Hope of Earth

by Piers Anthony

  Meanwhile, the tribe immediately south of the Iceni, the Trinovantes, was chafing because for a decade retiring Roman legionnaires had been driving Britons off their lands and claiming their estates as land grants. The original landholders were being treated like prisoners and slaves. This was colonialism at its worst.

  Rome had also issued an edict disarming the Celtic tribes. This was enforced in the client kingdoms as well, and was a further source of anger.

  By A.D. 60, relations throughout Britain were severely strained. Most of Rome’s British forces were tied down in Wales, where guerrilla attacks were chronic. It would have been a good time for Rome to tread softly. But the tyrannical procurator Catus Decianus had other ideas. He intended to show the difficult natives their place, once and for all.

  “THIS IS MISCHIEF,” CENTURION ITTAI said as he read the proclamation he had just received. “I shall have to try to reason with Decianus before he brings the whole Isle of Britain down about our ears.” He glanced at Lin. “Summon the family; we must have a conference.”

  “Yes, sir,” Lin said, leaving the chamber. She didn’t know what was in the scroll, because it had been sealed, but she was sure that trouble was brewing.

  First she found her closest brother, Bry. He was her age, twelve, for they were twins. They told each other everything, just as Ned and Jes did, though they did not yet have any secrets as great as those of their older siblings. Bry was in the garden, picking bugs off the cabbages.

  “Big family meeting, right now,” she cried. “You fetch the men; I’ll fetch the women.”

  “No, we’ll fetch together,” Bry said, standing and brushing off his shirt. “So you can tell me what this is all about.”

  “It’s because of some official Roman letter Ittai got. A mounted messenger delivered it; I just showed him in to see Ittai. He says it’s mischief, and he’ll have to go to reason with them. That’s all I know.”

  “Where’s the messenger?”

  “Jes took him to the kitchen to feed him. He has to wait for Ittai’s response, so he can take it back.”

  “Ittai’s treating his wife like a servant?” Bry asked with the hint of a sneer in his voice.

  “He had to. She was male.” They both laughed, appreciating how Jes fooled visitors by acting like a boy. The not-so-long-married couple had been preparing to ride out around the estate when the messenger arrived.

  “You know,” Bry said, “I’m glad she married him. We’d have been in trouble, otherwise.”

  She nodded. Their family had fallen on lean times, and when their big brother Sam’s estate had been taken over by the conquering Romans, things had looked bleak indeed. But Jes had found Ittai, and gotten him to ask for this particular estate as his land grant. Because he was a prominent Citizen of Rome and a ranking military officer, with solid military credits, his wish had been granted without question. So he had come as the new owner, but instead of running them off or requiring them to serve him as slaves, he had simply asked for their loyalty. A loyalty he was prepared to return, as a family member. They had sized him up and quickly agreed. As a result, there were no Roman soldiers to enforce estate discipline; Flo and Dirk ran things as they always had. That left Ittai free to ride around with his wife, whom he clearly loved regardless of her dress, and to participate in Roman politics. When any Roman appeared, they all deferred in an obvious manner to the centurion, and indeed he was the head of this hierarchy, but there was no friction. They had nothing to fear from the Romans, in contrast to their neighbors, and Ittai’s connections and wealth brought them benefits they would otherwise have lacked. So Ittai was actually no liability; he was contributing in his fashion to the welfare of the family. Jes had not only gotten rid of their liability, Sam’s former wife Wona; Jes had become their salvation by marrying surprisingly and extremely well. She had seemed the least likely prospect for such a thing. That was part of what was in the centurion’s favor: he had recognized Jes’s worth, and accepted her as she was. A woman who liked looking like a man, at times, but who was very much female inside.

  They arrived at the wall that Sam was constructing. There had been some depredations by wild pigs and so they were walling off this section, to protect their delicate vines. Snow was helping him, placing small stones in the chinks to hold the big ones in place. Sam liked this heavy work; it gave him brute exercise. Lin liked Snow; she was a nice person, and she shared this family’s propensity for a prominent defect: her body was lovely, but her face was downright homely. It was Lin’s hand rather than her face that was defective, but she related well.

  “Family meeting,” Bry called as they approached. “Ittai thinks there’s going to be trouble.”

  Snow grimaced. “We’ve seen enough of that already.” It was an understatement, for her own life; her entire village had been destroyed in a raid, and only Sam’s presence had saved her from death. Sam had unknowingly done himself a giant favor when he saved her. He had in effect exchanged a woman, who was ugly inside for one who was ugly of face, and became far happier.

  They ran on to locate and notify Dirk and Flo, then found Ned. Before long all of them were assembled at the main house.

  Ittai was quite serious. “The brute procurator is set to make an example of the Iceni,” he said. “He intends to cow them into complete submission by destroying their royal family in the course of the provincialization of the kingdom. Their queen Boudica will be demoted to servitude. I am directed to attend, as a gesture of Roman unity in this matter.”

  Jes shook her head. “Queen Boudica will never submit to that. There’ll be rebellion if they try. The Iceni are fierce.”

  The others nodded. Their own tribe, the Trinovantes, had had their brushes with their neighbors to the north, before the Roman conquest, and knew their mettle. There had been peace only because the Iceni had remained nominally independent as a client kingdom, with their own leadership in place. Roman support had enabled the Iceni to gain advantage over other neighbors and to prosper. But if the Romans now proposed to humiliate Boudica, the widow of their king, there would be mischief indeed.

  “I shall try to persuade the procurator of the folly of this step,” Ittai said. “But he is a greedy and pig-headed man, and I fear I will not be successful. So while it would be a betrayal of my status as a Roman to suggest that any royal Iceni try to escape while they can, it may be that someone will convey some such warning to them.”

  Lin saw Ned smile, and Jes, and then the others. Someone would certainly warn the queen of the Iceni, if she had not already gotten news.

  “I must attend, but there is no reason to let the estate be idle,” Ittai continued. He glanced at Sam. “I trust you and Flo can handle things in my absence.” He always gave Sam nominal precedence in the family, though they all knew that it was Flo Sam listened to, and Dirk who made most of the decisions, after consulting with Ned.

  “Yes,” Sam said.

  “I think Bry and Lin should come with me, along with my wife, of course. But it is probably best to travel as a party of four males.”

  Lin smiled. She could pretend to be a boy readily enough, as she had not yet flowered into a woman. She had done so before. She knew she would enjoy the adventure.

  Ittai wrote out a message, rolled and sealed the scroll, and gave it to Lin to give to the messenger. They would set out on the next day, and be there by the end of the third day hence.

  Lin was excited. She had never before been to the capital city of the Iceni. She knew that Bry was similarly thrilled. It should be a great adventure, even if they only tagged along to act as servants to Ittai and Jes.

  “We’ll have to be the ones to warn the queen,” Bry said.

  That was right, because most of the rest of the family wasn’t coming. That made it twice as exciting.

  They rode out next day, all garbed as males, riding good horses. Ittai wore his centurion uniform, and looked very bold. He was retired, but Lin knew that no Roman ever retired completely; he could always be recalled
to service in an emergency. As he had been, in effect, this time. He surely had not been required to attend just for his appearance; the procurator wanted a competent officer present, just in case the situation got complicated.

  Soon enough the long ride became dull, as they passed field after field, and forest after forest, and village after village. Lin managed to snooze on the horse. She was glad when they paused for a luncheon from their saddlebags, and glad when they came to an inn for the night. Ittai and Jes got a good room, posing as a Roman traveler and his lackey. Bry and Lin had to sleep in the stable with the horses, of course, but there was a point to that: to be sure that neither their goods nor the horses themselves were stolen. They did get a good supper inside, at least. Bry covered for Lin when she went out back for a natural function; she was garbed as a boy, and didn’t want anyone seeing her where it counted. He had a good deal of sympathy, she knew, because of the time he had had to masquerade as a girl.

  In three days they came to the Iceni capital. Now Jes had to resume female aspect, so as to be introduced to the procurator with her husband. Bry and Lin took the horses to the stable reserved for the Romans, and saw to their well-being. There were many other horses already there; a surprising number of Romans had come in. Then they returned to attend the centurion.

  “The formal meeting is tomorrow,” Ittai said, glancing at them. “Perhaps you boys have other business in the interim.”

  Oh, yes: they had to warn the queen that there was real mischief afoot, in the off chance she didn’t already know it. They went back out into the town.

  The queen’s residence was clear enough; it was the grandest structure in the settlement. But it was well guarded, and the guards were not about to let two stray boys in. However, they were prepared. Lin changed into female garb, with gloves on her hands to cover her fingers, and they approached in humble fashion.

  The gate guard frowned. “What do you want, child?”

  Lin smiled. She was young, but knew she was very pretty in the face. “My brother and I have a gift for the younger princess,” she said. “May we see her?”

  “No.” The guard turned away.

  “Thank you,” Lin said sweetly, and slipped by him. Bry followed.

  “Hey!” The guard turned, but the two were already well inside the compound. He surely realized that it could be difficult to catch two children, and he didn’t care to make a scene for nothing. What could they do? There were other guards inside; let them stop the intruders, who were probably harmless anyway.

  In this manner they passed a second guard. But the third would have none of it. Lin smiled again, most winsomely, she hoped. It was fun practicing her womanly wiles, which she hoped would be truly effective when she matured. “We have this fine necklace for the princess. Please, sir, let us give it to her; then we will be on our way, we promise.”

  “No! Begone before I cudgel you.”

  But another figure appeared, and the guard hesitated. It was a richly garbed young woman not far beyound Lin’s own age. Lin could not help admiring her dress and hair. This was clearly a person of note, despite her youth. “What is it?” she inquired.

  “Oh, Princess!” Lin exclaimed, making what she hoped was not too great an assumption. “I have a gift for you!” She held up the necklace.

  “Why thank you,” the princess said, accepting it. “I am Wildflower, daughter of Queen Boudica. Who are you?”

  “Lin, servant to Centurion Ittai.”

  The princess glanced sharply at her. “A Roman?”

  “And I bring a message,” Lin said quickly. “I hear things, because they don’t notice servants. The Romans are planning mischief. You and the queen must flee.”

  The princess laughed. “They wouldn’t dare.”

  Lin shook her head. “Please, Princess Wildflower! I heard my master say that the procurator was a greedy and pig-headed man who wants to make an example. Please get clear of him while you can.”

  “I don’t care how greedy and piggish he is,” the princess said with a toss of her locks. “All Romans are that way. Mother simply will not allow any foolishness. The Romans are here by our sufferance, and if they get difficult, we’ll throw them out. Mother will establish that at the meeting tomorrow. She will be very firm.”

  “But—”

  Wildflower smiled patronizingly. “I’m sure you mean well, and I thank you for the nice necklace; I’ll wear it tomorrow. But you haven’t seen Mother in action. No one tells her no.”

  Lin saw that it was hopeless. “Please, at least tell her,” she said. “So she will be prepared, just in case. I hope you’re right.”

  “Of course I’m right.” The princess turned away and disappeared into a hall.

  “Well, we tried,” Bry said consolingly.

  “We tried,” Lin echoed.

  They walked on out, and the guards ignored them.

  The next day the big meeting was held in the public square. The Romans were there first, and Lin was in attendance on Centurion Ittai, who looked appropriately splendid. He also looked grim, because the procurator had indeed not listened to reason. An added signal of mischief was the fact that Jes was back in male garb, and armed. They were just spectators, but they just might have to fight their way out.

  Lin looked around. There were many Roman troops present, armed and armored, with their long spears held vertical and their massive shields reaching from the ground to then-waists. One of the things about the Romans, Lin knew, was that they were well equipped and disciplined.

  The royal kinsmen of the Iceni walked down the street. They were men of middling age in good cloth robes. They took their places around the square, forming a kind of central enclosure.

  It was only a short distance from the royal mansion, but Queen Boudica arrived in style. She rode a fancy wagon drawn by two spirited horses, with her two daughters flanking her. One was Wildflower, fair and smiling, and Lin saw with pleasure that she was wearing the necklace. The other girl was about a year older, dark-haired and sullen. Both were pretty and richly garbed, wearing diadems.

  The queen was another matter. She was huge of frame, with a glowering aspect. A great mass of dark red hair fell to her knees, seeming to curl around her body like a separately living thing. She wore a great necklace of twisted gold, and a many-colored tunic under a thick mantle fastened by a brooch. She glared around at the assembled Romans, as if to destroy them with her mere gaze, but they were impassive.

  The wagon halted, and servants hastened to assist the queen and her daughters down. Boudica marched to the throne set up in the center of the square and took her place, while the daughters stood on either side. “Well?” she demanded. Her voice was harsh.

  The procurator stepped forward. “Are you prepared to repay the loan Rome gave to your people, and turn over the reins of government to Rome, according to the treaty?”

  “By no means,” the queen said imperiously. “My husband King Prasutagus left the kingdom to Emperor Nero and my two daughters. Until they are of age to reign, I act in my daughters’ stead, and my word is law among the Iceni. You will have no money, and no reins of power. Now that that is settled, begone; your presence annoys me.”

  “This is not the correct answer,” Catus responded. “If you will not turn over the money and the reins voluntarily, I shall take them regardless. Now I ask you again, are you ready to do your duty by Rome?”

  Boudica stood. “I have no duty by Rome. I spit on Rome!” And she spat at the procurator. The gob missed, but the Roman flinched. “Now get away from here before I have my minions flog you for your impertinence.”

  “Oops,” Jes murmured, next to Lin.

  “It is you who are impertinent,” Catus said. “And now you will feel the consequence of your arrogance.” He turned and lifted one hand in an evident signal.

  Suddenly more Roman troops appeared, pouring out of the surrounding houses. They charged into the square, shoving the kinsmen aside. In a moment they took hold of Boudica herself, and her daugh
ters.

  “What is this?” the queen shouted. “You can’t touch the royal persons! I’ll have you sacrificed to the gods!”

  “Strip her and flog her,” Catus said coldly.

  “What!” the queen screamed piercingly. “I’ll see you flayed for this!”

  The kinsmen tried to come to her rescue, but the Roman soldiers lifted their spears threateningly. It was clear that the Roman force was overwhelming.

  Lin watched with horror as the men systematically stripped Boudica of her clothing and threw it aside. Both daughters screamed and tried to help her, but this only attracted attention to them, and now they too were stripped. Then the men tied the queen’s wrists together with rope and hauled them up over her head under a temporary wooden frame so that she was hoisted almost off her feet. One soldier brought out a whip and laid it across her back and bottom.

  Boudica screamed, more in outrage than in pain. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you all!”

  “Ten lashes,” Catus said, and turned away.

  Lin was too appalled to watch further. But when she looked to the side, she saw what was happening to the two daughters. They were both naked and struggling, the elder with nascent breasts, the younger without—and both were being raped by the soldiers.

  “No!” Lin cried in absolute horror. She started to run toward them, but Jes turned and caught her in both arms, lifting her off her feet. “Don’t get yourself raped too!” she hissed.

  In a moment Lin realized that it was true. She would only get herself similarly stripped and brutalized. She had to stand and tolerate this atrocity.

  Soon it was done. The Romans marched off, taking several of the kinsmen with them, to be sold into slavery. Boudica and her daughters were left behind, dumped on the pile of their clothing, all three of them suffering similarly. “After this, you will behave,” Catus said smugly as he departed.