The comeuppance of Sidicini is postponed until next year because the Senate, irritated at the delay in the action of the consuls, ordered Gaius Claudius Irregillense dictator, who, however, had to give up after the whistleblowing by auspices. A Capua not remain inactive, for the cavalry commander Gaius Claudius Ortatore should oversee the city of Cales Ausoni, which seems to have joined arms with Sidicini, so that the legions of the next consuls know if will face both enemies .
In my first campaign and I almost do not fight like an idiot I trust too quiet days of patrol and I walk away on horseback while the rest of the team procures timber for the construction of the field; tree felling work is suitable for farmers who form the infantry, cavalry us we just explore the woods around to avoid that the team is prey to the enemy cavalry patrols. The effort is spared to me, but not boredom: I do bring the horse is no longer he who decides the way.
In truth 'I dreamed of becoming one of the heroic princess Legion but only the patrician families have the ability to arm a knight and rider have been. But I'll have to learn to ride better ... and in the future I will have to pay more attention to the noises other than those produced by the wind and to scrutinize more the horizon, not to search for drawings and maps in the acorns scattered around the trees, because it is so I have captured: they only last galloping horses, not to give me time to escape. But I could not even turn Bucephalus, which obviously the arrival of his fellow does not create alarm Bucephalus ... ... could be just the optimism of my sister Lavinia to give the noblest horse name to this idiot with his tail ...
I lead with care within the walls of Cales; Senators seek to understand me through the intentions of Rome; I have no hesitation to confirm to the next attack against Sidicini, I try to discourage the covenant with them, but I was heavily hit by the flat of a sword: "You're a prisoner, Roman, not an ambassador."
The shot has not been properly dish and let me feel a trickle of blood flowing on the cheek (a scar! A scar earned at war! A Licinia more like the scar ... or be sorry ... more scarring in doubt try not procurarcene other ... ).
The first period of captivity is not difficult; receive visits of senators, merchants, military leaders who seek with blandishments to know if the attack on Sidicini happen now or will be postponed until after the winter; I do not understand the importance of the questions, perhaps I take for granted that it is easy to send spies along the Via Latina to gather information.
I seem courteous, I hope to try to establish good relations between them and Roma (return home with a diplomatic success ... I start with a donkey named Bucephalus and come back with a success for Rome!) And most of all I understand that their alliance with the Sidicini not yet established. They seem genuinely concerned about the crops for their farms that would become a booty ... it is not only for Rome, I also want to help them, and here we see the difference between an ambassador and a poor idiot: I confess that peacefully ' attack will be led by the new consuls now, with the new year, because of the irregularities in the appointment of the dictator Gaius Claudius Irregillense, discredited by wishes.
The conditions of my imprisonment change! The threat Roman appears vague, distant, perhaps not happen (a dictator and a master of cavalry who renounce the office because opposed by a chicken liver ...).
I host no more visits to friendly senators and worried farmers, but no lack of attention: I get a hard crust of bread each day, but before, every time I come conscientiously whipped because citizens pairs slightest sacrifice to feed; assure me that they are using a light touch, but I reassured them that hurts the same ...
There is no soldier, citizen or beardless boy savings that a kick or spit in passing in front of my cave; the owners, before almost supplicants, parade arrogant and drunk to promise a future use of the plow to the yoke, just the Roman garrison will have removed the field ... I hope that there are no fields to cultivate winter; I hope that the legions arrive, I'm sure it will be: Rome does not forget the betrayal and the alliance Ausoni with Sidicini will be punished ... next spring, though.
The chain is quite long, but it goes in the hole of a big, heavy rock; from my side protrudes two cubits, while for the most part goes from the rock at the wall, at a right angle, a relatively tight; side too short that binds me to the rock does not allow me to reach the wall, they are not able to move the stone is very large, I can not even turn away around to pull the other end of the chain ... I try to give tug as the chain stride, flowing, but only if you pull slowly, if you use more force, the movement runs out to the friction along the hole and the angle that the boulder forced to make to the chain; on the nail in the wall I can not do any traction; the weak point is the wall, but I have no way of getting there ....
My captivity is considered safe, the chain is strong, the doors of Cales supervised, do not waste men to guard me, so anyone can come and harass me. Particularly unpleasant are the visits of the merchant Baculio: you do a daily obligation to come to inform me how my mother and qualmente copuli with slaves in the Asian public baths and is said sure my sisters have been taken prisoner by pirates of Lydia, who first to sell them for a small price to Numidians desert have taught them the arts of harlots of Crete and without exercise with the armies of the Persians; even my father is harmless: the pirates are always shores they would rather keep it for them to polish bare decks of ships.
There is then the guy passionate about politics: I will appeal as if he had in front of the Roman Senate with speeches that probably seeing processes as a speaker to the hole, but in the end it all comes down to recriminations always on the arrogance of Rome which prevents peoples Italic to enjoy their natural and inalienable freedom.
For a while, 'I give him rope, I hope to get some material benefit from his friendship, but when I ask him to take me to eat looks at me as if I spoke the ancient language of Ceri: remains a bit' groggy, swallows a few times and starts talking: can not believe that in the face of its superb pleading I find a way to think about food ... believe rather had misheard!
Boring, so I prefer to dismiss it: "What is the freedom they aspire to the Italians? What freedom aspire Samnites, that which allows him to plunder the farms of the Greeks in Campania? And what is the use that made Sidicini of their political and military autonomy? They attacked the Auruncis and destroyed their homes. And you Ausoni, still short of your precious and independence, what do you do? The wet piss in alliance with the infamous Sidicini to lust for plunder: Rome will be to defend the survivors and avenge the destruction suffered by the people with confidence that it was under the protection of the Republic. Punish you too, even if it was only for your intentions, and you'll be the first shitty little sheep that will point to the forks of the executioners, because the stupidity of the citizen soldier is worse than the evil. "
I have more 'revised.
Even this little girl who claims to be a slave purchased by the Samnites Lucan is a nuisance with his questions on Rome, the clothes of the matrons, the hairstyles of their hair, their sexual habits even; asks me if I will take with me when the Romans will come; she knows that the legions will.
Becomes the only friendly presence, could be useful to me ... to my discredit, I admit that the first utility that I have experienced is not very noble ... is a slave, I also have my slaves in the family home, is the first thing we do when buy them ... I think my father will buy it on purpose, as well as for domestic work, and how those has labored to resist, too much time has passed since the first time he experienced the life of a young and beautiful slave.
I think I will take away, when I am released ... or if I will run away ... my personal war booty!
Why it took me so long to decide to get help? I ask you to pluck from the wall the big nail holding the chain; I think that it is enough to hit him repeatedly with a stone; the girl gets excited to hit, but I fear that the noise will attract attention, despite the cloth that wraps around the stone. I explain that it is better to give two or three shots every day to care ... but also to decide what to do when I am free; when it finally emerges Out, I convince her to replace the pin, to cash it as before, now will come away with some faint tug: the idiots have not thought about putting a nail larger hole in the stone ... or perhaps have had to move the chain to the other end of the rock when it was already tied the collar ... idiots anyway.
In the coming days will be necessary to pour oil into the hole in the stone. When you get away? Are not supervised, access to the walls will surely many to defend themselves from the siege, just a rope to put myself down ... will it done Meridia? Cales and 'on the Via Latina, I know the woods around from stocks made to supplies, would reach easily Capua.
Or I could stay here, still suffer the insults, the flogging, endure hunger to be of help during the siege now close ...
They are going through the winter months, will come the new consuls, even if there were problems with the Samnites Rome will not fail to punish Cales, the inflexible Senate will send one of the consuls to subdue the Ausonians.
"You always make a whore of the Roman Empire." And so the killing, without any motion of mind, with a slow indifference, gesture which does not have to account for an insignificant slave Lucan. Then wearily, as regret having procured an unpleasant work, with strong sword the truncated limbs and head to be able to throw more easily across the threshold of the cave.
"Here, your harlot end to fatten the dogs"
"Yeah, the same dogs will eat when the legions put the siege!"
"Then you'll want to eat it too of those dogs ..." I answered thoughtfully, considering my insult founded as a prediction.
My family also has its slaves in Rome and in the farm Fregellae, even for my father and for me it is often necessary to punish the slaves; not come to kill them; when they become intractable, violent try to sell them ... .finiscono always be worth something.
Meridia no, it was not worth anything to the soldier Ausone, sadly prophetic destiny of Cales.
The imaginative Baculio not resist the opportunity to inform me that the great army of federal and Sidicini Ausoni and 'ready for battle against the Roman legions. I feel the stirring of the collection of the soldiers, the clamor of encouragement, feverish exaltation and I suffer the sarcasm of those who have a reason to go to get me kicked; but lasts a single morning, followed by a nervous bustle, curses and shouted orders to protect and strengthen the walls; their army has been clearly defeated, the survivors are taking refuge in the city.
Forget to whip me (but also to take the bread). Agitation, noises of stones accumulated under the walls, faces tense with worry: it's spring, the legions will have plenty of time to destroy Cales, but you could do more quickly. This city should be taken, I have too many things on hold in the soul; and shall be taken with my work, without wasting too much time or Rome the lives of his soldiers; I want the merits in the conquest of Cales, in the Senate I will have a favor to ask.
I'm drunk again, celebrate their anniversaries despite the siege, evidently believe the invocation to their gods more effective than going into battle. It 's time, I tend chain, now even if slowly flowing movement pulls the pin from the wall; Also the nail through the hole anointed boulder, wrap the chain between the armpit and shoulder, over the neck; the streets are crowded but my unsteady gait confuses me with the drunks, the darkness of the night I make it safe; I find the rope hidden by trusting Meridia, is where I had indicated, call a pile of stones and hit the top of the walls at a point not guarded, perhaps because there come the trenches with the steps. I find it a convenient pretext for the rope, drop me down.
I can easily recognize me by the guards and am led by the consul Marcus Valerius Corvus:
"Well, Marco Fabio, your father Caio recommended me insistently to look for you and bring you to safety, and here you are coming to me!".
"I hope that my father will not have gone boredom, console, in defiance to my ability to defend myself and run away."
"Idcirco, Marce Fabi, why you could not escape before? Nunc ceu legioni castra posuerunt, ibi estis! In tergis luporum morsi timebas? But let's not waste any more time: you conduct yourself with the centurion Lucio with Astati and portals under the walls, where you left the rope still hanging on to the battlements ... you also used a rope to abseil down ... ".
So I do not need to give too much explanation ... it is not the first idiot that passes through the hole that the senate of Rome chooses as console ... at least not always. I lead the centurion and handpieces Astati under the walls; a short distance awaits an entire century of legionaries; in four one after the other the Astati back the rope. At the top unroll the rope ladders, the legionnaires go up, find defenders drunk and disorder ... the siege and 'finished!
In Rome is awarded the victory to Marco Valerio Corvo, more given the large booty reported by Cales that the difficulty of the siege; the populace is urging the city Ausoni is established a colony, then the Senate will appoint the triumvirate that will assign the lands and administer justice in Rome in Cales defeat. I urged all the relations of friendship and kinship of my father, I bored the senators ignored because my young age, but I did it: I will be 'one of triumvirii that will regulate the placing of Roma Ausoni rude ... I have too many things on hold soul.
n.d.a .: Marco Fabio 'existed; Livio, ab urbe condita liber VIII, mentions his escape occurred during the siege and proved decisive for the war to Ausoni, as well as on his return (avenger?) to Cales as triumvir for the distribution of land expropriated; I liked is to assume that the moment he had waited stoically strategically best to escape, I tried other sources, I have not found and still was easier to imagine the story, however, could also have taken place in the way that i narrated ...
Nicola Lembo
