Latin - Italicized
English translation - Bold
Chapter 2
34 Years before Aegon's Conquest
Jerrod was herded along with the rest of the thralls away from the remains of the Ironborn guards. They were surrounded by the strange Summermen who after departing from the ship continued to have men disembark from the beached ships. Jerrod had never seen men like this they seemed to be veterans as they started to unload supplies and seemed to be in the process of creating some type of fortified camp. He could only guess this as he had fought in some campaigns against the wildings though they never created one as fortified as the Summermen. The Summermen were tanned though some were paler than others but seemed to be about normal height though there were taller men around them. He could only gaze on in both awe and worry. Jerrod was awed by their demonstration of martial ability and their discipline though was worried about what would become of the thralls. His thoughts were consumed by his worries as he gazed at another group of soldiers passing by. 'Will they slaughter us as they have the Ironborn? Though I am grateful about what they did, will all of us have new people to lord over us and make us their slaves in all but name?', thought Jerrod as a man in different armor soon started to make his way to the group of thralls.
The man who walked to the thralls seemed to be different from the other soldiers. Jerrod could only guess that maybe this man was in charge of the soldiers though it was hard to tell since most of them looked very similar. The man had tanned skin almost as tan as some of the Dornish people. He stood at a very similar height to Jerrod as he stood around 5' 8'' and seemed to walk with a type of grace only soldiers would have on a battlefield. His helmet (centurion helmet) had what looked like to be an arch of red feathers or some type of red hair spread out along the arch. He could see the soldiers that surrounded them saluted the oncoming men in the red feathered helmet. Upon closer looking the man had a very hard looking face which showed a grim expression that was unreadable. His brown eyes were stone-cold, and they reminded Jerrod of the older soldiers and fisherfolk who once lived in his village. They say the eyes are windows to the soul, but all Jerrod could tell was that this man was as cold as the wall itself. The man stopped in front of the thralls and slowly looked at each of them and soon he spoke.
"Ave sumus Romani. Ad hanc terram venimus in nomine Iustiniani imperatoris. Numquis Latine loquitur?/Hail we are the Romans. We come to this land in the name of Emperor Justinian. Does anyone speak Latin? " said the authoritative soldier in his strange tongue.
The thralls could not figure out what this stranger had said to them. To all of them it sounded ethereal, but it still seemed like gibberish of a madman to them. They could only stare confusingly into the eyes of the man who spoke. The man cleared his throat with a cough and turned to the closet soldier.
"Num quid horum est quod abalienati sunt?/Have any of these people spoken since they were separated?", said the Centurion.
"Non habent centurionem. Hos incolas insulae servos esse credo./No they haven't Centurion. I believe these people could be slaves or servants of the island", said the nearest soldier.
"Hoc erit difficile, quod cum illis communicare non possumus. Scipionem mittite ut plus temporis capiat priusquam sciamus quid agatur. Disce si qui sunt ordines novi. Ibi munitionem quoque capere necesse videtur./This will prove difficult as we cannot communicate with them. Send word to General Scipio that it may take more time before we know what is happening. Learn if there are any new orders as well. There seems to be a stronghold we may need to take as well", said the Centurion to the same legionnaire.
"Horum iussus acta centurionis videbo. Ego statim certiorem faciam Scipionem Imperator./I will see these orders done Centurion. I will notify General Scipio right away", said the soldier before he began to briskly walk away.
The Centurion called to the closet legionnaire to bring chains to him. The soldier ran off in the direction of the camp which was already having walls made around the encampment. To Jerrod it was amazing that these Summermen could build something so extensive so quickly. It was as if the fortified encampment had been there on the beach for as long as he had. It amazed him at the ingenuity and building of these strange men. Had these men been blessed by the Old Gods. Were they great builders like Bran the Builder? His thoughts soon ceased as the soldier who he picked up to be called a legionnaire had returned with a pair of chains and cuffs. 'Ahh we are being enslaved again by these men? Why did I think they were different from the Ironborn?', thought Jerrod sadly as his hopes evaporated into nothingness.
The centurion soon unsheathed his strange short sword and held the chains and cuffs with the others and turned his attention back to the group of thralls. With a deep breath the Centurion addressed the thralls with his commanding voice, "Vos servi iam non estis. Legiones nostrae ex prioribus servis constituuntur. Dum Roma et Romani hanc detestabilem consuetudinem perseverant. Vovimus nunquam alteri mancipari neque quemquam servulum relinquemus. Confringemus catenas oppressorum, et percutiemus eos. Solutus es ab hac die. Omnes liberi estis coram Deos atque hominibus/You people are no longer slaves. Our legions are made up of former slaves. While Rome and Romans continue this abhorrent practice. We have vowed to never enslave another nor will we leave anyone enslaved. We will break the chains of those oppressed and strike down those who will. You are free from this day forth. You are all free men in the eyes of Gods and men alike". The Centurion had said these words with such conviction that even though the thralls could not understand the message they grew entranced as the words continued on. The Centurion soon threw down the chains and then with the fury of all those who were enslaved struck the chains and cuffs that he once held. The resounding clang of the metal was heard for all there yet the sight of the cuffs and chains being split in half finally made the thralls understand the Centurions message.
Jerrod could only stare at those splintered chains and finally understand what this man had said. He could only stare blankly at those objects as he finally understood he was free. His once blank and expressionless brown eyes grew with the fire of hope that was once extinguished in him. His brown eyes soon filled with tears as his knees gave out. All he and the other thralls could do is cry tears of joy of understanding that they were finally free.
The Centurion sheathed the sword and gave the order for clothes and food to be disrupted to these people. While they may not understand each other's language, the action that was taken here today would change the history of the Iron Islands. The Romans had shared in the hardships and evils of slavery and would avenge those who were enslaved on these islands. The Ironborn would soon grow to have a deep hatred of these Summer Men as they brought fire and flames of justice to the vile reaving curs. Though many would name these men as Summermen the Ironborn would name them enemies for life.
Author's Note: The Romans are from the time period of Justinian. I would like to say that they will abolish slavery/thralldom on the Iron Islands and won't practice it since the legions who are in this story were Romans and others who were enslaved by the Ostrogoths before Belisarius campaign to retake Italia. Also, if anyone noticed the General, who is the main character and the person leading this campaign is a Scipio. I have always loved learning about Scipio Africanus and his father's deeds during the second Punic War. Scipio Africanus brother Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus. The two Scipio brothers played a large part in the war as they were both in the Hispania campaign. The main character in this story is a descendant of Scipio Africanus and will see about the Iron Islands being subjected. There will be no more Romans after the ones who landed at the Iron Islands and in this one Scipio will later become King of the Romans. This story will mainly take place prior to Aegon's Conquest and is about the Romans starting a kingdom in Westeros. I am also planning on there being jumps in between later chapters to cover some more important events during Westerossi history. I am debating once this story is done, maybe about making a continuation story going into Robert's Rebellion or even the War of the Five Kings. This is Articfox11 signing off and please leave a review since it really helps out my writing.
