Artorius: The Last Centurion

by ImperfectSystem

In AD 429, the Roman Empire extends to the Isle of Britain. Hitherto comes Arthur Castus and his Sarmatians, descended sons of foreign lands in the east, who must serve Rome for 25 years as knights. Only after these services can they be free to return home. Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have a final mission before achieving their freedom.

1. Preface

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—SPQR—

Senatus Populus Que Romanus

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By 175 AD, the Roman Empire stretched from the deserts of Arabia to the Isle of Britain.

They wanted more…

More land, more peoples loyal and subservient to the Empire. But no people so important as the powerful Sarmatians in the East…

And on the field by the Danube, thousands died that day. On the fourth day when the smoke cleared, the only Sarmatian warriors left alive were members of the decimated but elite cavalry. The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, impressed by their bravery, valour and horsemanship, spared their lives. In exchange, these Horselords were incorporated into the Roman military.

Better they had died that day…

For the second part of the bargain they struck, indebted not only themselves but also their sons, and their sons, and so on— to serve the empire for twenty-five years as knights.

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In 404 AD, a contingency of Sarmatian sons, barely the age of manhood, were conscripted from their homelands in Asia and stationed at Britain— or at least the southern half, for the land was divided by a 73 mile wall built three centuries earlier, to protect the empire from the native fighters of the North.

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THE LAST CENTURION

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So, as their forefathers had done before them, they made their way and reported to their Roman commander in Britain, ancestrally named for the first Artorius…or Arthur…

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KING ARTHUR

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—o—

Author's Note:

As a long-time fan of the movie, I realise that despite its premise and promise to be historically accurate, the 2004 King Arthur movie directed by Antoine Fuqua is far from. As such, my aim here is not to amend those discrepancies but just tweak the story a little, maybe inject some of that historic accuracy wherever it might fit.