Dedicated to the Last Centurion- an old legend, though not forgotten… and who, if he'd been real, I'm sure would have been quite a handsome bloke.
Rory was a Roman, but he was not a very good one.
He often tripped while marching.
He was often yelled at for eating too slowly.
He did not like to fight and cried when people yelled at him.
The other soldiers would laugh and tease him. "Rory is a reluctant Roman!"
One day, Rory looked at the orderly rows of marching soldiers and sighed. "I will never be as good as they are!" he sniffed. "They do not need a crybaby like me. I shall run away, but I'm sure they won't even miss me."
Rory wandered through the woods until he was thoroughly lost and very hungry. He heard the sound of rushing water and followed it until he found a river.
Rory stooped down to take a drink when suddenly he heard a voice. "Hello!"
Rory spun around and saw a wizard in a strange red hat standing by the river. The wizard smiled and pointed to Rory's armor. "You must be a Roman. How exciting! I have never seen a Roman soldier before."
Rory looked at his feet. "I am not a very good Roman," he muttered.
The wizard cocked his head to the side. "What makes you say that?"
"I often trip while marching."
"Well of course you do!" the wizard scoffed. "Walking is quite difficult, you know."
"I eat too slowly. The other soldiers are finished their meals before I'm halfway done."
"Good!" the wizard nodded. "That means that you are chewing your food properly. I don't envy the stomach aches those other soldiers much get."
"But I don't like fighting! And I cry when people yell at me!" Rory sniffed.
"Everyone feels like crying when they get yelled at," the wizard said. "And why don't you like fighting?"
Rory thought for a moment. "I suppose it's because I don't like people getting hurt."
"That seems to be a good reason to not like fighting," the wizard said as he nodded his head.
Rory scratched his chin. He had never thought of that before. "Perhaps you are right. But how will I convince the other soldiers that I am a good Roman?"
"I do not know," the wizard shrugged. "Perhaps you should try turning your boots inside out!"
Rory tried to ask how turning his boots inside out would help, but the wizard had already disappeared. Rory sighed. "That was not very helpful."
Just then, Rory heard a loud holler. He followed the river until he found a beautiful pond. Standing next to the pond was a little girl. She was yelling quite loudly. It was probably because of the lion that was about to eat her.
"S-s-s-stop, lion!" Rory shouted, trying very hard to be brave. Lions are very scary, after all. But Rory took one look at the frightened girl, and quite forgot to be frightened himself. He waved his sword at the lion. "You stop right there!" Rory shouted again. "I do not want to hurt you, but I will always fight to protect people!"
The lion blinked in surprise, then sat on his haunches and cried. "You needn't yell at me!" he cried. "I don't particularly wish to eat this girl. But I am just so very hungry!"
"That is still no excuse for being mean," Rory said very sternly. But when the lion began to cry again, Rory patted its shoulder. "There, there. Have you tried eating fish instead? I always like to eat fish. And I'm sure the pond is full of them. It will not take you long to fill your stomach."
The lion leapt about in joy. "What a good idea! Fish sounds quite delicious! I shall go get a fishing pole this very instant!" He bowed to Rory before bounding away into the woods.
Rory breathed a sigh of relief. The little girl at the edge of the pond ran up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you very much for saving me! You were wonderful!"
Rory blushed. "Do you really think so?"
"Of course I do!" the girl cried. "You are very brave, and you are very kind. I think that you are the best Roman ever!"
Rory the Roman smiled the biggest smile he had ever smiled. He no longer cared what the other soldiers thought! He knew that he could be brave when it mattered. He knew that he could always be kind. And he knew that those things were the things that were the most important.
And he never even had to turn his boots inside out.
The End.
Editor's note: Though better known for her chapter books than her picture books, "Rory the Reluctant Roman" has the odd distinction of being A. William's most popular yet least critically acclaimed work. Her critics cite the unrealistic depictions of Roman Britain and the unaccountable inclusion of a wizard character. However, young children around the world strongly and consistently respond to the gentle storytelling and resonating moral of the story, often citing the eponymous Roman as a favorite childhood character. Williams herself quotes with pride the number of children who recall having Rory the Reluctant Roman as an imaginary friend while growing up, often noting "Everyone needs a good Roman by their side."