Aurelia stood at the window of the apartments to which they had been taken and stared out into the twilight as if at any moment she might find her rescuers on the horizon riding to save her. She knew it was a fantasy but it was one that she needed to sustain her. But her rational mind could not help but remind her that her whereabouts were unknown to Maximus and the time taken to discover them might be time they did not have.

Her hand absently wandered to stroke her stomach and caress the child she believed was growing in her womb. The realization of her condition had been slow to dawn upon her over the past few weeks and, even when it had, she had all but denied its reality. The enormity of the matter overwhelmed her. She had hardly become used to her new role as a woman before impending motherhood had beckoned.

The interlude with Antoninus had been in part a way of distancing herself from the truth that she was trying hard to deny. She did not feel ready for motherhood and the time with him had, in truth, been for her a welcome distraction from reality even if subsequently it had proved a mistake that had almost destroyed everything she had hoped for. How could she have been so stupid?

But now, since the forces of darkness had closed in around her she had soon realized that what had appeared to be an enormous un-looked for responsibility was now a joy that she might never know. To be the mother of his child. It would have been the greatest joy and honour, yet she knew that the chances of this child being born were growing smaller by the moment.

All the long months when they had been on the run, they had accepted the likelihood that their luck would sooner or later run out and that they might not last out the year. It had somehow seemed only to intensify their passion. Maximus had warned her that having a child would change all that and now she knew why. It was no longer merely a question of their tempestuous affair and its fiery end. The life she carried within her had not asked to be swept up in their passion. It had a right to life. They could not be as reckless with its future as they could with their own. He had always understood that because he was already a father and a man of maturity. She had not - and now it might well be too late.

They had travelled at an unrelenting pace until they had reached the coast and then there had been an uncomfortable journey to Ostia. Her distaste for the sea had returned, although Yanitra informed her that such sickly periods were commonplace in early pregnancy. Aurelia welcomed it. It was good to have such evidence of her condition as if somehow it made it more real and normal to be experiencing such commonplace symptoms. For just a short while she could pretend that she was a mother just like other women and dream of the possibilities.

On landing they had been taken at speed on a longer ride than she had expected. Her first thought had been that their intended destination was to be the military camp at Ostia. But they soon left the port well behind and the women expected that they would be taken to Rome itself, probably to be imprisoned in the Praetoreum. That also had not come to pass. Instead, they had arrived at this stately and impressive home set in a vast estate. Lucilla had recognised it well before they arrived. It was her own home, or rather the ancestral lands of the Cornelian clan, out on the limits of the City. There they could be kept in total secrecy. It would be almost impossible for anyone to get word in or out that this was where they were being held. Now they would be completely at the mercy of Quintus Metella. That thought made her shudder.

She watched as the sun set over the distant city in a soft pink and golden glow. It was a beautiful illusion, flawless and majestic when viewed from afar, but riddled with corruption and rot from close at hand. How had they ever thought that they could somehow force their way through the political machinations of centuries of power-hungry megalomaniacs to bring back an earlier age of innocence and simplicity? Aurelia doubted such days had ever really existed anyway. Already her childlike trust in great heroes and noble deeds had fled. Those naïve tales belonged in the nursery. Real life was never like that.

Apart from Maximus. She could not call him a man who had an unrealistic outlook on life. He knew the harsh brutalities of the world better than most. Yet he had once believed that he was bringing the light when he had led his legions against the barbarians. But never had the power he wielded ever defined him or been  for him any more than the means to an end. Such integrity and purity of spirit would always be a challenge to others; they would compare a man like Maximus to themselves and come up wanting. And hate him all the more for what he taught them about their own failings.

She wondered where Maximus was now and if he too was looking up at the same sun as it set. Did he know she had been taken? If he did, how had he dealt with the news? He would have taken it hard but he would have borne it. She knew his mettle. Closing her eyes, she tried to picture him, recalling the last night they had spent together. The occasion took on a prophetic quality now. They had made peace at last and loved each other in a different way. She had no longer felt like his pupil, a little girl whom he sheltered and protected for all his desire for her was that of a lover. But that night they had been equals. Age no longer mattered. Shared experiences and commitment to each other had overcome the obstacles that life had thrown against them. Maximus had finally let go his sense that he was wrong to have dared to love her.

How sad - but how fortunate- that it had been the last time in life they would probably meet! Yet, she knew they could both take comfort from knowing that nothing had been left unsaid between them. Except the secret she had decided not to share. Imagine now how that would have added to his current distress had she let it slip!

Late that night, they had been sitting amidst the tangle of bed sheets, she straddling his thighs, her legs wrapped round his hips, his hands holding her naked buttocks as they kissed and whispered. Neither had wanted to sleep even though their bodies were exhausted with the intense, passionate love they had made. She had caressed his face, stroking the soft velvet of his beard that was now thick but neatly trimmed. "Write to my father! A quick marriage. He will not say no. It will strengthen your position anyway..."

Maximus had nodded thoughtfully, a hand moving to slip round her neck and pull her back to him possessively. "You are right. There was nothing really to be gained from this deception. What does it matter now? Who really would care one way or another? But at last I could end this shame and acknowledge our love to the world..."

"It is no shame..."

"Oh, but it is...! We cannot discount society's censure even if it is hypocrisy in the main part. Most of them keep a façade of respectability whilst indulging in the worst excesses behind closed doors - and yet leap on the mistakes of others as if they themselves live blameless lives. It was ever thus. Our world is a morass of corruption but it cannot be dismissed as unimportant. They are the rules that govern us."

He was right. Whatever they felt in their hearts they still had to adhere to custom and tradition or they were at risk of overturning the dignity and honour to which they aspired. It would be different as his wife. She would feel different. Even if they failed in their attempts and paid the extreme penalty, she would then be able to die at his side and be remembered as his lady. That mattered to her.

"I love you so much, Maximus. You must always know that, whatever the months ahead bring us. I will never, ever let you down again..."

"You never did. Not really. I was too hard on you..."

She laughed, wriggling down to rub herself sensuously on his naked groin. "I was wandering around the place making eyes at a young handsome fellow...! Too hard on me? You should have paddled my bottom for that..."

He threw his head back and laughed. "Don't tempt me. It's a very desirable bottom...but I think maybe I should be hard on you again..." he added, jerking against her with a wicked grin. "...You drive me insane with desire...how could any man resist you...?"

Aurelia recalled the love they had made, falling back for him to crawl above her and bear down. He had whispered in her ear how much he loved her and what he wished for them, describing the dreams he had that only she knew. Opening her eyes, she stared blankly out onto the dusk that was settling on the plain. "Wherever you are, my sweet love, may the gods protect you this night...!"

...He lay on his back, his hands behind his head, lost in thought, watching the sky fade into streaks of pastel smeared with night as the day waned. His heart beat fast with the anxiety that possessed him. He wanted to be on the move, riding unencumbered the few miles north to the City, closing the distance between them. That was his instinct but he knew it was driven only by his need to be near her. He would achieve nothing with such a reckless act. The cohort that was accompanying him could not move as fast as a lone rider but it would provide him with some measure of authority when they approached the City. It might be an act of open rebellion, but it would also send a clear message to his own former legions that he was back to lead them..

And he knew they would be listening. It was the only chance Aurelia and Lucilla had.

Willing himself to breathe slowly and relax, he thought of her, alone and frightened in the hands of men who hated him. The memory of Cinna worried him most. The man was merciless. He enjoyed inflicting pain. What abominations was a man like that capable of inflicting on helpless women, especially when they belonged to another man? It was always the way that such brutal men wounded their enemies the most. A foul image of the ravaged and burnt body of his wife came before him. Sweat broke out on his brow to imagine Aurelia at the mercies of a gang of Praetorians out for sport. He felt nauseous, bile rising into his throat as savage anger began to infuse him again.

Not now. Tamp it down. Stay in control. Dispel the visions. When I am ready I will move against them - and not before. 

It was far from easy. Every moment of time that passed increased her vulnerability. They might not kill her - but there were worse things than death if they chose to use her as their plaything. He saw in his mind's eye her eyes wide with fear, heard her pitiful screams, saw images of her broken and bleeding body- and other violent scenes of the degradation men are capable of wreaking on the innocent.

"Sir?"

Antoninus' voice was a welcome distraction. Maximus turned his head. 

"I had a thought..."

They had ridden north that day and were aiming for the City, hoping that they could close the distance. Although Maximus suspected the party at the villa would be taken there by sea, they would still have left some time after him. They had covered a vast distance at great speed, impossible for the Praetorians slowed down by women and a carriage. They were now only a few miles away from the plain of Latium and waiting for nightfall to make their approach. If she was at the Capitol then it could not have been long since her arrival.

"A thought?" Maximus pulled himself up and sat cross-legged on the rough ground; Antoninus squatted next to him.

"I'm not sure they'll take them into the City. The arrival of a party like that would be impossible to conceal and you know how rumours fly in Rome..."

"...You think Ostia?"

"No. Quintus has to be very careful about what the Felix legions hear. Their loyalty has always been suspect which is why they have been kept there under close scrutiny. No, not Ostia, I think....but... I went to a dinner this summer at the Cornelian estate...surely that would be the perfect hideaway...?"

Maximus recalled in a flash of clarity that Quintus had once long ago spoken of his ancestral lands across the Tiber. At that time,  they had been the residence of his esteemed grandfather, but the old man - and Quintus' father himself -were both now dead and Quintus was the head of the family now. It was where his daughters lived with their grandmother. It was Lucilla's home. How could her return there with Consul Gracchus, even if observed, be suspect in any way? Aurelia was Lucilla's niece and it was entirely understandable that the two women would be staying together.

Yet, it was still potentially a prison inside which Quintus could virtually do what he liked. There would be no one who would dare speak against him. Anything that happened in his own home would be concealed and reported later with whatever slant he chose to give it.

"You're right. I should have remembered the place. By the gods, Antoninus, that's only a short ride away from here...! We could be there in the dead of night; it would be relatively easy to storm with this number of men..." Maximus leapt to his feet, the desperate lonely melancholy of earlier falling from him as he replaced helplessness with activity. This is what he understood.

Aurelia slept early. Now that she had publicly acknowledged her pregnancy, she seemed to have quickly begun to succumb to the symptoms. Her appetite was poor and she felt tired all the time. Yanitra had settled her down and then rolled herself up on the floor in a nest of cushions. Lucilla was left wide awake, unable to sleep, tension mounting in her. They had been there several hours and there had been no sign of Quintus - nor had any of the other men reappeared. But they were prisoners. There was no doubt about that. She had made one attempt to leave the suite of rooms assigned to them and had met resistance; there were guards on the door who had merely blocked their path, giving her no explanation. Any respect the same men had once accorded her had swiftly disappeared.

She did not hear him enter. It was only when he spoke that she was aware of is presence. His first words, uttered soft and low, made her jump. "So...here you are at last...!"

It was Quintus. He stood impassively by the door, contemplating her coldly. Anger would have been preferable to his silent contempt. Lucilla stood up and advanced into the middle of the room, pale and fragile, more like a weeping willow than ever. "I did not set out to do this, Quintus. It was not my intent when we married..."

"Forgive me, if I do not believe you, madam. I did not trust you much in the first place. Now I see that everything you ever said was a web of lies and deceit. I have no doubt that you and your former lover were planning this all along, even going so far as to procure your own young niece for him..."

"...How dare you! I did not do such thing!"

Quintus smiled, and it sent a chill through her bones. She eased her shawl around her shoulders as they both surveyed each other. It was hard to imagine that they had shared a bed and most of the intimacies of a married couple. It counted for nothing in the final analysis. He would destroy her for what she had done.

And who indeed would blame him?

Lucilla glanced over at the sleeping girl curled up on the bed. "Leave the child alone! She has had no part in any conspiracy..."

Quintus waved his hand rudely at her. "You no longer have any rights to offer me the benefit of your political acumen! My plans for you and my plans for her are entirely different. She is the bait in the trap I am setting to catch my old enemy Maximus. But you and I have another score to settle. You betrayed the Republic when you betrayed me. Your crime is treason and there is only one possible penalty for that. You have no further use to me so I see no reason why we should delay. My men are waiting down in the courtyard...."

Lucilla gasped. "You cannot simply take me out and execute me! I am the daughter of Marcus Aurelius!"

"You were complicit in the murder of the emperor, your own brother Commodus, along with your lover, Maximus. Then you plotted the downfall of your own husband and - entirely in opposition to the wishes of your dead father - to replace the Republican government by a disgraced former gladiator with whom you were immorally consorting and who had already seduced your young niece. The scandal of your private lives alone and the gross depravity of the orgies you have staged for the prurience of your lover would be enough to warrant the extreme penalty..."

Lucilla grew even paler as he documented her list of crimes. It was the usual story of decadence and loose-living that were always heard when a woman dared to involve herself in the machinations of the imperial world. Whatever she had done, it was never enough merely to indict her on the political charge but her reputation had to be dragged through the mud as well. "There has been no adultery. I have been faithful to you..."

"And you expect anyone to believe that?" Quintus retorted triumphantly. He was right. How would anyone understand the purity of a man like Maximus? "Long after you are dead, they will write of you as a force of evil and corruption, worse than Agrippina, more dissolute than Messalina and as dangerous to the state as Clodia..."

"Is it not enough just to kill me...?" she answered him with a calm composure that showed she had stopped fighting and was ready to accept the inevitable.

"Of course, it is not. It is always necessary to kill the name first..."

Their voices had disturbed Aurelia. She had heard the tail end of the conversation, her heart pounding as she had listened to Lucilla desperately bargain for her life. It was enough to make her realise that Quintus meant what he said. He was an utterly heartless man when crossed and his bitter jealousy where Maximus was concerned would ensure that he would regard Lucilla's future as entirely at his disposal now. He would attack her with ferocity, partly to wound Maximus but also to give him as much justification in public opinion to counter the inevitable interest that Maximus' return would create. Her fingers crept over the cold metal of the dagger that she had concealed beneath her pillow. One clear throw and he would be dead! She felt sure she could hit him and make it count.

But then what? With guards on the door outside, how could they escape? It was no point killing Quintus here for he was still calling the tune. Below, Cinna was waiting and he would take great delight in making them all pay if she assassinated their leader. Her mind was full of conflicting opinions. She had to do something! She could not allow Lucilla to be treated like this!

Aurelia held her breath, waiting for a sign of what she ought to do. She decided to intervene and take some of the attention away from her aunt. "Leave her alone...! If she betrayed you, then it was because you had failed us all..."

Quintus turned his head and observed the young woman, kneeling up ashen faced on the bed. Even at such a time, he could not deny the lust he felt for her. As soon as his wife was out of the way, he could have her. Force her to his will. No need for marriage. She would do whatever he said until he tired of her - and then she could go to his men for their sport. Maximus could turn that knowledge over in his last hours: hear her screams as she was violated repeatedly in some dark cell of the Praetoreum while he was unable to lift a hand to save her...

"Keep out of this! I will deal with you later, you little whore..."

"I am not a whore!" Aurelia shouted back at him, burning spots of anger in her cheeks. " It is you who wished to make one of me for your own lust...!" She had decided that she would make him angry with her. It did not matter if she killed him and paid the price. They were dead anyway. At least she would have the satisfaction of knowing she had taken him with her. Now, if only she could get him to come closer so that she could be sure that her blow would be fatal...

"Is that so...? Then if you know that much, why am I bothering to wait? I made a mistake with you. I thought you a little mouse, when all the time you were cuckolding me with my greatest enemy. Not such a little innocent virgin after all, hey? No virgin by now, I'll warrant...Let me just find out for myself..."

Quintus strode to the bed and dragged Aurelia by one of her arms. Her other hand closed round the hilt of the dagger. "Should I take her here, Lucilla? Do you want to watch me make her bleed...?"

Lucilla ran forward, throwing herself on her knees before him. "Spare her, Quintus! Do with me what you will, but spare her! She is but a child...she did not know what she was doing! It was I and Maximus who led her astray...!" Lucilla would not let the girl throw herself away on a hopeless cause. She held Quintus by his tunic and turned her eyes to Aurelia, already suspecting what had been in the girl's mind.  She knew about the dagger but also saw that to attempt to use it against Quintus would be madness. With an impassioned plea in her eyes she muttered to her niece. "Please...please, Aurelia! Use it on me! Let me die with honour! There is no turning back now!"

For a few moments Quintus and Aurelia said nothing, merely staring at the woman on her knees. He was trying to understand what she meant; Aurelia was trying to come to terms with the horrific decision she was being asked to make.

Reason won over sentiment. All she had finally demanded of herself was: 'What would Maximus do?' And she immediately knew without a doubt.

Lunging forward, Aurelia thrust the dagger deep into Lucilla's breast. "Forgive me!" she whispered as her aunt gasped and then fell back onto the thick rug. The strike had happened so fast that Quintus had been powerless to stop the girl's action. He grabbed her hand and hauled her up to him. "You little bitch!" With the back of his hand, he came down with full force across her cheek, sending her flying across the bed. Then he threw himself on top of her, pushing up the shift she was wearing with one hand while he held her body down with another.

Yanitra, who had been cowering against the wall in abject fear throughout, dashed forward to try and pull him off Aurelia but the noise had brought in the guards from outside: they burst through the door and held her back. Aurelia was defenceless.

The girl initially tried to struggle but seemed quickly to realise that she could not make any real impression on him. Quintus was strong and fit. He also had the advantage of surprise, having caught Aurelia off guard in the very moments when she had take her aunt's life. Her emotional state was very fragile. "No...please....no! Not with her body lying bleeding...!"Aurelia cried.

But he did not answer, merely grasping her by the neck and forcing her to yield to him. She felt him free himself and the hard pressure of his manhood against her exposed flesh. She could not stop him. It would be better for her not to try.

Yanitra closed her eyes and whispered a prayer for her young mistress, silently urging her not to fight. "Let him do it...let him do it...he will hurt you less...!" she urged inside her head. She could hear the crude comments of the soldiers who were muttering profanities that made her want to scratch their eyes out. But she dared not anger them further. Who knows what they might do to Aurelia if angered further? Opening her eyes she saw the horrific scene set out before her, Lucilla slumped in a dark pool of her own blood, still holding her breast where the knife lay buried. On the bed, Aurelia lay naked and exposed, the robe pulled up to her head while the Prefect savagely thrust into her. She was being jerked back and forth but her body was limp, her face hidden by the dress and her hair. She could have been a lifeless doll for all the reaction she was making.

It did not last long. These acts of violence rarely do, thought Yanitra thankfully. Soon enough he came with a guttural groan, shuddering into her and then pulling away to look down on her. Aurelia stared back at him, her pale tear-streaked face upturned with eyes that burned bright with hatred. She spat in his face; he hit her hard again. But still she did not cry or give him any satisfaction.

Wiping off the spittle on the hem of her shift, he righted his clothing and rose from the bed, turning to the soldiers as Aurelia curled up in a ball and pulled the material over her bare legs.

"Take her downstairs! And the slave-girl. I have no further use for her. Cinna can have her now..." Quintus stopped and took one last look at the body of his wife and then stormed from the room. The guards let Yanitra go and she rushed to Aurelia's side, helping her up and going to fetch a gown.

"She can go as she is..." One of the soldiers said harshly. Aurelia shook back her hair and gave him a proud stare that was so intense and commanding that he shrank back a little from her gaze. "Well, maybe a cloak...it's a cold night..."

With one last look at Lucilla, Aurelia walked towards the door, supported by Yanitra. They took her down the main stairway and out into the courtyard where the Praetorians were already mounted.

"Where are you taking me?" Aurelia asked of Quintus. 

"They are taking you to Ostia. I have other business. You will be held with my legions as an insurance against your lover trying to reclaim his command. I have told Cinna to keep you alive until he is taken. But as long as you are still breathing, I don't care what condition you are in...so prepare for a long night's whoring...it's what you're good at, isn't it?"

Aurelia looked at Quintus and then at Cinna whose handsome face was distorted with a triumphal smirk. "You will both pay dearly for this night's work, gentlemen...He will tear your hearts out with his bare hands...!"

Both men laughed. "Not this time, I think..."

Rough hands seized the two women and forced them onto horseback, securing their hands to the pommel with rope. Rain was beginning to fall. Aurelia's cloak slipped from her shoulders. But she felt nothing. It was all too unreal for her to fully comprehend. Her brain was refusing to allow her to think or feel or understand the horrors that lay ahead for her. Or the ones that lay in her recent past. Instead, she found herself retreating into her head, to memories of the past and to what love had once felt like in his arms.

The large force set out towards the port on the coast away from Rome, Quintus and his personal bodyguard, together with Gracchus, meanwhile taking the alternative route to the City. He was poised now to take control. He had it all: proof of conspiracy, most of the plotters taken, the legions under his control and Maximus defanged. His time was now. Sweet victory.

Maximus and the other generals with the cohort of men were only a short way from the estate, thundering at speed through the now driving rain. As the two parties from the villa went their separate ways, the others arrived shortly afterwards, startling the household who were only just recovering from the tumultuous events of the last hours. In no time at all, the buildings were occupied, the intruders racing through rooms, swords drawn, searching for signs of the women.

It was Juba who came upon the chamber where they had been held. He fell to his knees when he saw the body of the Lady Lucilla, still lying there unattended and unnoticed. He called out to Maximus who was on the stairs.

Maximus entered the room with dread, saw Juba, and then his eyes shifted to the body. It was not Aurelia. Then the pain of loss hit him square. It was Lucilla...beautiful Lucilla who had haunted his dreams these many years: vibrant, brave, proud Lucilla, the apple of her father's eye. He staggered forward, dropping his sword and kneeling himself to gather her in his arms. It was too late to save her for the wound was obviously fatal and he did not know how long she had lain there. "Lucilla...oh my sweet lady...!" he sobbed out, his eyes misting with tears. His brain conjured up images of the girl she had once been, heartbreakingly lovely, wild and spirited, easy to laugh, her quick mind and dancing eyes intoxicating the lonely soldier. "Lucilla...!" He bent his head and clasped her to him.

There was a slight movement. Pulling away he searched for signs of life. She was not dead! Dying, for sure, but the embers of her flame were still burning. Her eyes flickered and her lips moved soundlessly. He lowered his ear to catch her final wishes. Once she had done this for him. He too had lain before her and she had let his spirit go. But he had not died. Now it was his chance to repay that gift.

"Max--.....!" her voice trailed away she struggled to breathe, blood bubbling from her mouth. "Lucius...! Be a father to him...! For me..."

He shushed her softly. "Do not worry about your son! I will protect him always and take care of him as if he were my own...Lucilla...I am so sorry that I failed you..."

Lucilla grasped his cloak desperately as if she was trying to absorb back his strength. "You never failed me! Go to her...I am already dead...they have only just left...go now! You can catch them...save Aurelia! Save her!"

The effort of forcing out the words sapped her remaining strength. He heard the deep sigh as her life began to leave her body. With his lips pressed against her mouth, he kissed and inhaled her final breath, taking her essence inside himself as ritual demanded of the closest relative. Lying her down gently, he closed her eyes for the last time and bowed his head, offering up a prayer to the goddess Iris to carry her spirit safely across the river.

Composing himself, wiping away the tears that stung his eyes, he looked up at the slaves of the household. "She was a Lady of Rome. Your mistress.  Honour her...!"

Antoninus stood back at the door and watched the sad scene. Anger and bitter desire for revenge surged in his young heart. It took all his powers of self control to wait calmly and not set off after the foul perpetrators of this crime. But he took his lead from the men he was sworn to follow. He felt the guiding hand of Annius Veranus on his back as the other general stepped forward. They both knelt to pay their respects to the Lady Lucilla and then rose to go.

"I spoke to the steward. He was most forthcoming. Metella has taken Gracchus to Rome to be tried as a traitor before the Senate. The Lady Aurelia has been taken to Ostia to be held as surety that you will not move on the Felix legions....We cannot enter the City with forces, Maximus...! Even I am not prepared to bring a ransacking army in to Rome..."

Maximus listened and then replied in a cold measured tone. "Put me before my legions and I tell you not a man will turn away from me. We go to Ostia and we take her back...! Then, I march on Rome. You can do whatever you damn well please...it is all or nothing now..."

Brushing past the man, he strode towards the door, barking out orders to his companions. "Those who are with me, we ride to Ostia this night and put an end to the evil once and for all...!"

It was a dreary misty dank dawn when they reached their destination. The thin light that was losing its battle against the driving rain gave Aurelia her first hazy glimpse of the great military encampment where the Felix legions had been stationed since their recall from the German Limes. On a flat plain parallel with the sea coast a short distance from the port town was growing up another centre: the vast sprawling fort itself and the cluttered busy civilian settlement that had developed on its outskirts to service the needs of the thousands of men who resided within the camp.

Despite the exhaustion and damp that seeped into her bones and the dread that the approach of this place that was meant to be her prison and humiliation, Aurelia could not quite repress her natural curiosity. She had always wished to experience a military stronghold even if she had hoped for very different circumstances. These men had once been under the command of Maximus. Many would be known to him. She could not help but wonder at the strange twists of fate that meant his story would begin and most likely end within the base of the troops nicknamed somewhat ironically now as the 'Lucky' legions. They had certainly not brought fortune to the two of them.

Entering the imposing gateway, she now crossed into a world almost entirely of men. The camp was quiet apart from the guard and the cooks who were starting the fires for the great ovens that fed this enormous community. The rows and rows of barracks still lay at peace as the majority of the legions slumbered in the last hours before the bugles sounded to herald the new day. Open fires smoked thickly as the heavy rain pattered down; the dense pall of thick smoke they emitted adding to the gloom of this bleak morning.

The Praetorian escort picked its way through the narrow streets laid out in their military order with the rigid efficiency that was the foundation stone of all that the Roman legionary armies represented. Aurelia stared blankly at the endless lines of wooden bunkhouses. And observed a few sleepy men stumbling out to urinate at the side of their quarters, frowning at the strange procession that was wandering through the alleys to the heart of the fortress. There the lanes gradually opened out until they reached a large parade ground where the Principia and the quarters of the senior command were to be found. It was also the site of the inner sanctum where the eagles were held in what was the most secure location in the entire camp. If the unthinkable happened and the fort was breached, then it was incumbent on every soldier to make the protection of this place his last stand. Aurelia wondered if for her too it would be where she finally met her death.

Dragged without ceremony from the horses, she and Yanitra were pushed along and taken up the steps to enter the Principia itself. This was the military headquarters, the meeting house and the centre of the administration. They were directed into a small room off a larger office and the door was closed with a bang. It was the first time they had been able to talk since they had been taken from Quintus' estate.

"My lady!" Yanitra exclaimed. Aurelia was shivering, bedraggled and wet to the bone. Yanitra was in only slightly better state but at least she had been fully dressed. The serving woman found a rough cloak and put it around her shoulders hugging the girl to her, trying to massage some warmth into her. "How are you? Did he hurt you?"

Aurelia shook her head dismissively. "How could he hurt me? He can take my body but he can never own my soul...!" But her pale face, swollen eyes and the dark circles that made her beauty even more hauntingly lovely belied her attempt at bravery. Yanitra huddled under the blanket with her and tried to use the two bodies to bring some body heat back to them both.

"I am so sorry, Yani...this is not your fight! You should not be here...how I wish we had never asked you to leave your home!" Aurelia said.

Yanitra held her tight. "We each have our own fate, Aurelia. This was mine as yours is yours. I'm not sorry. My life was shit anyway. At least I'll die with honour..."

Nobility can be found in the strangest of places, bravery in the humblest of hearts. Somehow Aurelia found strength in the simple acceptance of this common woman. "You should have kept the knife..." Yanitra observed. "We could have slit our wrists and ruined their party..."

"...And left Lucilla to face the executioner? She did not deserve that. Not after all she had suffered already in her life..."

"Maximus and Juba will kill them all."

"Perhaps. If they are given the chance, I have no doubt in their superior abilities. But if they try to barter their lives for ours? Then we are all doomed. Oh Maximus, do not think of me! Our only chance lies in you acting for the greater good...!" she whispered to herself. But she did not believe he would ever place anything above her. Nothing else made any sense to him. "At least he never knew about the baby...thank the Gods he was at least spared that...!"

Soon afterwards, they came for her, several soldiers with faces rigid and etched with years of hardship, saying little. It was useless to appeal to their better nature; Aurelia doubted they had one. For all their impassive expressions, even she could see the look of hunger in their eyes when they gazed on her. She knew what they would take from her if they could, for all their gravity.

Yanitra was thrown aside and Aurelia dragged roughly out into the thin grey early morning light. They had pulled the blanket from her and she was forced to step out onto the Rostra from where it was customary for the officers to address the men. Here she was made to stand, clad only in the torn shift, matted with dirt, blue with the cold and panic struck with fear. For before her was arrayed a vast army of men stretching as far as she could see, row after row of upturned faces, surly and sombre, hard and unbending, men summoned from their cots to assemble there, curious as to what announcement was about to be made. The appearance of this young woman was bound to trigger their worst instincts. A few whistles and catcalls rang out; some men shouted obscene suggestions, a mocking laughter rippled through the ranks.

One of the acting generals, Fabius Manlius, an unprepossessing desk officer who held his exalted position only by virtue of his patrician name, stepped forward and raised a hand. It took a while for the jeering to die down, a fact that Cinna noted with a sneer. These men were becoming slack. He would have to deal firmly with them when the new emperor put him in command. For that was the least he expected after what he had done for Quintus Metella. Pushing forward he stood by Fabius and asked if he might speak. The general grudgingly gave him leave. This whole business was not to his taste. He preferred not making waves and had no desire to be caught up in the eye of a storm. But he had little choice. These were the men who held the reins of power - and he was no hero.

Cinna surveyed the assembled men and the natural authority he exuded soon caught their attention. They stood riveted, waiting to learn what was afoot. All of them were heartily tired of inactivity and boredom stuck in this camp month after month, eager for a chance to prove themselves again. Rumours had been flying around the past few days, some fantastical (Maximus was on his way back to take command) to more realistic (they would soon be sent north to protect the Alpine passes against the inevitable attack from one of the other generals). It looked like they were about to get their orders at last.

"Men of the Felix legions! It is a privilege to address one of the finest fighting forces in the Empire. Quintus Metella, the Prefect of Rome, your former general, sends his regards to each and every one of you and urges you to listen well to the news I bring. Terrible events have been taking place in the aftermath of the death of beloved Commodus, son of Our Great Father, Marcus Aurelius. The dogs of war are gathering as self-seeking men try to use this moment to seize the greatest prizes for themselves. Marcus Aurelius and his son believed in the sacred nature of the Republic. It was always their intention to return it back into the hands of its people and Senate. The time has now come when we must be prepared to fight to preserve our state before it plunges into the darkness of civil war and the threat of kingship returns to destroy all that has been built!"

It was a typical grandiose and posturing speech, such as the men had heard many times before, ripe with hyperbole and meaningless bombast. But they knew it was leading somewhere and in the midst of the verbiage would be a kernel of truth. As Cinna's voice rang out over the open ground, not a sound was made as each strained to hear his words.

"...I regret to have to bring you news of someone whose memory is dear to every soldier here. He is living proof that power has its sinister way of corrupting even the purest of men. I speak of your former commander, the illustrious general Maximus Decimus Meridius. We all believed him dead. But today I come to tell you that he is still very much alive. At long last the story of what transpired after Vindabona has been revealed to us. I warn you what you shall hear will shock you to the core. Let it be a lesson to all loyal citizens to beware the insidious allure of power...."

The mention of the name of Maximus immediately caused a hum of recognition that shimmered over the assembled horde. Men turned to address their neighbours in suppressed whispers while the speaker waited for silence to return. Aurelia looked across at Cinna, startled from the near catatonia that she had fallen into. What was he doing? Why was he speaking of Maximus?

"...After the great victory at Vindabona that finally reduced the Germans to complete conquest, it was the plan of the emperor Aurelius and his son to restore the Republic now that their imperial ambitions had reached completion. Maximus Meridius had other ideas. In the dark of the night, he made his way to the bedchamber of the emperor and strangled him. Like Julius Caesar, warped by megalomania, the founder of the first imperial dynasty who then turned against his patron Pompey, once again the pupil turns on the master - and another foul deed of murder was committed! Maximus' aim was to declare himself before the troops the following day, attributing the death to natural causes and falsifying a will naming him as heir, but his treachery was discovered. Commodus was informed of the crime by his loyal servant, Quintus Metella, and took immediate action, arresting Maximus and removing him from camp before he could make his move. But the formidable general escaped and found another way to return. Several years later, he reappeared in Rome in the arena and challenged the young emperor to a contest. We all know the results. Our beloved young emperor bled to death on the sands of the arena..."

Aurelia listened spellbound to this towering mountain of monstrous lies, the wholesale destruction of Maximus' name and laying all the crimes of others at his door. She looked frantically about her for some negative reaction from the audience. Surely no one could believe these terrible allegations?

"...Since then, Maximus has been fomenting a conspiracy which has now reached a crisis point. The plot involves the Consul himself and many other supposedly loyal senators. We believe it was Maximus' aim to return here to Ostia, fire you up with the memories of your former victories and then march on Rome to commit the greatest evil in the history of the world...the sacking of our great City...!"

A low rumbling dissent spread about the legions. It was impossible to tell whether this was caused by their anger or disbelief. But the uncontrollable force of potential destruction that they represented was terrifying to behold. If they chose to, these men could rise up and annihilate them all.

"...There is even more, I almost hesitate to admit! The Domina, the Lady Annia Lucilla, the favorite daughter of Aurelius, the much loved sister of Commodus, widow of the war hero and former co-emperor Lucius Verus and mother to the only surviving grandson of great Aurelius, was kidnapped from her loving husband, Quintus Metella, and held as ransom to try and force the Prefect to hand himself over, thus leaving the Republic without a single champion. The Prefect refused to be swayed by such threats and for his dedication to duty, he has paid the ultimate price. The body of the Lady Lucilla was found last night, stabbed through the heart with the knife of Maximus Meridius. What more proof do we need of his intent? As we speak he is riding to unleash his darkness again over the light of our world. We cannot allow this to happen!"

At that high point, Cinna broke off and stepped over to where Aurelia was standing, grasping her by the shoulder and jerking her forward. The jeering from the men subsided; everyone wanted to know her part in the proceedings. They did not have to wait long.

"Before you stands the Lady Annia Aurelia, daughter of Annia Galeria, whose shameless promiscuity surpassed that of even Messalina herself. It would appear her daughter has inherited her taste for debauchery - and more. This young girl has betrayed her noble house and her worthy father by eloping on the eve of her marriage and running off to become the mistress of Maximus. Together an unholy alliance was forged in which they planned to remove all their possible rivals and to take the imperial throne for themselves. Look at her! She may look a pitiful sight now in the degradation of a prisoner of the state, but it was her hand..." And he held up Aurelia's right hand in demonstration, "...this slender hand that plunged her lover's dagger into the heart of her own aunt and guardian, the Lady Lucilla..."

A roar rose from the array of men. Even Aurelia had to admit that his speech had been a triumph of political dissemination. To someone unaware of the truth it had the ring of authenticity about it. Of course it did - he had used enough truth to make it entirely plausible given the centuries of such intrigue and assassination that had occurred in the highest places. She felt her head swim as the mighty wave of sound deafened her; it was only Cinna's grip that kept her from fainting away.

"Before you assembled legions, you brave and worthy common men with whose blood great Rome was built, the Senate of Rome demands the ultimate penalty. The death of the murderess and whore, Annia Aurelia! The power hungry treachery of a former war hero is one matter, but for a woman to go against her nature as has this shameless member of her sex is the greater sin. She used her beauty and her birth to seduce great men...look on her now! She is a nothing. She is less than nothing. She stands before the judgement of the Roman people stripped of the rank and her privileges accorded to her by virtue of the glorious name she so shamefully bears..."

With one swift movement, he ripped away the remaining tatters of her simple garment and Aurelia was left  to stand before them all naked. There was a moment when the entire camp fell silent as if with shock at his action and then one senior centurion stood forth at the front of the ranks. He turned his back on the rostra and shouted a command to the vast army. "Converti!"

In a smooth motion, like a wave across a calm ocean, the entire body turned to present their backs to their officers. Aurelia, still aghast from the horror of being so completely humiliated in public, suddenly realised that she had misunderstood the reaction of the men as Cinna had delivered his oration. They all had. The men had not been encouraging him, but expressing their rejection of his premise. Maximus' name could not be besmirched so easily before the men who had served under him for years. All they had learnt today that mattered to them was that their leader was alive and on his way - and that this young girl was his woman.

And every man there had shown his respect in the simplest of ways. They had refused to look upon her in her shame.

Tears filled her eyes at this unprecedented show of solidarity. Cinna stood open mouthed; general Fabius backed away, sweat and disbelief forming on his brow. This was the moment every commander fears the most. Mutiny. For if the men decided to act unilaterally - then all would be lost.

Cinna dragged Aurelia away, pushing her against two of the guard, the men who had brought her out. "Get her out of sight....now!" They bustled her off the podium and back into the Principia with little ceremony.

But the instant that they were out of vision, their manner changed. One pulled off his cloak and wrapped the shivering girl in it. "My lady...!" He knelt before her, his head bowed. "We did not know...forgive us, we did not know...!"

Aurelia did not know what to say in reply. They did not seem to require an answer. The other soldier had gone to fetch Yanitra and before they could really understand what was taking place, they were both hurried along the corridor to the rear of the building. In moments, horses were led out and the small party mounted to ride from the rear gate of the fort, guided in their retreat by humble soldiers who had peeled away from the main assembled force as the commanders tried to calm the jeering and unruly mob. The Praetorians were at risk of being butchered by the angry legions and of having their leaders strung up - their attention was now taken up with saving their own lives.

Under the cover of this imminent mutiny, Aurelia and Yanitra made their escape still accompanied by the two soldiers. They did not go far. Heading into the lowly settlement that flanked the fortress, the men rode straight for a narrow street and a particular house. When they reached their destination, they were lifted down gently and carried inside.

"It's a fucking cathouse!" Yanitra said. One of the soldiers laughed.

"There are some good girls in here, darling. You'll come to no harm. Where better to hide two women in a fort full of men?"

They were set down in the main room, attracting the curious stony stares of the whores who had not expected any business so early in the day. It was obvious that this was no ordinary visit either.

The self-appointed leader of the two men bowed before Aurelia and began to speak. "I know it's a terrible place to bring a lady like you, ma'am, but begging your pardon we didn't have much time to work it out. My name's Marcus Uticus. I'm a centurion with the Fifth. This here's Nicos Cocles..., his mother's Greek but we don't hold it against him...much...We both fought under the general, my lady. That's what we still call him. The general. No man finer than Maximus, mistress... I don't know about all that crap the Praetorian Shithouse was spouting but frankly I don't give a fuck...if you'll excuse the expression...so Maximus wants to be emperor?  Damn sight better than any of the other tosspots who we usually get...All the lads want to know is that the general's alive and you're his new woman....We heard they killed his wife and little lad, fucking bastards...!"

She remembered Maximus once telling her that he had known 'whores with hearts of gold and rough soldiers with dignity...' How fitting that it was both of these who were about to intervene and save her at the final moments. Suddenly Aurelia knew without a doubt that the gods were indeed with them - and had been all along. This was their moment. The time had come when they would avenge the innocent and claim their future. She held out her hand to Uticus.

"Sir...I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you and your soldiers have done for me today. Maximus will never forget this debt to all of you. I can think of no better place to sit this out and wait. I hope the ladies here will not resent this intrusion..."

"Well, you best ask me not them, then..." A hard-faced, over-painted procuress stood there, hands on hips. "Who have we here, boys...a bit of fresh meat?"

Uticus grimaced, the taciturn Cocles winced. It made both Aurelia and Yanitra smile. "This here is the Lady Aurelia who is the granddaughter of Marcus Aurelius!" Uticus replied flamboyantly.

"Well, pardon me, for thinking she was just another naked tart. What's the story, then, big guy? I can hardly think she's got the hots for an ugly brute like you..."

He filled her in quickly as the other women gathered round eager for the gossip. Eyes were rolled and mouths opened wide, exclamations of 'The Spaniard! General Maximus!' and other expressions of amazement were heard. The mood of the women changed immediately, even more so when they realised what had befallen this young noble woman.

"I'm Fannia...you look like you need a hot bath, a good feed and a night's sleep...both of you...come on, my loves, we'll sort you out. You'll come to no grief here...we'll see you right..."