Hosker, G [Sword of Cartimandua 01] The Sword of Cartimandua

by Griff Hosker

  He went back to his tent where a servant brought him some watered wine, bread cheese and fruit. He munched and drank as he read the reports on his men. There were too many new recruits as some of the time served auxilia had either returned home or settled in Britannia. It was good that they had settled here in the north for it meant that there was a force to supplement the legions and the ala in times of danger. He rubbed his unshaven cheeks as he pondered Venutius and what he might do. Whilst the legions were what you wanted in a big battle they were less than useless at controlling vast areas of desolate countryside and an enemy who attacked and ran. You needed mounted men. As he ran the edge of his knife over his face he began to plan his request to Flavius and the tribune.

  The problem with the ala had been Cresens who had used bullying and terror as the means of managing the warriors. They were unfit and resented authority. Their new leader did what he had always done. He led from the front. They drilled and manoeuvred every day allowing Ulpius to see the weakness and post the strengths. At first the men were resentful to the new regime. The ones who complained soon found that the new leader would brook no mutiny of any sort and his punishments were effective. They also discovered, in the mock battles with wooden swords, that he was the best swordsman in Eboracum. After the more vocal objectors had suffered a few bruises and cracked bones they grudgingly accepted that he knew what he was doing.

  Gaius Cresens became even more infuriated as he watched the ala changed from sullen, sulky soldiers to Roman auxiliaries who began to be proud to be a unit. He had hoped that they would have responded to Felix as they had to him and it galled him that they began to look up to him and even admire him.

  The ala responded well to the new hand wielding the whip, and whip them he did. They had grown lazy and soft with a commander who just wanted to make money and avoid action. The warriors knew that Ulpius Felix was a warrior through and through; they knew he fought harder than any trooper and they also knew that he had an eye for loot. They suffered the abuse and the blows for they knew that they were softer than they should have been. Marcus and his comrades had told the tales around the campfires of the enemy they faced and they were under no illusions they had not been Venutius, they had given him a bloody nose. They had fought enough fights to know that an opponent with a bloody nose comes back harder. Next time the enemy would be ready. They would need to practice moving from column to line and back. They need to learn how to skirmish; throw their javelins and perform the circle manoeuvre which kept a constant barrage of missiles striking an enemy. They would need to learn how to fight in the arrow or wedge formation. This was an effective tactic which Ulpius had had drilled into him as a child in Pannonia. One warrior was the point of the spear and then two and so on. It was a formation which relied on discipline for the warriors on the right had no one to protect them. In the right circumstances it would cut through almost any formation. The exception, of course, was the Roman legions themselves as Ulpius’ grandfather had discovered when he was defeated by the old Republican legions with Pompey. It took time but soon the ala responded to the signals without thinking.

  Every day was filled with training and exercise. Ulpius need his men drilling so that each unit fought well as unit but knew how to fight as a whole. The advantage the Romans had over the barbarians was that they could follow orders. The barbarian side of the auxiliary did not last long with Roman training for they had to respond instantly to signals both from their standards and their buccinas. When they were not drilling in their formation Ulpius had them fighting hand to hand with wooden swords for he had seen enough of the Celts of this land to realise that they were formidable fighters. No matter how strategically a battle was planned eventually it came down to a warrior fighting another warrior and Ulpius wanted his men to win.

  The queen was tiring of her tented quarters and wished for something more substantial. She had pestered the tribune until he had eventually offered her a stone built dwelling. There was a smaller river joining the mighty one and it was here, on a small mound that Queen Cartimandua decided she would have her home built. It was not far from the legionary camp and yet private enough for the comings and goings of her confidantes to be assured. The slaves who were building the dwelling were captured Carvetii and rebel Brigante. The Queen made sure that they were worked as hard as was possible. Her arm was still injured and her inactivity made her short tempered. Her life was made worse by the fact that she had fled without any of her relatives or servants. She was alone. The servants provided by the Romans were not as trustworthy as those she had had at Stanwyck. Her half sisters Lenta and Macha had been her handmaidens and she missed their lively banter and infectious laughter. The result of a liaison of their father with a slave girl they were young enough to be the queen’s daughters but they were totally loyal and trustworthy. Hated by Venutius who had tried to have them sold as slaves they had been the main support when the queen had decided to divorce the unpredictable warrior.

  As she walked along the river, discreetly watched by two legionary guards, she wondered about her future. She had ruled a long time and she had taken many decisions she now regretted. She had taken many lovers but her marriage had been political. She did not regret the affairs only the marriage. She had hoped for a child but the seed of Venutius was not strong enough. She knew it was not her problem as she had had to take the wormwood to rid herself of unwanted babies from lovers before. Poor Vellocatus had fallen into the category of lover rather than husband; he had been young, energetic but lacked any ideas and thoughts other than those of war.

  What would she do now? It would be hard to rebuild her standing in the tribe as long as Venutius ruled for many of the hotheads liked the idea of fighting the Romans. She had no doubt that they would proclaim him king but as long as she held the sword there would be many who would question his right. She was also acutely aware that she had left without her box of treasure whilst not without access to what she wanted, the Romans were generous, and she did not want to rely on their charity. She made her decisions. The Romans could fetch her family and her treasure and then she would persuade them to rid her of Venutius. She had dragged herself from the brink of doom before and she would do so again.

  That left the urging of her loins; she had always needed a man, since before Caractacus. She was a woman who was not complete without a man and she did enjoy sex. No that was an understatement, she loved sex; she loved all of it from the play which led up to sex, the act, in whatever shape or form it took, and the comfortable time after sex. She especially loved waking up to a man in the morning when he was so big she thought he would split her in two. Even thinking about the act made her wet with excitement. Her thoughts did not drift as much as raced back to Ulpius. Although he was not in the first flush of youth, indeed he could be said to edging towards the older side of middle aged he exuded raw power. He was a warrior in the same sense that Venutius, for all his faults had been a warrior. Perhaps the Roman decurion might fulfil a need at least until it was politically expedient to find a new husband.

  The new leader was trudging back from the training grateful for the fact that his new rank gave him a servant to look after raven. He had handpicked the boy who had immediately formed a bond with the old warhorse; Ulpius knew that his mount would be cared for. He was not a man who liked luxuries but right at that moment he would have killed for a bath and to have his oiled body scraped; the temporary camp by the river did not cater for such luxuries. The new stone fortress to be started in the spring would, until then he would have to make do with a sluice down in the river.

  He found a quiet spot away from anyone else and stripped off. His arms were tanned as were his legs but his body was a bone white. He ran his hands over some of the knotted scars remembering each one and the battle in which had they had occurred. The bank was steep and he just jumped in, the icy waters shocking the breath out of him. His feet touched muddy bottom and he pushed upwards, the slime oozing between his toes. The water was only up to his
neck and he ducked his head back under and began to rub the tufts of hair on his head. If there were any wildlife it would soon be gone. He rubbed his body all over. He was confident that he had neither louse nor flea but he had seen enough troopers who did not look after their bodies, covered in the little bloody bites of those insidious parasites. It was the sign of a weak soldier.

  He was about to climb out when he became aware that he was being observed. As he looked up towards his clothes he saw Cartimandua watching him. Unperturbed he waded towards the bank and hauled himself out. He did not attempt to cover his nakedness. He had sought privacy for his bathing and he resented the intrusion. If she wanted to spy on him so be it he would not pander to her by hiding his body. The Queen appraised him and then slowly passed him his cloak, their fingers touching for a brief second. The vicarious thrill made Ulpius react in way which was obvious to the Queen who also looked excited by the tiny moment of contact. He was unused to the ways of women and had had little contact with women of any sort. Cartimandua was a powerful woman and a sensual woman both were totally out of the reach of a decurion of cavalry. The first touch he had with such a woman made him forget his annoyance with her presence and made him forget his position and status. He quickly rubbed himself dry and then began to dress, composing himself as he did so. There had been a total silence. Neither felt the need for words. It was as though they were thinking the same thought and feeling the same emotion. Her eyes were bright with excitement and anticipation; she could feel the desire for this man burning within her. The bizarre nature of the encounter did not appear to enter into either person’s thoughts. The Queen of the Brigante and the barbarian from Pannonia were, for that brief moment just a man and woman who were mutually attracted who both knew that within the next hour would be making love as though it was for the first time. .

  Even as he had dressed she turned and walked away; the warrior followed, like a puppy dog. It was as though they had spoken and arranged it yet in truth not a word had been spoken. Had Ulpius thought he would have wondered what was going to happen and where they were going but it was pure lust which drove him to follow. That part of his mind which was sensible told him that this could not end well for he was a lowly barbarian and she was a queen but that thought was driven out by the desire and need to have this woman’s body. Her quarters were discreetly hidden behind the tribune’s quarters. The legionaries on guard did not move a muscle as the Queen held open the tent flap for him to enter. For just the merest moment he wondered if he ought to have waited for her but in the time it took to think the thought he was inside. As the flap closed behind him he wondered what he was doing here. A barbarian from the wilds of Pannonia was entering the bedchamber of one of the most powerful women in the world. Even as he thought he should not be doing this he found himself willed on by the power of the woman with the most alluring eyes he had ever seen. The woman who oozed both sex and power, a mesmerizing combination, was seducing him and he was helpless.

  He saw that the bed had been prepared with silks and fine linens. The atmosphere was heady with powerful perfumes and scented oils. Had the queen prepared this for him? He felt intoxicated and yet he had not had a drink. Still not a word had been spoken. It was almost as though they were two animals in rutting season. She took his hand, gently kissing his fingers and running her tongue over the back of his fingers; once again he felt the thrill he had felt earlier and he felt himself growing larger; his reaction was noted by the queen and her mouth opened in the smile of a tiger about to devour its prey. She had to have this man and she cared not that the legionary guards may have seen him come in. All she cared for was this man, this man who would complete her when he entered her damp, moist body.

  She slowly began to strip his clothes from him, all the while stroking him gently with long tapered nails which made him even more aroused. As she leaned in to remove the clasp on his armour her lips brushed his cheek and, once again, he became aroused and he became fully erect. As his armour slipped to the ground and he stood both naked and erect he felt her sink slowly down until her lips gently kissed his engorged member. Her mouth opened and he felt her tongue play around the end of his penis. His hands gripped her hair as her mouth moved in and out her teeth exerting the slightest pressure and increasing his thrill. He was not confident that he could hold it in and so he took her head and pulled it up so that he kissed her long and full on the lips. In one motion he lowered to the bed, lifted her dress and entered her.

  Later, as she looked at his scarred warrior body she realised that she had never felt such pleasure before with any man. He was totally spent. They lay on the bed, their bodies sweating, their breathing laboured, their thoughts racing and their hearts pulsing. . He looked at her, raised himself on one elbow and gently kissed her on both eyes, slowly, one at a time. He felt her pulse quicken and then he kissed her again on the mouth; their tongues twisting, darting and turning as they explored each other. Finally they lay side by side, his arm curled behind her head, stroking her hair, their eyes locked on each other. She stroked one finger down the scar that was his eye, leaned over and kissed it.

  “Well decurion I see you perform as well in the bed as you do on the battlefield.”

  “And Queen Cartimandua, if that is how a queen makes love then I have been making love to the wrong women; I should have found a queen long ago.”

  “Oh no Roman there are not many queens with appetites such as mine but Roman we are well matched. You have awoken parts of my body I had never known existed. When you were inside me it felts as though we were one creature, a wonderful, mystical beast with two hearts, two heads but one desire. When your seed spilled it felt like a dam had burst inside me.”

  They looked at each other with a passion the queen had not felt in a long time and Ulpius never in his life. Suddenly as if by mutual, unspoken agreement, made love again and continued long into the night. At dawn when he finally left to slip back to his barracks they parted with a kiss and the promise that this would happen again for they both felt it was ordained by the Allfather that they should have met and been so well match.

  “Would that I had met you twenty years ago Roman.”

  “I wish that also but we cannot undo the past we can only live the present and pray for the future.”

  Chapter 5

  Stanwyck

  Although the return journey was not as fraught with danger, Marcus was taking no chances. This was the first time he had led men alone. Hitherto he had followed the orders of Ulpius. He was doing himself a disservice when he doubted his own ability for the decurio princeps valued and trusted his judgement despite his youth. He had only seen twenty three summers but he had much experience. He had watched others lead and learned from them. He trained hard for war and was both well muscled and toned. He was a young man with a bright mind. He did not want to fall into another Carvetii trap. He remembered the last time he had been at the stronghold it had cost him the lives of two of his close friends and he did not have many of those. He sent scouts to the west, south and north. He too believed that Venutius had returned to the safer Carvetii homelands to the north and west but the ruse which had so nearly undone Ulpius was a warning that he was a cunning foe who was able to outthink his opponents. They knew they were nearing Stanwyck when they saw the thin tendrils of smoke rising into the afternoon sky. The western scout returned.

  “I could see no sign of life decurion. The buildings are still on fire.”

  “Did you see any sign of the enemy?”

  “There were a couple of horsemen on the low ridge to the west. They did not see me for I approached whilst crawling like a snake .I made sure I checked the places they might hide for I remember when we fled from this place. There were only two and we could despatch them if we needed.”

  Marcus nodded “Good you have done well,” and dismissed the man. Venutius had left men to keep an eye on the stronghold. When they saw the Romans they would wait to see if this were a scouting expedition or a punitive expedit
ion. The fact that it was only a handful of Romans might make them think it was a patrol; certainly they would backtrack the trail to see if there were a larger force. It was getting late in the year for a sustained campaign but the tribes of Britannia had realised that Romans did not always follow rules, as the Druids in Mona had discovered. The other two scouts returned and reported the same as the first one. Their enemies were ahead of them.

  The woodland was sparse and spindly and Marcus left the turma in the woods as he scouted the approach to the fortress. It lay on a low mound partly natural and partly man made. The ditches and ramparts ran away east and west. There was an open plain of four hundred paces all around the walls which meant it could be a killing ground if the walls were manned. He could see no sign of life but then again it could be a trap. He smiled ruefully to himself, he could vacillate all day but there was no Ulpius to make the decisions for him, it was up to him.

  He drew his men up close to the walls but out of bowshot. They could just see the impaled heads of some the inhabitants on the walls including the old centurion Gerantium whose shaven head and greybeard made him stand out, even at this distance. “Drusus, take ten men and circle the settlement to the south. Lentius do the same to the north. When you meet up enter the refuge from the western gate.”

  He watched almost half his force disappear. This was his first action in command, were he to get this wrong it could be his last. He turned to the men left under his command. Drusus and Lentius had taken the men they knew from his old turma. Marcus had the rest of the third turma. Not the best way to get to know new men but Marcus was seasoned enough to know that they would follow him and obey orders or risk the wrath of Ulpius.