The Warrior's Bride Prize

by Jenni Fletcher

  ‘There it is.’ She was only certain when Marius dropped back to her side. ‘Hadrian’s Wall.’

  She pulled on her reins, holding her horse steady as she stared into the distance, too overcome with emotion to speak. As if on schedule, the drizzle ceased and a few shafts of sunlight broke through the clouds, bathing the scene in a vibrant golden glow that looked nothing short of spectacular. There it really was, the boundary between the civilised Roman world and the barbarian wilderness beyond—her mother’s homeland. Her heart ached with the beauty of it. She felt tears well in her eyes and tipped her head back, letting the feeling soak in. She was here. She’d made it at last and with Marius at her side. For some reason, his presence seemed strangely fitting.

  ‘It’s quite impressive the first time you see it.’ He spoke softly, as if reluctant to intrude upon her silence.

  ‘It is.’ She blinked the tears back, unable to keep the wonder out of her voice. ‘My mother told me stories, but I never imagined anything like this...’ She twisted her neck back and forth, following the line into the distance. ‘It goes up and down. Somehow I imagined it was a flat line.’

  ‘It follows the shape of the land. This area is actually flatter than most, perfect for cavalry.’

  ‘Why are there so many towers?’

  ‘There’s a mile-castle every mile and two turrets between each of those. That way if there’s an attack, the soldiers on guard can communicate with flags or beacons. They can get a message from one end of the wall to the other in less than an hour.’

  ‘Is that Cilurnum?’

  There was really no need for her to ask. The road they were riding along led directly towards a long, rectangular-shaped fort with a huge double gateway at the front and more towers at each corner.

  ‘That’s it.’ He nudged his horse forward again, leading them over a narrow strip of land like a bridge over what looked like a deep, man-made ditch.

  ‘What’s that?’ She pointed downwards.

  ‘The vallum. There are ditches on both sides of the wall.’

  ‘To defend it from attack?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Oh.’ She pursed her lips, resisting the urge to ask why the south side would need protecting if its inhabitants were, as he claimed, so in favour of Roman rule. But she’d already given away too many of her thoughts on that subject earlier, too upset about leaving Julia to mind her tongue and be cautious, and the last thing she wanted was for him to guess her secret before she had a chance to tell him.

  One side of the gateway creaked open as they approached and they rode into a smaller, more compact version of Coria, though this time they took an immediate left turn away from the Via Principalis towards some stables.

  ‘Varro!’ A giant of a man with a thick, bushy beard and piercing blue eyes came striding towards them as they came to a halt. ‘I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. Have you missed my company so much?’

  ‘Ario.’ Marius dismounted quickly to greet him. ‘Has your beard really grown so much in two days? There are more knots in it every time I see you.’

  To her surprise, the two men embraced like old friends before Marius held an arm out towards her.

  ‘May I present my wife, Livia Valeria.’

  ‘Wife?’ Ario didn’t make any attempt to conceal his surprise. ‘Have you been keeping secrets from me, old friend?’

  ‘I’ll explain later. Livia, this is Ario, the man I told you about.’

  ‘Nothing unsuitable for a lady’s ears, I hope.’ Ario winked at her and she had to stifle a laugh. Apparently Marius was right about the lack of discipline amongst auxiliary troops. The Decurion was nothing like any Roman soldier she’d ever come across, though the speculative way he was looking at her hair made her uneasy, too.

  ‘Ario.’ She inclined her head, lips still twitching, before turning back to her husband. ‘Is this where you came two days ago?’

  ‘One of the places. I have to visit Ario whenever I can.’ Marius grinned. ‘He gets grumpy otherwise. You know we met on the very first day I arrived at the wall. He fell off his horse at my feet.’

  ‘Fell?’ Ario shoved him hard in the ribs. ‘I was being chased by a war party of Caledonian warriors, as I recall. They shot my horse out from under me and I rolled to a stop in front of this man. Still, under the circumstances, I was glad to meet him. He saved my life that day.’

  ‘And now I’m stuck with him as a friend.’

  ‘That insult works both ways.’ Ario gave another, even harder shove. ‘So how long are you here for this time?’

  ‘A few weeks, perhaps. You and I have an expedition to lead.’

  ‘Over the wall?’ The Decurion’s expression turned serious at once. ‘It’s about time. Nerva’s finally taking the threat seriously, then?’

  ‘Not exactly. He just wants me out of Coria for a while.’

  ‘Ah.’ Ario’s gaze settled on Livia appraisingly. ‘In that case, you and I had better talk. But first, let me show you to your quarters. I have just the place for you two to stay.’

  ‘In a moment. I think my wife would like to visit the wall first.’

  ‘Really?’ Livia looked up eagerly.

  ‘Really.’ Marius twisted his head slightly towards Ario though he kept his eyes fixed on hers. ‘We won’t be long.’

  He gestured towards a side tower and then let her precede him up the stone steps on to the wall itself. She drew in a few deep breaths, bracing herself for her first view of the north, though she made sure to turn around first, looking southward so that the direction of her interest wouldn’t be too obvious. To her surprise, the walkway was only a few feet wide, though the parapet wall was taller than she was, albeit with gaps at regular intervals to look through. She peered through one at last and then bit her lip to stop herself from exclaiming aloud.

  The land beyond was everything she’d imagined and more, wild and sweeping and vast, making her chest ache again with a sense of belonging she hadn’t felt since childhood. Belonging? The idea surprised her, but then why not? Surely this, if anywhere, was where she belonged, here on the line between the two worlds, half-Roman, half-Caledonian, neither belonging to nor accepted by either and yet inherently a part of both. Maybe here on the border she could finally be herself.

  ‘It’s beautiful.’ The words emerged as a whisper.

  ‘It is.’ Marius’s voice came from just behind her shoulder. ‘Even more so to the west. The wall follows a natural ridge of cliffs and crags, so it looks even more impressive. You can see for miles.’

  ‘You sound as if you like it.’

  ‘I do. It’s beautiful on both sides of the wall, but...’

  ‘But?’ She risked a quick glance behind her, surprised to find him gazing into the distance with a look that seemed to mirror her own admiration. ‘But what?’

  ‘But...’ his brow furrowed slightly ‘...when I look to the north, I can feel the beauty somehow, down deep in my gut. When I look to the south I see roads and forts and ditches and order. There’s a beauty in them, too, but they take something away from the land as well. All of our forts and towns are built on the same patterns. All of our lives are ordered the same way. Sometimes I think we have too many rules. Over there, there’s a sense of freedom.’

  ‘You think the northern tribes are free?’

  ‘Probably not, but maybe more than we are. We’re all slaves of Rome in a way.’

  She studied his face curiously. The subject of slavery wasn’t one she wanted to discuss, not yet anyway, but it was strange how a man who could say that soldiers ought to follow orders without question could at other times sound so subversive. Apparently there was a rebellious edge to him when it came to Roman order after all, on every subject except for his father. On that, he seemed completely intractable.

  ‘Thank you for bringing me here.’

  He gave an ironi
cal smile. ‘You should really thank Scaevola. He’s the real reason we’re here.’

  ‘I doubt he’d appreciate my gratitude.’

  ‘Perhaps not. In that case, you’re welcome. You said you’d always wanted to see it the first day we met.’

  ‘Yes.’ She was surprised that he’d remembered, though she supposed her behaviour must have made it obvious, too. ‘And I appreciate you letting me on the walkway.’

  ‘It’s a pre-emptive gesture.’ He grinned. ‘I thought that if I didn’t do it now then I’d only have to come searching for you in the morning.’

  She bit her lip at the insinuation. ‘I’ve caused you a lot of problems, haven’t I?’

  ‘I wouldn’t say that. I just never thought that my life could change so much in one week.’

  ‘I want you to be happy, too.’ She said the words impulsively. ‘I’ll do my best to make you happy.’

  ‘Well, in that case...’ He lifted a finger, nudging her gently under the chin. ‘If we’re both trying to make the other happy...what can go wrong?’

  What could go wrong? If only he knew.

  She averted her gaze, turning back towards the stairwell. ‘We should go. Ario must be waiting.’

  ‘As you wish.’ He offered her an arm, leading her back down in silence.

  ‘Not a bad view, eh?’ The Decurion was leaning against the tower wall with his arms folded when they emerged.

  ‘It’s beautiful.’ She smiled in response.

  ‘Wait until the weather warms up. Then you can see fish jumping in the river.’

  ‘River?’

  ‘It’s on the eastern side. The wall goes right over it. You’ll be able to watch your husband swimming in the summer, though I should warn you, it’s not a pretty sight.’ He guffawed loudly. ‘Though I suppose you know that already.’

  ‘It’s still better than looking at you.’

  Marius gave the other man a hard shove as she felt her cheeks redden, embarrassed and surprised again by the drastic change in her husband’s demeanour. He seemed far more relaxed here than in Coria, ironically given that Ario seemed to take the threat of a rebellion as seriously as he did. The thought was more than a little alarming. Until now, she’d clung to the hope that Marius was overreacting, as Nerva had suggested. Here on the wall there seemed to be a different opinion.

  ‘Here we are.’ Ario led them into the middle of the fort and up some steps into a small villa. ‘Consider this your new home. We patched up the damage to the walls after the last Caledonian raid, though I’m afraid most of the furniture was destroyed.’

  ‘But isn’t this your house?’ She looked around in surprise.

  ‘I live in barracks with my men. Officially this is the Camp Commander’s villa, but with all the commotion in Gaul it’s been empty for years. It’s a bit run-down, but you’re welcome to use it.’

  Livia wandered through the villa, exploring every nook and cranny with wide eyes. The atrium led into a corridor with two rooms on either side, beyond which was a small enclosed courtyard with half-a-dozen larger rooms around it. Ario was right—the house showed distinct signs of neglect, with stucco peeling off the walls in places and dust on every visible surface, though there was little enough furniture for it to land on. Still, it was the perfect size for a family such as theirs, even if, she quickly reminded herself, it was only temporary. It was highly unlikely that Julia would ever visit Cilurnum at all, let alone live there, but it still wouldn’t hurt to prepare a room for her, just in case. Somehow it felt like exactly what Ario had just called it, a home. She fell in love with it at once.

  ‘We don’t have any servants, I’m afraid.’ Ario sounded apologetic when she finally returned to the atrium. ‘We do all our own cooking and cleaning around here, but I can send a few men over to tidy up.’

  ‘There’s no need.’ She swept off her cloak and rubbed her hands together briskly, eager to get started. ‘In fact, I’d prefer to do it on my own. I’d like to cook, too, if I can get supplies from somewhere?’

  ‘Cook? If you’re hungry...’

  ‘Not particularly.’ She laughed at his bemused expression. ‘I just want to cook.’

  ‘Then I’ll tell the quartermaster to give you whatever you need.’ He turned towards Marius with a raised eyebrow. ‘I thought Roman ladies lay around on couches all day?’

  ‘Some of them do—’ her husband’s dark eyes regarded her approvingly ‘—just not this one.’

  She smiled inwardly at the words. From Julius they would have been an insult. From Marius, they sounded like the most heady of compliments. Not that she wanted him to know how much they’d pleased her, as she put her hands on her hips indignantly.

  ‘Of course, if you stand there gawping then I’ll find you both jobs to do!’

  ‘Now that sounds like a wife!’ Ario bellowed with laughter while Marius held up his hands.

  ‘Then we’ll get out of your way. I’ll be back tonight, but if you need anything...’

  ‘I’ll find someone. Don’t worry.’ She gave him a genuinely happy smile. ‘I’m going to enjoy myself.’

  Chapter Sixteen

  Marius was halfway through the atrium when he stopped to sniff the air. Something inside the villa smelled wonderful. Not only that, but the whole place seemed to have been transformed during the course of the afternoon, every surface polished and every floor scrubbed until it gleamed. While he’d been outlining his plans for an expedition north, inspecting equipment and preparing Ario’s men for what they might find, it seemed his wife had been equally busy.

  ‘Livia?’

  He called her name as he removed his mail shirt, draping it over one of the few remaining chairs before following his nose to the courtyard. There she was, her new red cloak pushed back over her shoulders as she crouched beside a small firepit in the centre, stirring a heavy pot that hung from a hook attached to a tripod of three metal poles. She clearly hadn’t noticed him arrive, so he was able to examine her face in profile for a few moments, her small brow wrinkled in concentration as she lifted the spoon, blew on its contents and then lifted it to her lips.

  The effect on his body was instantaneous. He’d never been so jealous of a spoon in his whole life.

  ‘Smells good.’ He sat down on the low wall that ran along the perimeter of the courtyard, resting one forearm on his leg to hide the evidence of his sudden and surprisingly potent arousal. ‘Fit for the Emperor himself.’

  ‘He’s not invited.’ She smiled, though it was a few seconds before she twisted her head to look at him, almost as if she were bracing herself to do so. ‘It’s mutton stew, one of my father’s favourites.’

  ‘I’m sorry if I kept you waiting.’

  ‘You haven’t, but it’s ready now if you’re hungry?’

  ‘Famished. You know there are ovens on the east wall of the fort. You can use them.’

  ‘I know. The quartermaster told me, but I wanted to cook here. My mother used to say a house wasn’t a home until you’d cooked in it.’

  Home. The word gave him an almost visceral jolt. He hadn’t had a home, tents and barrack blocks excepted, for twelve years. His last home had been with the family his father had paid to take care of him while he was away fighting and then after, when he’d known that he wouldn’t recover...

  He pushed the memory away quickly. ‘So what do you think of it? The house, I mean?’

  ‘It’s perfect.’ She gave a contented-sounding sigh. ‘I can’t believe no one’s lived here for so long.’

  ‘Ario doesn’t like living apart from his men. He expects them to follow him because he’s their comrade and a good leader, not just because of his rank.’

  ‘You mean he’s still more Briton than Roman?’ She peered up at him from under her lashes.

  ‘I suppose so.’ He ceded the point. ‘In any case, consider this your home for the time b
eing. You can do whatever you like with the place.’

  ‘Our home.’ She dipped a ladle into the pot and doled out two bowlfuls. ‘Not just mine.’

  ‘Ours, then.’ He tried to catch her eye as she passed him the bowl, but she kept hers cast downwards as if she were deliberately avoiding looking at him. There was an edginess to her movements, too, he noticed, as if she were nervous about something.

  ‘Do you want to eat inside?’ She gestured towards one of the rooms as his stomach growled with anticipation. ‘There aren’t any tables, but we could put some chairs together to make one.’

  ‘No. I’m comfortable here.’ He patted the space on the wall beside him. ‘Join me?’

  ‘Yes. Oh!’ She sat down and then sprang up again almost instantly, picking up a basket of bread and placing it on the wall between them, along with two cups and an amphora. ‘I forgot these.’

  Marius lifted an eyebrow. ‘The quartermaster was generous.’

  ‘His name is Trenus and he was. He said we ought to drink a toast to our marriage.’ She lifted the amphora with a smile. ‘Care for some? I promise not to spill any this time.’

  ‘Yes, please. It’s been a long day.’

  ‘Ye-es, I suppose so.’

  The words only seemed to make her more anxious somehow as she poured two cupfuls and then sat down again, arranging her skirts with more precision than was necessary, her fingers twitching over the fabric as if she couldn’t bear to keep still.

  ‘Ario seems friendly.’ There appeared to be a deliberate lightness to her tone as well. ‘Did you really save his life?’

  ‘Possibly, although I doubt it. He’s been in tougher situations than that and survived. I just happened to be there at the right time.’

  He frowned as she picked up her bowl and started to fidget with the spoon. Something was definitely bothering her. Strange when she’d seemed all right—happy, even—when he’d left earlier. Had something happened in the meantime? In the fading twilight, with the only illumination coming from the fading campfire and their two oil lamps, it was hard to make out her features distinctly, making him wish they’d gone inside after all. It would be pitch-black soon, as darkness descended over their first real night as a married couple... His mind hit a stone wall.