul, elected by the people to rule all of Nova Roma. So it's best if you don't act too friendly in front of his men. "

"What is your relationship with Lucullus?" He asked.

"For many years, I was the Primus Pilus of Legio Prima Westeros, which he commands," Aquilinus said with a bit of pride in his voice as he continued, " He needed someone he could trust to get you out of Nova Roma and keep you safe."

Narius was impressed. Not every day did one make friends with such an experienced warrior who led hundreds of men into the jaws of battle. "You were Primus? Then will you be returning to your position when we reach Westeros?"

He shook his head, "That position has already been filled by one of my centurions—a good man, easily up to the task. My job now is to watch your back and help you settle into your new life. My job now is to watch you back and help you settle into your new life. "

The young Flavius felt pity for the veteran, making him sigh, "I'm honored to have you with me. And I'm sorry, you have to abandon your position for this. "

"Don't be. I serve the Consul, and he has well earned my loyalty, so I am happy to be at your service. "

"Have you talked to any of the other passengers?" Narius asked, a little relieved.

Caeso thought for a moment before answering the question, "I had a brief talk with that gladiator who had bordered before us, just to make sure he wouldn't give us any trouble. He seems to have vanished through. " He then pointed to a man in his early twenties who was busy writing something in a personal journal: "The young man over there, Gaius? He is apparently the nephew of the other Consul, Marcus Aurelius Cotta. "

Narius raised a single eyebrow as Caeso continued explaining, "He's here to become a Tribunus as well. A mostly ornamental position for the young patricians to learn about military affairs. "

"Kinda like me then, except he's not hiding in plain sight."

"It would seem that way." Caeso smiled at the young man and said, "You should talk to him if you haven't already. I'm sure you'll have much in common. "

"I might do that before speaking to the Triarchus. Vale, Aquilinus " Narius said with a smile.

"Vale, Flavius," Caeso replied.

Walking away from the Centurion, the young Flavius walked on the deck where Caeso had pointed. However, when he walked past a couple of sailors, his ears picked up on what they were whispering.

"I heard he's running from a senator who wants him dead."

"Shhhh! Keep your voice down!"

Ignoring them, the young Flavius got a good look at Gaius and noticed that he was the same age as him.

"Salva."

"Salva," Narius greeted, "I don't believe we have been properly introduced. My name is Flavius Marius Stilicho. "

"It is a pleasure. I am Gaius Fabius Rullus. "

Narius nodded, "Well met. This is quite new to me, mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Not at all," Gaius said, putting his journal away, "but keep in mind I'm not the most experienced soldier either."

"Truly," Narius said with a single raised eyebrow, "you could've fooled me. However, where are you from? I don't recognize the accent. "

"I was born in Nova Roma but my family is from the city of Alba Longa." He answered truthfully.

"Alba Longa? That's near one of the Rhoyna rivers where most of the Gallic and Germanic tribes had settled after the Roman Quhor war, and what's worse is that it's near the border with the Dothraki sea, no less. "

"Indeed it is, although that is one of the reasons why my family moved to Nova Roma in the first place, because of the raids from the Avars, Dothraki, and heaven forbid the Huns. More than once, my father fought back those barbarians with some success against the Avars or Huns. However, the Dothraki, on the other hand, are much easier to deal with when you learn their attack patterns."

"But why did you join the Legion then?" Narius asked, wondering why someone of noble birth would join the Roman Legion.

"That's a long story, my friend," Gaius sighed, crossing his arms as his eyes looked up in the clear blue skies. "Suffice to say, the powers that be are not fond of me. I have decided that staying in Nova Roma could be, shall we say, hazardous to my health. "

"Hemp, on that we can agree." He muttered because at least on the battlefield, enemies would fight in the open, not in some dark alley, or poison your food during a family dinner.

Deciding to change the subject, he asked another question, "Then how many battles did you fight in?"

Gaius chuckled nervously at such a direct question. " To be honest, this will be my first proper battle. I studied a lot though, and therefore I am well versed in matters of strategy and tactics. "

"This is my first military assignment too." Marius said, "Do you have any advice?"

The question caught the young man off guard for a minute before putting a finger on his chin to think for a moment, thinking long and hard until something came to mind.

" 'If you don't play an important part, you will be torn apart. " Gaius quoted, as he gave Marius a raised eyebrow. "My father used to say." He gave out a sigh " I guess that was his way of telling me to be brave, and hopefully not stupid."

Marius gave the noble a deadpanned stare at the young man for five long minutes before speaking again, "Okay...thanks for the helpful advice, Gaius. We shall talk later."

Gaius gave Marius a friendly pat on the shoulder and said, "Vale, Narius."

He continued walking towards the back of the ship, noticing that the captain, the man, was currently wearing a leather muscle cuirass with chain mail underneath for extra protection as he continued scanning the empty sea, almost fearfully, as if some sea monster would suddenly appear out of nowhere and eat the entire war galley, making him more confused as to why he was so afraid of the sea in the first place.

"Salve, Geminus, wasn't it?" He asked, breaking the man out of his stupor.

"What? Yes, Geminus. Salve. I'm a little preoccupied..."

Marius raised a single eyebrow at the man and said, "The wind has been rather still today, hasn't it?" He asked, gesturing to the sails, which were tied up tightly," I've noticed the oars have been out since early in the morning. Is that causing our delay?"

Geminus gave out a heavy sigh, seeing that Noble was correct, because he was starting to notice that the oar tempo was getting slower by the past hour. "You're right, the rowers are getting tired. We should let them rest soon, but that will cause even more delay-Wait?"

The captain squinted his eyes in the distance, making Narius turn towards the direction where he was looking, seeing a silhouette of what looked like a roman light galley, fast approaching their vessel with all speed, Aquilinus noticed it too, causing him to stand beside the noble so he could get a better look.

"What is it?" Marius asked, a bit nervous.

"That ship... they're heading right for us!"Geminus exclaimed, as the realization quickly dawned on him, "They're going to ram us!"

"Get your father's weapons!" Aquilinus ordered as he brought his spatha out of his scabbard, glancing at Marius for a moment, "Let's see if you can actually fight."

"Syneros!"

The old man already knew what he was going to say as he quickly pulled a spatha out of its leather cloth and gave him his father's sword, which had been passed down from father to son for many generations. For too many, it was a regular decorated blade fit for a nobleman, but in reality, it was much more than a simple family heirloom.

It was the same sword that Flavius Belisarius personally used on his expeditionary campaigns in attempting to reunite the Roman Empire and take back Rome itself. The blade itself was later reforged with Damascus steel to strengthen its integrity when it was shattered in two during a Viking raid a couple of dozen years back.

But today it will taste blood once again.

As the ship got closer, Marius realized it was a captured Liburnian galley that had had its sails replaced with pitch black sails as its oars continued rowing to increase its speed. They could hear the Ironmen reavers yelling battle cries in their barbarian language; unlike their Viking counterparts, who engage in acts of trade to sell their wares, the Ironmen would simply kill or enslave anyone they deemed weak in their eyes.

The oars only stopped rowing when the galley rammed into their target, shaking the entire war galley as the raider's ship grinding along the sights of the reinforced hull, destroying the oars on the galley's right side. The raider's ship decks and hull were painted black, to blend in with the darkness when it was night time.

"They're grappling their ship to the Solar Victus! Cut them loose! " Someone yelled out as the clamor of battle quickly filled the air.

Aquilinus was the first who got to his feed before helping young Gaius, "Gaius! Are you alright?!"

"I am fine, Centrio," Gaius stuttered a bit, as he gently pushed the older man away.

The centurion nodded before quickly blocking a sword strike from a reaver, who tried to sneak up on him with his shield as he counter with a thrust of his sword. The reaver's boiled leather armor penetrates the reaver's heart perfectly, killing him instantly before the Roman officer pushes the body overboard only to face the next opponent who approaches to slay him. Narius, on the other hand, was a little bit slower to react to what was happening around him.

He was trained by his father, yes, but that was training within the safety of his family's villa in Nova Roma, but now he is in his very first fight to the death.

Narius blocked a few strikes from iron-born war axes before moving to the side as the raider's axe slammed into the wooden railing. Seeing his chance, the young Flavius took the pirate's head off his shoulders in a single swipe of his sword, staining the deck with blood, causing him to freeze for a moment on what he had just done. But sadly, he didn't have time to think for long, as the man beside him was killed by well-placed arrows from Ironborn archers who were picking off the crew.

Picking up one of the fallen Roman marines' shields, he raised it to cover his body as a small hail of arrows rained down upon him, hitting his wooden oval shield. Narius lowered his shield as he deflected a sword strike from what looked like a better-equipped raider, who gave him a sickening smile, showing the young man his black teeth.

Disgusted Narius gave the pirate a strong shove to the shoulder causing the pirate to fall to the deck followed by a strong bash to the face with the blunt end of his shield, breaking all of the Ironborn's rotten teeth out before ending his wretched life with a quick stab through the heart, and seeing the man's life disappear.

Narius reminded himself that these men are ruthless killers who would kill him or his comrades in arms without hesitation, but shook his head for a second as the escape partition then sliced off another raider's right leg, allowing for a crewman to finish him off before standing right up.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his servant Syneros grab a raider's arm and use his own back as a pivot point to throw the man to the ground hard. Grabbing a spear he took from the racking, the Greek stabbed the man through the eye that appears on the back end of the Syneros pulled out the spear's tip from the corps before facing his master's surprised face with a hard but kind expression.

He picked out Gaius, who was holding his own pretty well in keeping the Ironborn away from any of the hatches, so none of the Ironborn raiders could get below deck. But he was facing three of the raiders on his own, using his agility and dueling skills to baffle his enemies, who underestimated the young man who was rallying the men.

Seeing one pirate rushing in at the man's flank, Narius charged into the fray, bringing up his shield mid-way. Its wooden end slammed into the man's forehead, ending with a painful crunch as the raider's head was split open when he hit the deck.

"Heh...Narius. A bit too brutal, don't you think? " The young man chuckled nervously as they were back to back, two pirates closing in on the Flavius.

"These barbarians don't mind it," Narius grumbled back before one pirate yelled, the group charging at them while the two Romans were a blur of motion. Narius's fighting style was more aggressive than most, but with an ounce of unpredictable speed in his sword strikes, he also put some strength when bashing his enemies with his shield.

The first raider to reach him didn't even have time to blink as the Roman slashed out diagonally. The strength and the sharpness of his blade cleaved the man in half, which to any nearby onlookers was shocking to behold. Narius didn't pause after that kill, lunging at the other raider to sink his sword right into his lower gut, the blade rising slightly with a twist to ensure a lethal wound. The attack was so fast that the pirate only began to cry out in pain as Flavius drew his blade back.

Gaius' focus didn't let the gruesome killings distract him as he took advantage of his startled foes. One raider was choking on blood as the fine gladius pierced right into his throat, the weapon quickly gutting out before parrying a hurried sword blow from the dying man's companion. Redirecting the man's momentum, he made him stumble into the railing. The young man stabbed the dazed raider in the back, gladius even piercing so deep that it came out on the other end of his front chest.

With their current enemies dead or dying, Narius quickly faced Gaius,"These Iron Islanders are not letting up. If they keep on sending more soldiers, then they'll push us all off the ship." He spoke out over the chaos.

"I concur! We have to rally as many of the crew as we-" Gaius started before cursing as another raider interrupted him as he rushed in to attack.

Another wave of raiders appeared to be boarding the Solar the battling, he could make out Aquilinus, who was pushing the horde back.

Taking a quick look around him, Aquilinus saw that the raiders were obviously trying to capture another Roman war galley for a war trophy. On the other hand, the Roman marines who were posted on the ship at the time, on the other hand, we're not going to let them have it without a fight, but still, they were unorganized and without proper leadership other than their pirate captain.

The centurion decided to do something about it. "Form up! Let's get these pirates off our ship! "

The elite marines listened as they began to form a quick shield wall in front of the centurion before pushing forward as one unit, absorbing the marines who were closest with some of their own archers, started shooting back at the bowmen with some men throwing javelins at the raiders, causing some to fall into the water.

Syneros was close by, ensuring the line of men kept the invaders from killing any of the men who were too injured to fight.

Narius and Gaius were already on the move to reach them, dodging both friend and foe. Whenever he crossed a pirate, he'd lash out with a quick shield bash or shoulder tackle, enough to catch them off guard for a crewman to cut down. They soon reached the line, and the wall of shields opened up for them to run through.

"Where's that gladiator that boarded with us?" Aquilinus grunted out, as he parried a long sword from an Ironborn before quickly slashing at his chest, carving into the pirate's chest, his blade cutting through bone.

"Up there!" Gaius pointed up to the mast of the ship, where a man wearing a lion-skinned cloak jumped down, slamming into a raider's back, ending with a painful crunch as the raider was crushed to the deck.

The gladiator let out a roar as he parried a raider's war axe with his short sword before retaliating with a strong thrust of his iron-tipped spear into the pirate's chest.

"Never underestimate the value of an impressive entrance!" The dark-skinned man shouted out as he started killing the nearest raiders, catching them all by surprise.

Soon, the battle was slowly turning in the crew's favor as Ironborn savagery was no match for the Roman marine's stoic discipline and the coldness of Roman steel. As they began slaughtering every single raider that dared step foot on their vessel, the marines moved as one body, with Aquilinus at the head of it, Flavius Narius on the right flank of his side, and Gaius Rullius on the left as fought through what seems to be a small lake of enemies that want nothing but to see them all dead.

They pushed forward with all their strength, timing their thrusts or slashes with their spatha's, cutting the raiders down like freshly grown grain to a razor-sharp scythe. Although the ironborn preferred to fight from the decks of ships, however, they were unaccustomed to fighting Roman ones since their crew was primarily regular infantry. Specifically trained for raiding or to support the field armies for service on land, they finally fight on the decks of ships too.

After years of fighting off Northmen, Vikinger raids had taught the Romans how to properly defend their coastlines, including new tricks for boarding actions. So when the Ironborn attacked, they made a terrible mistake that cost them not only a quick snatch and grabs but also their lives, as they were quickly reminded that Romans are not like the small folk of Westeros or Narius braced for another strike from a pirate who was hacking widely at his shield,

When the raider raised his axe for the fourteenth time, Narius slashed with his sword, cutting off the pirate's entire arm and causing him to scream out as he held his stump where his arm used to be, before being silenced with a thrust of Flavius's blade, cutting open the raider's stomach, spilling the man's guts onto the ship's deck, followed by another strong slash to the face that killed him.

For a moment, Panting Narius was frozen in place for a moment, realizing what he had just done. For the first time in his life, he had just killed a man as he stared at his once clean white tunic that was stained crimson with the blood and gore of the enemies that tried to butcher him. A Narius only came out of his thoughts when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Domine, are you injured?" Syernos asked worriedly, and Narius shook his head numbly in response, as he walked to one of the open barrels that were filled with water. Taking out a rag he began to wash away the blood and gore from his blade for a couple of minutes until he could see his own reflection on the patterned sword.

Aquilinus looked at the retreating Ironborn with disdain, "Back to Neptune's asshole barbarians!"

The gladiator gave out one final roar of anger, "The Triachus ran us straight into a pirate ambush, Prime! Allow me to execute him right here and now. This traitor must be working with them! "

"We're sailing to join a war against pirates." Narius thought out loud, "It's not so surprising that we should be attacked by pirates on our way."

"Don't be naive." The gladiator said harshly, "This was no random attack; they were out for blood!"

Gaius scratched his chin in thought. "It's quite unusual for pirates, even ironborn, to attack any ship, let alone a heavily armed Roman galley." He glanced at the Ironborn who were being escorted by spear point to the lower deck. "They prefer to attack lightly defended coastal towns instead. It is less risky and more profitable. "

"Well, let's go talk to the man." Aquilinus declared.

The group walked to the bow of the ship where the Triachus was giving orders to his crew to clear the deck of bodies or search the ship for anything valuable. There were some ironborn who were hiding in the bowls of the lower decks, but the marines swiftly took care of them as they continued clearing the pirate's ship, finding some extra supplies when Geminus laid his eyes on the angry gladiator stomping toward him, causing him to walk backward in fear.

"Geminus!" The gladiator shouted out, "You steered us into a trap!"

Aquilinus crossed his arms as his eyes narrowed. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

" I had nothing to do with it, I promise! They came out of nowhere! " Geminus replied fearfully.

"Silence! You utter nonsense." He raged before pointing out the obvious, "By the warrior, it is the sea. How can anyone come from nowhere!"

"We cannot execute a man based on no evidence." Gaius reasoned, hoping that cooler heads would prevail. "Besides, we need our Triachus to make it safely ashore."

Aquilinus, on the other hand, was at an impasse before turning to Narius, "Hmmm. What did you say, kid? What do you think we should do?"

Narius looked at the Centurion in surprise and said, "Why are you asking me? You are the primus. This kind of decision is your responsibility."

"I'm just a humble centurion, albeit a particularly well-dressed one. Lucullus has greater plans for you."

"God damn it, if my father was alive, he would know what to do," Naruus muttered out loud.

"Your father is dead." Aqulilinus bluntly declared. " The time to rely on others to make difficult decisions for you is gone."

Narius gave out a heavy sigh before turning to face the gladiator who was ready to execute the suspected traitor at any minute. The only obstacle was Gaius, who placed himself between the Trriachus and the angry gladiator. He could see clearly that the man's short sword was already out of its scabbard, so he spoke up to draw the man's attention.

"Why do you want him dead, Gladiator?"

We are close to our destination, and we reached it without him. " The dark-skinned warrior exclaimed to him, "If there is a possibility that he is working with the enemy, we cannot risk letting him live."

"That's a bit too cold-hearted for my taste, Μονομάχος," Syernos said in a cautious tone, as he scratched his white beard.

"Mercy, doubt, hesitation -these are all openings that the enemy can exploit to kill you." He then pointed his spear at the man's neck, "This man's value to us is far less than the threat he may pose."

"Hmmm." Narius hummed to himself quietly, "Gaius, you said that pirates don't attack ships as you say. Why would these ones make an exception?"

"We are, many of us important people, on our way to join the action against the Ironborn." He stated, "Is it not conceivable that these savages have heard of us?"

"House Hoare is known to sponsor pirates in order to harass and weaken Rome," he explained, "but I don't believe we have any reason to suspect our Triachus of colluding with them."

Narius slowly turned back to Geminus, who was sweating profusely like a fountain as he stared at the young man with pleading eyes as he continued to beg for mercy. Taking a quick glance at Gaius, he finally remembered what his father stood for before his unexpected death made his decision. "What's done is done. There is nothing to gain from expecting the tiarchus now."

"Very well, we shall spare his life." Caeso put a hand on the gladiator who reluctantly stood down, "But remember: Mercy is a luxury you will not always be able to afford."

"I disagree." Narius said firmly, "The cost of mercy is a price I will always be able to pay."

The centurion stared at him for a moment before sighing, "I will hold you to your word, young man."

Seeing this, Geminus exhaled as he was happy to be spared. "Thank you! If you ever again need the help of a skilled navigator, I am at your service. "

Caeso walked across the bloodied deck and gave each of the sailors a hard stare before shouting out orders below deck, so all of the rowers who didn't join the battle could hear him, "Rowers! Up the Tempo! And keep your eyes open. "

As for Narius, the young man sheathed his family's spatha and then made a sign of the cross on his chest, giving a short prayer for the ones that died during the fight. At the same time, the corpses of the fallen were being taken down below deck, so they could be prepared for burial when they reached their intended destination, while the ones belonging to the ironborn were thrown overboard after being stripped clean of their armor and weapons. At the same time, Geminus sent men he could spar to crew the ship they had just recently captured, and since it once belonged to the Roman navy, they saw it fit to recapture it.

After that, Narius then walked back to the bow of the ship, feeling that he would be needing his blade on Lyse for the days to come.