Chapter Twenty Five



The Silure village was now in a state of industrious movement since the news that the Roman army had been sighted. Every able man, woman and child who wasn't a warrior began to pack up all of their valuables, including livestock, food and precious tools into wagons and on pack horses.

The speed with which the tribe was able to pack up their lives was incredible to Aurelia. They didn't have as many belongings as the Roman people were used to, but then what they had was precious to them and not used to impress their relatives and neighbours.

"What about the huts?" Aurelia used to Renna as she helped the small woman load the dried herbs into a basket on her pack horse. "What do we do about them?"

"Leave them, there's nothing we can do about it." Renna replied. "The Romans shouldn't get any further than the border, but we shouldn't take any chances." Her voice trailed off as she thought of the repercussions of that happening but she shook it off. "Besides, the huts are easy to rebuild. It's getting everything and everyone out of here is our main concern."

In times of war between tribes when a real threat of invasion of territory was imminent the tribe would have to pack up and move to safety with another tribe or spread out in a safe territory. This fight and flight technique insured the continuation of the Silure bloodline since the founding of the tribe.

Because they were now fighting with the Romans, no neighbouring tribe would take any of them in and risk the wrath of mighty Rome. The Silures were on their own, taking refuge in the safety of wooded hills to the west of their village.

By late afternoon, everyone had grabbed what they could and started to make their way west. Aurelia had been helped by Vaughan with packing up Kailen's hut, taking the shields, the clothes, food, tools and metal items they could find. Once it was all packed, Renna took the reigns of the horse with her own.

"If we leave now, we should be out of the territory by nightfall," Renna said.

Aurelia shook her head. "I won't be going with you."

Renna looked at her with a troubled frown. "Not coming with me? What do you mean?"

Aurelia shrugged. "I'm going to the border to be with Kailen."

When Kailen had left that morning, to head for the border, he had made her stay in the village with the promise of safety with the tribe.

"Then why bother to train me in the first place?" She had asked, utterly frustrated.

"Because you are a Shield Maiden, but that doesn't mean you can fight. One morning of training doesn't make you ready for battle." He told her gently, cupping her face so she couldn't look away.

"But you need all the help you can get." She entreated.

"Please, Kailen-"

He shook his head vehemently. "No and that is my final answer."

He lightened his grip and brought her face closer to his and whispered, "I can't lose you, not now. Not when i finally have you."

She couldn't argue with that, not when his voice cracked with the desperation and worry he felt for her. She couldn't push it. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay."

And he had gone to battle without her, against the people she had once belonged to. Could she really have fought against the Roman army in the first place, if she had been adeptly trained and Kailen had allowed it?

She really didn't know.

But the thought of leaving Kailen to fight the Romans and her fleeing to safety without him made her feel physically ill. That morning could be the very last time she saw him.

She couldn't do it. She wouldn't allow it.

Vaughan saw the stubborn tilt to her chin and his face clouded over. "No."

"Yes," Aurelia countered him.

"You can't, Kailen won't allow it." He protested. "You'll be cut down the moment you step foot on the battlefield and Kailen will skin me alive for letting you."

"I know i can't fight but i can do other things, like get the wounded off the field and treat them." Aurelia turned to Renna. "Can i have the dressings you got left?"

Renna narrowed her eyes at them. "If you're going then i'm coming too."

Vaughan's eyes widened in distress. "No, just no. It's not happening."

Both the women ignored him as Aurelia pointed to Renna's horse. "We can take it all with us, see what will be useful once we get there."

Vaughan groaned like he was in pain. "You're both going to be the death of me."

"Tell us 'no' one more time and we will," Renna said cheerfully. "Now, show us the way."

"Have you forgotten our bargain, Roman?" Lena said angrily, standing in their way with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Her short sword was at her belt and she wore her leather armour. She looked fierce and ready to pound somebody's face into the ground.

Hopefully it wouldn't be Aurelia's.

It looked like Kailen thought Lena's digressions were too much to welcome Lena back into the fold.

"I have not forgotten," Aurelia said. "Come on, we're heading there now."

"I thought Kailen had stripped you of your warrior status." Vaughan said as he looked at Lena suspiciously. "Why are you still in armour?"

Lena patted her chest smugly. "You want to try stripping it from me, tracker?"

Before Vaughan could reply, Aurelia held her hands up. "No one is stripping anyone today. Lena is a warrior again and we are all going to the border now."

"Does Kailen know she has been reinstated or-" Vaughan started but Aurelia stopped him.

"Sure he does." She smiled. "He'll know when he sees her on the battlefield and kills many enemy soldiers."

Vaughan groaned again. "So dead." He muttered under his breath.



~



Of course, it wasn't all as simple as Aurelia had hoped it would be.

The moment they got to the border they were spotted, and Kailen disengaged himself from the front line to meet them with a face like thunder.

Vaughan held his hands up in supplication. "There was nothing i could do, no force on this earth could have stopped them from coming here."

Renna shot him an incredulous look. "Traitor."

"More like self-preservation." Vaughan returned.

"Report to Bran on the front line, he'll find something for you to do." Kailen dismissed Vaughan with a flick of his head before there could be an argument.

Vaughan didn't need to be told twice, he left with a backwards glance at Renna before disappearing from sight into the crowd.

Kailen crossed his arms in front of his chest and his gaze fell on Lena who shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. It was amazing to Aurelia how quick the tables had turned from Lena always posturing to almost looking like she would cower at Kailen's feet if he asked her to.

Lena scraped all the courage she had left within herself. "I'm here to fight."

Kailen looked at her coolly. "I can see that."

Lena twitched. "You need me, Kailen-"

He raised his eyebrows. "Do i?"

"Yes!" She hissed. "You know you do. Look at the Roman army Kailen, they're at least twice the size of us. You need everyone to pitch in-"

"I don't need warriors who become stupid with rage fits." Kailen cut in harshly.

"Kailen." Aurelia pleaded. "You know she's right."

Kailen let a deep breath out of his lungs in a loud whoosh, his shoulders slumping. "You're right. It's not something i can argue with."

Lena perked up at his words but he rounded on her with a stern glare.

"You'll be under Caratacus's command." Lena started to head towards the rest of the warriors but Kailen stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Don't make me regret this."

She nodded curtly. "I won't." She said as she pulled her arm away and walked away.

Kailen turned back to Aurelia and Renna. "And that leaves me with you two."

"I would just like to point out that you didn't tell me i couldn't be here." Renna started.

"I didn't realise i had to." Kailen said mildly.

Renna subsided into guilty silence.

"What are you even doing here?" He demanded of Aurelia, not able to mask the anger any longer.

Aurelia scramble for her words. "Look, i know you told me i can't fight-"

"Which you can't." Kailen interjected.

"Yes, thank you, i get that-"

"I'm not saying that to hurt your feelings-"

"I never said you were, there are no accusations here-"

"So why are you here?" Kailen repeated slowly.

Aurelia gave him a weak shrug. "To help." She finished lamely.

Renna, who had been watching the exchange with eyebrows raised and patting the pack horse's neck gently. "We have brought some healing supplies with us. To help with the wounded."

"If we can't fight, we can at least help with clearing the field of the wounded." Aurelia said.

Kailen rubbed his forehead like his brain was hurting. "Aurelia, it's too dangerous. Everyone will be a target. Mercy will not be given to you because you are a woman."

"You think i don't know that? I'm Roman, Kailen. I've seen what war does to everyone." Aurelia held up a short sword she still had from that morning. "That's why i'm carrying this."

Kailen didn't look remotely assured by the sight of the weapon. "You can't honestly expect me to-"

"Please, Kailen." Aurelia interrupted softly. "Don't send me away. Not when you are all here fighting for your lives. Now when i can do something to help." She was close to tears and it was maddening. She needed to be strong now but her tumultuous emotions obviously had other ideas.

Kailen couldn't help himself. He reached out and cupped the back of her head and drew her to him, her face tucked in against his shoulder and neck. "What am i going to do with you?" He said softly.

"You said you would marry me," She reminded me. "You can't get out of it just because there is a war going on."

"Er, i'll go set up the supplies then, shall i?" Renna said awkwardly.

Kailen pointed to the treeline to their left, still on the hill and away from what would be undoubtedly the worst carnage at the bottom. "Set up there."

Renna blanched. "Kailen, how are we supposed to get the wounded up here to be healed?"

"You won't be anywhere near the fighting." Kailen said adamantly. "I will send others to take the wounded to you, not the other way round."

"But Kailen, won't you need those men? We could do it." Renna argued.

Kailen held his hand up to stop any further protests. "Don't argue with me. I've let you stay here and help against every fibre telling me to send you away, so don't push me."

Renna played it safe and kept her mouth shut, opting to lead the pack hors to the spot he had pointed out.

"So you will let us stay?" Aurelia asked, peering up at his face.

Kailen sighed. "Looks like i don't have much of a choice, do i?"

"Not really." She replied, her arms coming around his waist to hold him tight. He returned the embrace and they turned to look across the field at the camping Roman army.

"There is so many of them." She whispered.

"It makes them a bigger target." Kailen said, holding her closer to him.

She glanced up at him. "What do you think are our chances of winning this? Answer me honestly please."

He didn't answer her straight away, taking stock of his answer before voicing it. "I think we have a very good chance. This is our home, Aurelia. Every one of us is fighting for our country, our loved ones. Our very livelihood.

Those Roman soldiers are far from home, in a land that means very little to them. They've probably been here since the first invasion, wanting nothing more than to go home to their families. The strength of numbers can fall away against the strength of a man's conviction."

"Aquilla is down there. He..." She stuttered. "He's a very determined man."

"I know, i've met him today." Kailen replied.

Aurelia pulled back to stare at him incredulously. "You met him today?"

Kailen nodded. "We wanted to take stock of our enemy." His lips quirked. "No wonder you didn't want to marry that man, he's an arrogant fool with no sense of humour."

Aurelia frowned. "At the start of all this, you took me as bait so that he would follow you."

Kailen's face clouded over.

"And you met him today." She said slowly. "Did my name come up during this meeting of yours?"

Kailen looked out over the field. "It did." He said reluctantly.

Aurelia waited for him to continue but he didn't. "I take it from your silence it wasn't very nice."

Kailen finally looked down at her. "I'm sorry, he... He's not interested in getting you back."

Aurelia shrugged her shoulders, hardly surprised she didn't feel as upset as someone should feel when their intended had abandoned you to an uncertain fate. It was with an odd sort of detached relief that Kailen came into her life before she was bound to a man who felt so little for her. "It's not like i would have gone back to him if he had wanted me. What would you have done if he had demanded me back?" She asked curiously.

Kailen smirked. "I had no intention of giving you back."

Aurelia nodded. "Good. My life is here, with you."

Kailen closed his eyes. "You have no idea how happy that make me to hear you say that." He murmured. "And when this is all done and is behind us, i'll make good on my promise to marry you."

Aurelia turned her gaze to the Roman army, a red mass that promised death and destruction.

Aurelia could only hope and pray there would be an 'After' to be had.



~



And now we get to the nitty gritty war part of the story. This is a whole new level of writing for me. I have never attempted to write such a big battle scene in my life and... i am drawing some serious blanks. There are some serious discrepancies in historical facts on roman Britain warfare and i have a feeling i may need to take some creative licence to make it flow.

Which means it won't be historically accurate and i can't guarantee that the chapter will be out on time, especially as i am now working fifty hour weeks right up until Christmas day (i used to love the holidays, now i dread the damn thing. I'm all about Halloween now lol) But as soon as i have it written i will post it, even if it doesn't fall on a Sunday.

Hope you guys can understand.

If you want to stay updated, i have a tumblr blog at teatoastandbookposts.tumblr.com