I

The legate picked his way through the debris of the village, his face impassive as he surveyed the burning huts and destruction. His thoughts would have been difficult to read. To the villagers who stood herded together in groups, surrounded by mounted riders, he must have appeared as some creature from their nightmares; the great warrior leader, clad in armour and crested helmet, shrouded in a wolf fur cloak, sitting astride a great black horse. With a terse nod of his head directed at the group of men, he gave the order "Decimate!" and moved on, seemingly inured to the screams of the woman folk as soldiers pulled out every tenth man for execution.

The tribal village had been the centre for active resistance throughout the winter months, sheltering rebels from tribes about and running constant attacks on supply lines and civilian traffic. It was a large settlement of a few hundred swelled by the arrival of insurgents from far and wide, young hotheads who would not settle to the status quo of conquest. Maybe thirty men would be put to the sword that morning- in cold blood. That was the Roman way- a lesson to the others. It would not be likely that the villagers would appreciate how lightly they had escaped- some commanders would have demanded the death of all the males. But Maximus Meridius had enough of his provincial origins left to understand that eventually all men realise the inevitable and turn their skills to compromise rather than resistance for the sake of their families- wholesale slaughter rarely helps to colonise.

On the right was another group- the females. The general cast a wearied eye over them; frightened, desperate women, many clinging to children, the haunted knowledge of what was to come in their eyes. He sighed. "Pull out the old women, girls under twelve and any pregnant or nursing mothers- they can join the men and boys for the slave markets. Should net me a fair price," he attempted a joke but it rang hollow in his ears.

"The rest- divide between the squadrons- draw lots. I want this orderly- no violence- and then there'll be something left for tomorrow- won't there, lads?" Even with his command- which would be enforced, for they all knew Maximus' views on cruelty to women- he assessed that the fifty or so women left to his men would be cruelly used- there were 500 in the cohort- and they had been out of the fort for weeks, each desperate for a woman.

"Sir? The usual?" Maximus looked to the auxiliary optio who was organising the prisoners. He nodded, glancing back at the women. His eye caught the steady stare of a blonde woman who was holding a child of five or six against her legs. Unlike the others, she was meeting his gaze as if to dare him. She was not afraid. "That one." He indicated with his head and the optio smiled, "You got it, sir." As the general rode off another cavalryman objected, "Thought Ironman treated himself like the rest of us? Isn't that what he's known for? So why doesn't he take his place in the line, like we have to?"

"Wake up, Nasio. You think he'd go in after you? He's the general- that's his right. No one begrudges that- half of us would be fucking dead without him. Won't get any man here complaining if he keeps the best lookers for himself."

"Looks like she'll be a fighter. Does he like them rough?"

"You watch- she'll be eating out of his hand by tomorrow- they always are. Don't know what he's got that we haven't but they love it. She'll have a smile on her face and he'll get no sleep. It's always the way. Wouldn't want to be on duty outside his tent tonight- it's not much fun having to listen to that all night and not get any yourself!"

Maximus rode up to the crest of a nearby hill, flanked by several officers. He listened to the reports of casualties- fortunately light- and the news from scouting parties that had ridden through the outlying districts. The area seemed secured and the message understood. While he sat and gave his attention, part of his mind was elsewhere. He was hungry, cold and tired, longing for a bath and to remove the heavy armour that he had worn for days. But most of all he wanted a woman. It was always thus. After the bloodletting and the high tension of battle, he needed release, the balm to heal his mind of the nightmares he had visited upon these people. His men might think him without fear or feelings - he knew they called him Ironman-but in reality he was no different from the rest.

For a fleeting moment he thought of home, Serena and his unborn child. He had been gone four months but the time had passed quickly and he had had little time to dwell on his other life. Maximus thought of her safe and happy under the warm, blue skies of Truillo, her belly growing. It was a good thought but made him remember the frightened mothers and their haunted eyes that he had seen in the settlement below him. May the gods never visit such atrocities upon his own!

II

It had been a blustery April morning when Serena had first felt that something was wrong. Usually she was nauseous and listless when she rose but this day was different. No sickness- just a dull ache in her lower belly. At first she wondered if it were something that she had eaten that was causing it but, as the day progressed, she began to worry that something was not right. Serena knew little about the process of pregnancy and so she sought out Velita, the kindly wife of Cardo, the steward of the estate, and asked her advice.

Velita had borne several children and recognised at once that this was not a good sign but she didn't want to scare the young woman. Some time these things passed and needless anxiety would not help. Encouraging her mistress to spend the day at rest, suggesting that she was merely tired and had worked too hard of late, she kept a careful eye on the girl. In the early evening, she slipped upstairs to bring Serena a drink and found her crying on her bed. "Whatever is the matter, my lady?"

Serena sat up and in her hand was her undercloth. It was bloodstained. "This is not right, is it, Velita? I should not bleed?" Her voice was shrill and her panic was evident. Velita laid her back and indicated she needed to examine her. The older woman had attended many of the women on the estate and gleaned some knowledge of these matters. Sometimes this happened and then passed off and a week or two's rest would return the girl to full strength. But her worst fears were confirmed. Fresh blood was running down Serena's inner thighs and the pained expression on the girl's face told her the rest.

"Do you feel pain?" Serena nodded. "Mistress, sometimes it is not meant to be," she whispered, taking the sobbing girl within her arms.

Serena miscarried her baby during the night and then developed a fever. A doctor was sent for from Augustobriga and he prescribed laserpicium infusions to help expel the unwanted material from her womb and panax root to bring down her temperature. Her mother came and stayed throughout the days of her sickness; Serena soon rallied and pulled through. Her body was young and strong; there would be other children. Serena lay and listened to the words of comfort and encouragement with little enthusiasm. She had failed Maximus in the only thing she could do for him- and who knew when he would return, never mind how long until she could try again? There seemed no point in her life- what was she doing in his home when she was not his lover and his wife in name only? Melancholy held her in its grip throughout that glorious summer.

Her mother tried her best to reach her but her daughter seemed far away. "Serena, you must write to him. He cannot be allowed to think that you are still with child. That would be too cruel." Serena shook her head. She simply couldn't bear to let him know; a part of her feared that it was only the knowledge that his child was due in the winter that might bring him home at all. But her mother insisted and together they composed a simple note, which her father organised to be sent with military post from Emerita Augusta. Serena wondered how long it would take and if he would reply.

As she began to feel stronger, Serena spent a lot of time alone, walking into the hills around their property so that she could be with her thoughts. One day, she was sitting resting on a rock, her thoughts deep in her fantasy world, the one where Maximus loved her and she had his son, when she was disturbed by the merry sounds of a woman and a child walking down the path below her. The little child was screaming with laughter as his mother tickled him with a wild flower under his chin. Serena smiled at the innocent love of the mother and her boy.

It was Marilla, one of the slave girls, and it was evident that she was pregnant again. A sharp pang of envy stabbed Serena at the sight. This slave woman, working in the fields or carrying heavy buckets of water to and fro, could cheerfully bear babies every year, whilst she, a lady of gentle birth who did not need to strain her body, could not even hold her child for but a few months. It was so unfair. But Serena was not a jealous girl by nature and she shrugged the unworthy thought away. The gods had decided thus and she had to accept her lot. Next to Marilla she was fortunate in other ways and it was ridiculous to compare herself to a slave.

From that day, however, Serena found herself drawn to Marilla. She had never given her much thought before. There were many slaves on the property and, although she was not harsh in her treatment of them, Serena was largely indifferent to them. Slaves were just there, a part of life, hardly noticed. But somehow this young woman, close to her in age and obviously with a young husband, fascinated her.

One morning, as she entered the kitchen to look for Velita, Serena came upon Marilla kneeling down and scrubbing the stone floor, her little son playing with a rag toy nearby. Marilla's face looked drawn; she was finding it hard to work with her swollen belly and the little boy continually hanging from her. At once, Serena realised that it was not just to ask a woman in her condition to toil in this way, even though she was a slave. Holding out her hand, Serena smiled and said: "Marilla, Stop! I will find someone else to do this. You must not tire yourself in this way," and she helped her to her feet and sat her down in a chair, pouring a cup of water for her to drink.

"Thank you, mistress, but it is no matter. I am strong and I must do my share," Marilla replied.

"There are many other tasks that you can do which do not require you to risk your unborn child. I want to sort out some of the upstairs rooms - there are so many old things that need to be stored away to make room for my clothes and trinkets. Perhaps you would help me?"

From that time on, the two young women spent a lot of time together and it seemed that Marilla became a companion for Serena. Despite the amicable nature of the time they spent together, Marilla was very guarded. She had kept her secret well (although she knew that Cardo and his wife had realised the truth) and she had no intention of causing embarrassment to either her mistress or Maximus.

One day as they were sewing on the veranda, a particularly hot August afternoon, Serena asked Marilla about her husband. Marilla had been dreading the question but had already thought out a reply. "He died, my lady. In the winter." It was a little lie- he had, in fact, died the summer before.

"I'm sorry. I never knew. You must miss him. Did he know about the child?"

Marilla shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. Serena carried on with her work for a while but a thought was playing in her mind.

"Can I ask you something, Marilla, something personal?" Serena felt she could trust this gentle slave girl whom she had befriended. Somehow she felt an affinity to her and her unborn child and knew that she could trust her with the confidence that was almost burning a hole in her heart. "Was it good with your man?"

Marilla looked up sharply, unsure what her mistress meant. "Good? Do you mean were we happy?"

"Yes, I suppose I mean that... No, Marilla, I don't mean that. This is so hard for me but I need to know something." Serena threw her sewing away from her and stood up, leaning over the rail and surveying the fields about.

"When you made your baby- did you feel pleasure?" Her cheeks burned red with embarrassment.

Marilla stared and felt her breath catch. This was a dangerous conversation and she was unsure where it was leading- did Serena suspect? "I was pleased to be with child again, of course," she answered lamely.

Serena turned round and exhaled sharply. "I don't mean that. I need to talk. Marilla, I'm so unhappy. I'm so confused. Can you help me?"

"Help you? Are you lonely, mistress? Is that what you are trying to say?" Marilla closed her eyes for a moment to compose herself and then said: "Do you miss your husband's touch? Is that it?"

Her mistress's reaction to her gentle probing shocked the slave girl. Serena burst into tears and said "I'd don't think I have ever really known it. My husband seems to shun contact with me. He does his duty-but it is reluctant and passionless. I love him but he does not love me and I cannot satisfy him. What do you know of these matters? Is it my fault or is he simply unskilled in matters of the bed?"

"Your husband? Maximus? Unskilled?" Marilla could scarcely take in the woman's words. How could she respond to this?

"Marilla- what did your man do to you? What did you do to him? Can you teach me how I might help him?"

"Help the master? To make love to you? You are saying he has a problem?"

Serena told Marilla something of what had occurred between them and the slave girl listened in silence. She knew that Maximus had been tormented by the love of another woman who had wounded him deeply- that much he had told her- but the exquisite night that she had spent in his arms had showed her that this man was a highly skilled lover. Why was he so unsure with Serena? Was there simply no spark between them or was it something else? How could Marilla explain to her mistress without reference to her own knowledge of her husband?

"Mistress. I cannot believe that your husband is not capable of giving you pleasure. He may be afraid of your innocence. Perhaps you can try to show him that you want to be intimate with him by touching him in ways that men enjoy. Do you touch him?"

Serena shook her head. "He has never even seen me naked. And I have only observed him once."

Marilla put her work down and motioned for Serena to sit by her. Using her own knowledge of Maximus, she whispered into her mistress's ear the things she knew would please him.

"I do not think that he would let me do those things," she muttered.

"A man has only so much resolve. If you touch him in that way, he will be driven mad with desire and will not resist you. Believe me."

Serena looked up to her, her face flushed and her eyes wet with tears. "I will try. If he ever comes home to me, I will try."

III

It was late in the evening when Maximus left the principia; the legates had been meeting since afternoon and his head was spinning with the effort of concentrating on the discussion while trying to keep awake. He had been in the saddle for weeks, fought an engagement and returned to this. So much for command: his men would have been bathed, fed and fucked by now. He made for his tent but then grimaced. He should bathe first before he went to the woman- he stank of dirt, sweat and horses and he was still stained with the blood of her people. It was not seemly.

Sending a runner to Cicero to bring him a change of clothes, he made for the communal bathhouse. He didn't have time to wait for a private bath to be drawn in his quarters and he preferred to bathe with the men- it was good to have some contact with the camaraderie that had once been a natural part of his life. Now he seemed to be lonelier and more turned into himself than ever. It was quiet in the bathhouse this late at night. There were a few men who acknowledged him, but little conversation; they were all young soldiers and in awe of Maximus' reputation.

Purified and dressed in clean clothes, he made his way back to his tent. Cicero served him some food and wine and he ate without enthusiasm, too tired to care. When he had finished he pushed the plate away and picked up some dispatches, tossing them from him- they could wait until tomorrow. Suddenly he noticed that there was a private letter amongst the pile. It was from Serena.

Breaking the seal he unfurled the epistle and scanned the short note. He sank back into the chair and put his head in his hand. Not that. Suddenly the image of his safe, secure home seemed under threat. He had not been there for her when she had suffered this loss. Maximus' heart went out to his young wife knowing full well what must be between the lines of this cursory note. How she must have wept; he wondered if she had been very ill, realising he knew little of such matters. But he knew he had failed her again. So much for the great warrior- he couldn't even give his wife a healthy child- what would his men have made of that?

"Sir? The woman is here. She has been cleaned up and is waiting in your bed." Cicero spoke to his master, wondering whether he had fallen asleep at the table; Maximus had been still for so long.

"Thank you, Cicero. You can run along. Give us a bit of privacy, will you?" He stood up from the table and smiled sadly at his manservant. "Don't mind me, boy. My mood is bleak tonight. Perhaps the woman might improve it. Who knows?" And he pushed his way past the curtain separating his sleeping quarters.

The woman was sitting on the edge of the bed and jumped up when he entered, backing against the tent wall, her hands across her body but her eyes still burning defiantly. Maximus stood and looked at her, suddenly weary. He had seen enough sadness for one day. Motioning for her to sit down, he offered her a cup of wine. She shook her head. Then he pointed to water and she nodded. He filled a cup and handed it to her and she drank gratefully. It suddenly occurred to him that she may not have eaten. Leaving the chamber, he went out to the table, found some bread and fruit left over from his meal and returned with it. The woman looked surprised as he gave it to her and sat down on a stool while she ate, filling another cup with watered wine for himself.

"Thank you," the woman said in Latin.

"You speak Latin?"

She smiled and said "So do you, by the sound of it." And he smiled too.

"What is your name?"

"Thursgelda - hard for you say, no doubt. You may call me Elda. And you are?"

"Impressed. My name is Maximus. You may call me Max. You are not afraid of me? Good. There is no need to be. I do not intend to hurt you."

"You intend to fuck me. Am I supposed to be grateful to you for that?"

Maximus thought about her brave words. "Are you a virgin?" She shook her head.

"Do you know what is happening tonight to the other women? Would you prefer to go into the lottery and that I let my men loose on you?"

"I would prefer to sleep in my own bed with my own husband. Is that so hard for you to understand? Do you have a wife? How would you feel if she was forced by another man?"

"I would kill him if I could. But this is war. You are the reward of victory- and what a reward! Is your husband dead?" She shrugged. "I do not know," she replied.

"Then maybe one day he will kill me." His intention was clear. He might not intend to hurt her but he intended to have her.

Elda resigned herself to her fate. He was right. She was relieved that he had chosen her- but she would not let him know that. There was no way she would wish to be with the other women. Her husband was a brutish man and she had already suffered what such men could do to women. It was unlikely this Roman could hurt her more than he had. Observing him as he drank his wine and removed his boots, she thought he was a rather handsome man, fairer skinned and broader than many Romans, although his hair was dark and short. She wondered if he had mixed bloo- how else to account for his eyes? He caught her glance as he looked up and smiled at her. Suddenly she no longer felt resigned but instead intrigued. Perhaps this night might not be such a terrible experience after all. There was something she could trust in this man.

Maximus walked over to her and held out his hand. He raised her and pulled her to him, putting his hands to her hair and untying the thick plait, freeing the strands with his fingers until it fell about her shoulders. "Beautiful hair, like gold," he muttered and tilted her face to his to plunder her mouth for a kiss. Elda tried to pull away but the wine moistened taste of his lips and their sweet pressure on hers made her respond involuntarily and, as he gently drove his tongue into her mouth, she sighed at the pleasure of his touch. No man had ever kissed her like that before.

Breaking away from her, he took her hands. "I need a woman tonight. I am heart sore and lonely. Will you allow me to love you, Elda?" Elda looked into his eyes, amazed that this Roman could speak to her like this. She had watched him on his horse that morning and he had seemed like a creature from her nightmares. Here she was in his arms and she could not resist his tender advances. What manner of man was he? She touched his face, stroking his hair and capturing the back of his neck to pull him back to her. "Only if you kiss me again like that!"

Naked some time later in his arms, writhing beneath him as he plunged into her, his head buried in her shoulder, whispering words she barely understood into her ear, Elda let her body answer for her. Roman or German, slave or free, she would never regret the knowledge that she learnt in his bed that night. Crying out as pleasure coursed through her, filled by this unknown man, she longed that he might keep her by him. As she subsided from her passion and he began to build her up again, she marvelled at his strength and vigour and how it was complemented by a sweet and gentle courtesy. Even as he thrust into her, she felt his respect for what she was giving to him and heard his own cries of fulfilment as he poured his seed into her. Falling beside her, tangled in her hair and their legs wrapped round each other, Maximus pulled her into his arms "Thank you, Elda," he murmured as sleep captured him.

IV

On slippered feet, the slave girls rushed back and forth with bowls of water and soft clean clothes.  The room was thick with the fragrance of aromatic oils and the herbal applications that women were gently rubbing on the princess' extended belly. Faustina sat, her face drawn and still by her daughter's bed as the women attended her. Lucilla was pale and frightened but her eyes were steady and determined. Her labour had been long but there appeared to be no complications; the doctor indicated that her time was near and she was gently carried to the birthing chair, moaning softly to herself.

There had been no discussion of the paternity of her child. Lucilla's marriage to Lucius Verus, Caesar and co-emperor, had been conducted shortly after her arrival back from Germany, the previous September. Only Lucilla and her husband knew what his reaction had been when he had taken his young bride and found her already broken. His response would have been even crueller had he known, as she had done, that she was carrying the child of a provincial soldier in her imperial womb.

For months she had made offerings to Egeria, the goddess of safe deliveries, to protect her and her prayers had been rewarded. Her child was born late- almost ten months in her womb - and her husband had not discovered that it was not his. But Faustina knew the truth. She had found her daughter vomiting on her wedding day and suspected it was more than nerves that caused it. But she kept her silence; Lucilla's child would not be the first imperial heir to have a dubious bloodline. Faustina watched her daughter as she laboured. Lucilla had made little sound, crying out only occasionally and seemed fiercely concentrated on her task. Her daughter was brave, she knew that, but this was something else. It was as if she was involved in something sacred- had the young tribune meant so much to her? Faustina thought of Maximus and knew that he had- would any woman have failed to love a man like that? Part of her was grateful that Lucilla had been given the chance for love once in her life.

The head was crowning and Lucilla groaned as she pushed her baby from her, sweat forming on her temple and running down her lovely face as she gritted her teeth and grunted.  One word was running through her mind, her sights fixed on one goal. 'Maximus! Maximus!' she screamed silently within. Minutes later, in a rush of blood and fluid, the little boy slipped into the world, unaware of his place in the scheme of things but fighting only for his first breath. He was cleaned and put to his young mother's breast and her heart almost stopped for joy at the sight of him. Her sturdy naked son, the son of Maximus, her love! 'Sweet goddess, thank you for this gift of a son! He is my reward for all that I have borne. I will never let harm touch him,' Lucilla thought to herself as the birth of Lucius Annius Verus was proclaimed to his putative father and the court.

Far away to the east, his real father slept in the arms of a barbarian woman, mourning the loss of one child but unable to celebrate the birth of his unknown firstborn, while cruel gods had their sport with so many lives.

V

Three months later, Marilla gave birth to her second child, a daughter, in the slave quarters of the Villa Meridia attended only by Velita and a few of the other women. It was an easy birth, for Marilla was a fit and healthy woman and had been constantly active until her waters had broken. The little girl was dark like her mother but her eyes were blue. Marilla wondered how she would explain that to Serena. The child was called Bella, because she was so pretty, but Marilla had a secret reason for the name. Her father was warrior and Bella also meant fighter. The little girl had Maximus' blood flowing though her tiny veins.

Her son, Fabius, named for his own dead father, was bemused by the new arrival. At first he was very annoyed at the sight of her, feeding at his mother's breast, but soon he forgot that there had been a time without her and he accepted his new sister into their lives as small children do.  When she heard the news, Serena rushed to the slave quarters with a basket of fruits and cakes and some baby clothes that she had made for her own child. She also thrust a small pouch of money into her friend's hands. "For the baby. I have more money than I need." Serena thought how, had her child lived, that she would have been near to delivery by now and imagined this blue-eyed girl was Maximus' daughter. Why, she might pass for it with those light eyes! Innocent Serena never guessed the truth.

VI

By the time the autumn was well established and the first frosts came, the fragile hold on the outlying Quadi territories had been achieved but at the cost of months of constant sorties. The danger of a tribal alliance forming with the great Marcomanni nation to the northwest lessened when the Marcomanni chief died and internal struggles for succession occupied that tribe. It appeared that the winter would be quiet and the exhausted troops could retire to the great fortresses at Carnuntum and Vindobona to re-gather their strength.

Maximus, the legate of the IInd Felix cavalry, had spent months in the wilderness with a section of his men. He had volunteered to work deep in enemy territory and to infiltrate disaffected Marcomanni splinter groups to encourage the dissension and unrest within the tribe. With bribes and by supplying arms, his espionage work had prevented the formation of a great alliance on the northern border- at least temporarily. It had been relentless and dangerous work, much of the time spent living rough and aware that there were many of those with whom they dealt that would as soon slit their throats as keep their word.

For the past months, Maximus had found his knowledge of the Germanic tongue improving- for that he had Thursgelda to thank. In return for bringing her into his tent and allowing her young son to stay with her instead of sending him to the slave markets of Rome, she had made a unique decision. Her home was destroyed, her husband probably dead, her former life at an end- so she had thrown in her lot with her captors as many other German women had been forced to do. Most had done it out of necessity but Elda had done it out of love; she had discovered a love with this strong, silent Roman that she had never experienced within her own people.

Maximus insisted that she spoke to him only in her tongue when they were alone and slowly he became quite proficient, although he often laughed that his vocabulary was rather better on words of love than it was on words of war- what would his enemy think? He might inadvertently ask them to sleep with him, when he really meant parley! Elda knew that for all his affection and the passion spent between the sheets at night, the legate did not love her back. He held something of himself apart from her- he had been hurt before by a woman and did not wish to suffer again. Once, Maximus called another woman's name as he climaxed but she had not asked him who Lucilla was. He had a wife somewhere- it must be she.

Elda's heart gladdened when her master returned to the temporary camp after so many weeks away. She helped him off with his armour and the clothes that were stiff with mud and dirt- it had been impossible to keep clean. Maximus tried to send her away- his man could attend to him, he was dirty and stank but she would not hear of it. Elda already had hot water and a tub prepared and she washed him herself, noticing that, despite his protests, he was eased by her touch.

Stepping from the filthy water, she gently dried him and he stood before her like a child, a small smile playing on his lips. "What is it, Max?" she asked.

"It just feels so good. You are a good woman, Elda. You are what I have always needed - beautiful, giving and earthy- no complications, no demands, just there for me. A soldier has no place in his life for romance and family life. I knew that instinctively when I was younger. I cannot be the man that a wife or lover needs. But I can be a man for you, Elda, and you can warm my bed up as long as it pleases you."

She smiled. She was a slave and yet had more from him than she had had from her own husband or he from his wife. He might not love her as she loved him but it was good enough. "Food or pleasure, which first, Max?"

"One of the nicer command decisions I have had to make of late," he observed, rubbing his beard as if in thought. "I am hungry but I am also hungry. How about: pleasure - food - and then more pleasure? Do you think I can manage that before I take my third desire?"

"And what is that, my lord? Elda giggled.

"Sleep!" he replied as he pulled her tunic from her and threw her back upon the bed, ripping the sheet from his waist, his erection already straining for her.

The guards outside exchanged looks as they waited by the commander's tent. It was hard to imagine the stern legate who had entered the tent an hour ago was the same man whose voice could be heard on the night air. "Can you believe that giggle? It's like a girl's! Wonder what she's doing to him?" asked one young legionary.

"Whatever it is, he's taking his time- how long can he keep this up?" replied the other.

They had their answer shortly after. A wild groan in a deep rumbling tone joined with a high-pitched cry of "Max, Max. MAX!" and the tent fell quiet. The two soldiers grinned and adjusted their uncomfortable groins. Just then they heard the more familiar commanding tone of their legate: "Cicero! Food!" The general was hungry.

Over dinner, Maximus told Elda that he would have to go away soon. He had three months' leave at the end of the year and it was his duty to take it and visit his home; he had promised his wife that he would do so. Maximus said he would make arrangements for her to reside in Carnuntum with her son for the winter; he would rent her a room and leave her enough money to live comfortably.

"You are not my slave, Elda. I have never bought you. If you wish to leave or meet some other man- you are free to do so and I will not reproach you. But I will return in the spring and look for you, I promise. And if you wish to return to me, then you will be welcome."

Elda was overcome by his generosity. She knew that she would wait for him- she would wait forever for him. "I will be there for you, Maximus, when you return. Go home and love your wife. Leave her a child and then come back to me. A child- that is the one thing I will never give you. Much as I love you, my big, handsome legate, I will not inflict the curse of Roman blood on a child of mine. I know the treatment that both sides would meet out to such a half-breed. So breed your Roman babies and come back to me for pleasure!"

"How do you that, Elda? Ensure that you do not bear a child? " Maximus asked.

"Leave me some secrets, man. There are herbs I know of that are powerful in this way. We Germans are not as unlearned as you Romans seem to think! You would be surprised at the number of Roman women who seek the arts of some of our healers to suppress their childbearing!" But Elda would tell him no more than that. It was not his business or concern.

"And now, sir, if you have quite finished, you have a promise to keep. I think it is time for the next course!" Elda took the hem of her tunic and lifted up her dress to reveal her nakedness. "Anything here, you require, sir?"

Cicero stepped in to clear the remains of the meal and quickly backed away at the sight of the semi-naked woman and his master. He lingered by the door waiting for them to adjourn to the comfort of their bed chamber.

"What's up, Cicero?" asked one of the soldier on duty. Cicero made a face.

"Jupiter, not again! No wonder they call him Ironman!"

V

"Maximus! Wait behind. I'd like a word."

Back at the fort in Carnuntum, the emperor had been chairing a major council of his legates. It was the end of the war season and a thorough accounting was needed before the winter break. Many senior officers would be returning home or moving to different posts; arrangements were made for temporary promotions in their absence. There had also been preliminary discussions for the forthcoming spring.

The senior generals took their leave, some staying behind briefly for private discussions with the emperor and Maximus stood to attention in the background awaiting the emperor's pleasure. He had avoided too much direct conversation with his beloved Caesar; still ashamed of his betrayal of the trust the older man had placed in him. Maximus wondered exactly what Marcus Aurelius wanted of him now- a further commission? Or was this personal? At last the final petitioner left and the two men were alone.

"Sir?" Marcus Aurelius sank back into his straight-backed chair and contemplated the young legate. He was different. It was not the same man who had stood before him eighteen months ago on a curious night when they had spoken of love. The last remnants of youth had disappeared- Maximus was now the man that Marcus had always known he would become. But there was a price- his innocence was gone. There had always been an openness about Maximus Meridius, a lack of guile, but now his face was guarded and closed. He had always been a brave and consummate soldier, confident in his skills and strength- now he was a leader, able to conceal his emotions and shut down his feelings. The emperor felt a slight sadness at the loss of the boy he had been.

"Your work has been invaluable these last few months. I cannot think of a single officer who could have carried it out as well. It has made it possible to secure the whole front for the time being. A cavalry post is wasted on you. I want you to have a legion when you return. We are raising a new one- from remnants of others and new citizens. They will be a motley crew and hard work to knock into shape - are you up to the challenge?"

The emperor observed the sudden fire that he saw in the younger man's eyes although the face remained impassive. "I am at your command, Caesar."

"Let the guard down, Maximus. You're not with your men now. Do you want it or not?" Marcus Aurelius raised his voice, a rare occurrence. He was annoyed with Maximus; he had thought that their relationship was somehow warmer than this.

Maximus lowered the steely expression and bowed his head: "With all my heart, sire."

The emperor nodded. "Better. They will be one of the Felix legions- I forget the next number- VII, is it? I want them based at Vindobona. It's a fine fortress. You'll need a second in command that you can work with- any ideas for prefect?"

The legate knitted his brows in thought: "Quintus. Quintus Lentulus Clarus, I mean. We go back a long way. He's a good man."

"No backbone, Maximus. Likes an easy life. And spends too much time whoring. But I'll grant you he's a warrior of some courage and skill. Perhaps you are right. He will learn from you and you will prepare him for his own command. His father has already written to me requesting that- the family expect him to be a general. They are old stock, you know. Is that a problem for you?"

"Problem, sir?"

"To be the commander of a man of significantly higher birth than you."

"We are friends, sir. Our birth has never interfered." 

"That was then, Maximus. This is now. Don't be naïve. I am throwing you into the arena with the lions now. You will make enemies without even opening your mouth. Watch your back, Maximus. The barbarians may be the least of your problems."

Maximus nodded and seemed pensive. Marcus wondered how much the younger man felt the burden of his humble origins; it had denied him the woman he wanted for a start, how much did that still rankle?

"I hear you are married now. Good. How did you meet your wife?"

The veil went up in Maximus' eyes again. "She is a local girl. Our fathers arranged it years ago. I had no objection." It was a bloodless statement for a young bridegroom who had not seen his wife in months.

"Bring her back with you next year. A general's wife should join him. The quarters are decent at Vindobona and there will be some other women to occupy her. It would also be better for you." The emperor paused and then continued: "Keeping a barbarian woman in your tent may be construed as somewhat unwise for a general - a conflict of interest, a weak link. Especially as it seems you prefer to converse in her tongue. People talk, Maximus." It was a warning. Taking local girls to bed was natural but she had become his woman and it was only a matter of time before she would be breeding- a general with his quarters full of half-breeds?

"I did not think my bed habits were also the concern of the emperor." Maximus snapped back.

"Everything is my concern if it affects the security of my empire. Get rid of her. Bring back your wife. That is a command- if you wish to have your legion, that is! I remember a young tribune with such self-control that he tried to refrain from visiting whores; who never had a woman in his quarters; who blushed when asked of how he satisfied his needs. What happened to him, Maximus?" The emperor asked accusingly.

"That man is gone. Your daughter saw to that, sir."

Marcus Aurelius walked up to Maximus and stared at him. Both men did not flinch nor break eye contact.

"You are either very brave or completely insane, Maximus, to speak to me like that. I warn you. I will take so much but you are close to my limits. Go back to Lusitania this season and sort your head out. I hope I am not making a mistake with you."

A pulse twitched in Maximus' temple and it was clear that he was struggling to keep his fixed expression- but suddenly the defiance passed from his face and he appeared chastened. "My lord, forgive me. I am your man. You can trust me. My life is dedicated to Rome. I will not fail you." Marcus Aurelius knew that this was the real man and that Maximus was beginning to win the battle over the wild beast that sometimes dwelt in his breast.

"I have no doubts of that, Maximus. Now go. Enjoy your leave- and your new wife. I look forward to meeting her."

Maximus bowed and backed out. As he turned to the door, the emperor spoke again:

"You should know. Lucilla married more than a year ago. Perhaps you heard? She has a son now, Lucius Annius Verus." Maximus inclined his head slightly and withdrew; he did not reveal his face to the emperor. Marcus Aurelius poured himself a goblet of strong wine- a rarity for a man so abstemious by nature- but he needed it now. Long ago he had fantasised about adopting this wild rough Spanish warrior as his heir; he had not imagined then that the blood of the same soldier would one day course through the veins of his own grandson.

VIII

On a cold, crisp December morning, Decimus Maximus Meridius, legate of the VIIth Felix legions, former commander of the IInd Felix cavalry, awarded insignia for successful actions against the Quadi and the Marcommani, rode back to his estate in Truillo with many things on his mind. He had ridden to Italy with an honour guard but had dispensed with them when he reached Mediolanum and then sailed from Genova to Tarraco and ridden west to his home. It was an easier and quicker journey than the one he had made the previous year and it had given him time to reflect on his life, his future and his hopes.

His parting with Elda had been difficult. He had promised that he would keep her by him and he had had to break that promise. It made him ashamed. Elda had borne the news with dignity; she had always regarded the time with Maximus as a gift and understood that this matter was beyond his control. In all the months they had been together he had treated her with respect and affection; she could never reproach him for anything. Maximus offered to maintain her in Carnuntum, set her up with a small business so that she could have a respectable life with her son, but she declined. The next morning when he had woken up Elda and her son were gone; he never heard of her again and it pained his heart to lose her.

And then there was Serena. Maximus sighed when he thought of his wife and the strain of their uneasy relationship. He knew he should have written after her letter but there had been so little time recently and he had not known what to say to her. Now he was going to make her life even more difficult by tearing her from her safe home to travel to a cold and inhospitable war zone. It had been a mistake to marry her; one of the many mistakes he had made with women. When would he ever learn to deal with them as he dealt with men?

This time he had returned with Cicero, aware that on his return he would have to make more comfortable travelling arrangements if his wife were with him and Cicero was always good at making things run smoothly. He knew that his manservant was curious about his master's home. Sometimes Cicero was a trifle tetchy or forward but Maximus was very fond of him. He needed the wry humour that this wily Celtic slave brought to his quarters and knew he had the unfailing loyalty of this young man whom he had saved long ago from the cruelty of a sadistic master.

As they approached the house, down the sweeping road which led into the valley, past the colonnade of poplar trees, Maximus felt that old familiar pang of longing for the life that could have been his, but now he knew never would be. Slaves ran ahead to notify the household and by the time they dismounted and led their horses the final distance, a welcoming committee was standing before the villa. Serena stood back at the door, silent and impassive as she met her husband's eyes for the first time in almost ten months. He inclined his head in acknowledgement of her. She responded with the same.

Greetings were given and exchanged; food was offered, the bathhouse was prepared. Everything was the same as ever. Maximus felt as if, apart from the different season, time stopped still in Truillo, and it was only a moment since he had ridden away, his trials in Germany forgotten. Stripping off his travelling clothes and wrapping a linen sheet around his waist, Maximus stepped into the warm room of the bathhouse, loosened the towel and sluiced off the dirt in the small pool. He had dismissed Cicero telling him to settle in and get to know everyone "I'm a big boy, Cicero- I've been bathing myself at home for years - I think I remember how to do it!" He had laughed. Maximus had wanted to be alone.

Leaving the sheet in a heap on the floor, he stepped into the pool and sat on the edge to clean himself off before rubbing in some oil. Suddenly he felt as though he was being observed. It was that prickling sensation that had saved his life many times in the German forests when he had sensed a presence in the trees about and avoided an arrow or a dagger by his prescience. With a quick movement of his head, he checked the door. Serena was standing there, blushing, her eyes cast down.

"I came to help you bathe, my lord," she muttered.

"I can bathe myself, Serena. There is no need," he replied, embarrassed to be naked before her.

"But I want to." It was as simple as that. His wife walked forward and he slipped beneath the water, holding his hands before him to cover himself from her. Serena picked up a small bowl and used it to scoop water and pour it over his head and shoulders; in silence he allowed her to attend him.

"I have missed you, Maximus. I am lonely here without you." He had never known Serena to speak so openly before. "Step from the water. I wish to oil you." Serena picked up the cloth from the floor and held it out for him. There was no choice. Maximus stood, his hands still cupped across his genitals and allowed her to wrap him round and he moved onto the marble bench, already covered by a thin mat. There he lay face down and Serena removed his sheet, drying him gently with it, stroking down his spine and patting his buttocks and then rubbing the cloth along each of his legs. Maximus swallowed hard and tried to concentrate on something else, aware that a woman's touch was bound to cause an involuntary reaction in him, especially after weeks upon the road. Did Serena not realise that?

As she opened the vial of oil and poured it onto his back, Serena began to work the spicy fragrant unguent into his tired muscles. Her hands were soft and smooth, her fingers long and slender and she touched him with a tenderness he had not expected. From his knotted shoulder muscles, down his spine, kneading his muscles and pressing her knuckles down on pressure points, he sighed with the sheer pleasure and was sure that she responded to that as her hands strayed down to his buttocks. Serena poured more oil and stroked it as it ran down the crevice between and to his shock her hand followed the oil's path, down to the top of his thighs, gently prying his legs apart momentarily to finger his scrotum and then draw her hand down the inside of his legs.

Maximus felt a bead of sweat run down his forehead as his penis hardened. He ground himself against the marble bench to try to still his arousal but only succeeded in increasing it further. At that moment his wife spoke:

"Turn over, Maximus!"

"I cannot, Serena."

"Cannot?"

"I am aroused by your touch. It is embarrassing."

"I am your wife. Turn over. Now!" There was a tone in Serena's voice that Maximus had never heard before. Unused to being commanded by a woman, he simply responded and rolled over, lying before her, completely exposed, his erection rising all the more now freed from constraint and under a woman's gaze. He set his face and raised his chin, the mannerism that often masked his discomfort and met Serena's eyes. She was smiling. "Maximus. You were well named! Welcome home, my lord."

To his complete surprise, she continued her massage, appearing little bothered by the fact of her husband's manhood clearly in the way of her attention. Serena hummed quietly to herself as she worked the oil into his shoulders and down his chest, along his ribs and hips, down his legs and into his feet. Maximus had the distinct impression that she was enjoying herself and as he began to relax, he realised that so was he. After all- she was his wife, why should she not attend him in this way?

Finally she finished and he moved to rise. Serena shook her head and pushed him back. "Not yet, Maximus!" Pouring a small amount of oil onto her palms, she rubbed her hands together and grasped his erect member, stroking it gently, pulling back the skin and oiling the head with the fragrant unguent, jerking it firmly. Suddenly she stopped and let him go, wiping her hands on the sheet. "Now I suggest you go into the caldarium and sweat the dirt from your pores. I want you clean when you come to me. I would also recommend that you jump in the cold plunge before you dress for I am not sure that you could tie your subligar around that weapon at the moment," she said with a cheeky smile.

As Serena turned towards the door, Maximus reacted at last. He jumped up "What is going on, Serena? Are you unwell? Why are you behaving like this?"

Serena stopped at the door. "Unwell? I am your wife, Maximus. I just want to please you. I have missed you. I have been lonely. I know that you will never love me but I thought at least we might have some pleasure together. Other women have pleasure with their husbands. I know- they have told me."

"You have discussed me with other women?"

"No. They have discussed other men and I have listened. Your secret is safe with me."

"My secret? What are you talking about?"

"The fact that you cannot please a woman. You don't know how to. I thought if I could find out I could help."

An unfamiliar emotion struck Maximus as she spoke- jealousy. "Find out? What exactly has been going on while I have been away? Who has been teaching you how to please a man? Have you been dallying with someone else?"

Serena stared at him, white faced with anger. "How dare you suggest that I have been with another man! What kind of woman do you think I am?  That's it! I am finished with trying to coax and please you. It is obviously hopeless. You are unfeeling."

Maximus walked over to her, covering himself with the sheet. "Is this something to do with losing our child? Has it affected you so badly?"

"What? Of course it affected me badly- more so than it affected you, evidently! You couldn't even be bothered to write to me to console me. But I am not ill or mad. I am a woman and I simply want you to make me feel like one. But you can't. I don't know what is wrong with you - perhaps you prefer men? Don't worry, Maximus Meridius. I will be your wife and give you children but I won't expect anything more from you - just don't expect anything more from me!" And with that Serena ran from the room, tears pouring down from her eyes.

Maximus glared at her, enraged by what she had said. How dare his wife speak to him like that! What was the matter with her? He banged his fist down on the marble bench and swore. "Women! What the fuck is wrong with them? Why don't they behave like men?" Completing his bath, scraping off the oil perfunctorily and cleansing himself in the cold pool, he dried and dressed. Storming over to the villa he determined to finish this for once and for all. He was tired of trying to treat this girl with delicacy. Her husband arrives home after a ten-month absence, a long journey and the most gruelling campaign season of his life- and this is her welcome? She needed to be taught who was master in this house- and he needed to act like one for a change.

Bursting through the door of the villa, he found Cicero. "Where is my wife?' he growled. Cicero knew that mood- it was best to keep out of his way. "In her room I think, sir."

Maximus ran up the stairs taking them a few at a time. 

'So this is the wife is it?" Cicero thought to himself. "Seems to be a fiery lady. Exactly what he needs, if you ask me. Lead him a bit of a merry dance!'

Meanwhile Maximus reached his bedroom door and kicked it open. Serena was lying face down on the bed, sobbing. She didn't want him to see her crying.

"How dare you talk to me like that! I am your husband. What has been going on in your mind these past months?"

Serena continued to ignore him and cry into her pillow.

"Answer me! I asked you a question," he roared, but still she refused to speak to him.

Maximus pulled her roughly by the arm and turned her to him. For a long moment they glared at each other, their eyes locked and blazing, hers streaming with angry tears. They were breathing hard and he became aware of her breasts rising against his chest. With a groan, he grabbed her by her hair and pressed her to him, plundering her mouth roughly and roaming his hands around her body, hoisting her tunica up and tearing it from her.

Throwing her down on to the bed, Maximus became aware of what he had done. The young couple stared at each other, panting and aroused. Serena's eyes were wide with shock at his violent action but all at once they reached for each other and fell upon the bed. His wife dragged at Maximus' clothes with as much force as he had done to hers and in a short while they were naked, rolling over and over kissing and biting, running their hands over each other's bodies hungrily.

Maximus pulled away and feasted his eyes on Serena's naked body, gasping at its voluptuous perfection. "Serena! You are so beautiful! Your breasts are magnificent, so full and brown. I want to bury myself in you!" He greedily sucked upon a brown nipple and cupped her other breast, its nipple already hard and erect, all the while rubbing himself against her long slender legs. Serena writhed beneath him, half faint at the feel of his touch. Her legs parted and she bucked, raising her hips towards him in that instinctive dance of passion that every woman keeps within her.

Running his hand to her wet sex, Maximus found her nub and rubbed it between his fingers as he laved her breasts, moaning and whispering at the feel of her. Serena threw her head back on the pillow and felt her passion rise until she let out a high scream and came for the first time. Her wanton response fired up his ardour even more and he rose above her to take her.

"I want you. Inside me. Take me now, Maximus! Make- me-a-woman!" she ordered him.

Aware somewhere deep within him that he must not hurt her, he used his fingers to guide him to her opening and then slowly inserted his throbbing cock. This time, Serena did not tense. Instead she pushed against him and he slipped further within; she soon found his rhythm and rose in time to his urgent pounding, wrapping her legs around his waist, struggling to feel him deeper and deeper within her.

He groaned at the feel of her as he thrust deeper and deeper into her dark wet tunnel. She felt like no other woman he had ever entered. It was as if her vagina had been sculpted to fit him, as if they had been hewn from one single flesh for each other. She was tight and wet and her walls milked him until he felt quite insane with desire.

Maximus did not know what he was doing or saying; he was unaware that they had fallen from the bed onto a thick rug beneath and that he was calling her and she was calling him as he rose to his completion in one great roar, "Serena!" All he could feel was the pumping of his hot seed as it poured life into his wife's womb as she cried, "Max! Oh Max! Oh Max!" in her orgasm. They were both unaware that the door to their room was wide open and that the sounds of their frantic passion could be clearly heard by the assembled household who were preparing the evening meal downstairs with red faces and scarce concealed smiles.

It was some time before they realised where they were and their vision cleared. With hearts beating at a dangerous rate, they lay tangled together on the rug, unable to comprehend what had passed between them. Serena could hardly see or breathe, buried beneath his chest; she wondered if her heart would give out. Suddenly Maximus realised her predicament and he moved away; his penis slipping from her to leave a wet, sticky trail upon her thigh.

"Ugh!" Serena gasped and they began to laugh. And they laughed. Maximus and Serena howled with laughter, lying back on the floor, shaking and rolling about, tears of joy running down their faces. It was a long time before either could compose themselves to speak. At last:

"I have never laughed so much in all my life!" gasped Serena.

"Nor I! And I have never fucked so well!" retorted her husband. "Where did that come from?" Maximus sat up and rested his back against the bed. "Have I been blind? It is as though scales have fallen from my eyes. How could I not have seen beneath your innocent countenance that you were a magnificent woman of such passion! Serena - you are like no woman I have ever known!" His voice sounded full of wonder and he flashed her his devastating smile, one of those things she had first admired so much about him.

Serena smiled back. "And you have just proved that you do know what your cock is for! Oh yes. I know what that word means now, my lord. I have found out other words, too, since you have been away. Like the one you just used. Fuck. I like that word. I like the feel of it too. Maximus- can we do it again?"

"What? You almost killed me the first time, woman. I'm afraid you will have to let me rest a while. But I will do it again- and soon," he giggled. Serena was amazed at that. Something else to love about him- he could giggle like a silly girl!

Just then they noticed that the door was wide open and realised that the noise they had made must have carried down the stairs into the rooms below. Maximus stood up and closed it, putting on a face like a naughty boy who has been caught stealing apples. Another unexpected expression to add to the growing collection, she thought. He stood before her, now unashamedly naked, and she looked at him openly, wondering at his magnificent body. Catching her glance, he posed, hands on hips and said, "Is there something that pleases you, mistress?" 'Could this be stern Maximus?' Serena mused to herself and chuckled with pleasure at this new revelation.

"Maximus. Much as I want you- we must talk. Something quite miraculous has just happened and I don't understand how our world can be turned around so instantly. Explain it to me!" she asked.

He shrugged. "I don't understand it- perhaps it cannot be explained. Our bodies decided to take over because we were making such a mess of things. I'm sick of talking. I'm tired of being proper and honourable and respectful and noble. I want to be improper and dishonourable and disrespectful and extremely base with you. And as soon as we have eaten some food, I intend to be just that- all night long. That is, if we ever get the courage to face the audience down there who have just witnessed this most unedifying spectacle!" He laughed and pulled her back into his arms.

VII

Maximus came down to dinner some time later and motioned for a slave girl to go and attend his wife. He looked sternly around but Cardo and Velita kept their eyes down. Turning towards the door, he caught the expression on Cicero's face, it showed wry amusement and his eyes were dancing. Maximus stared and then grinned and mouthed,

"Fuck off!" at him; his mood was too buoyant even to slap Cicero down for his evident forward behaviour.

"My wife and I will eat in the triclinium tonight," Maximus said. He had no intention of making Serena suffer small talk around the kitchen table after the display they had both just put on for the other members of the household. Serena joined him some time later, elegantly dressed and with her hair now arranged. They greeted each other formally before the slave who was serving them and then Maximus indicated that he should leave and not return unless summoned. As soon as the door shut behind him, Serena leapt onto the couch where Maximus was reclining and cuddled up to him.

"Do you think they heard?" she said.

"I know they heard," replied Maximus, " Cicero's face was quite clear about that- the others were more discreet. For Hades' sake- we're married! Been apart for ten months- what do they expect?" he laughed.

Serena helped herself to some of the food on the low table and fed her husband, teasing him by pulling food away just before he took a bite. He caught her hand and ate, licking her fingers clean of the residue. She knelt up, straddling him and they continued in this fashion, feeding each other and making of the repast an erotic experience, purposely dripping juices down each other's faces so that they could lick them up.

Maximus was intrigued by Serena's natural sexuality. He knew now that this was instinctive and began to understand the mistake he had made in trying to shield her innocence. He had presumed there were women and women- that's what men always said- but perhaps they were wrong. Maybe most men just take little trouble to discover their own wives, content to leave them in ignorance so that they are easier to control. Looking at Serena, her eyes shining and her body languid and full of promise, he realised that this is what every woman wanted and she was more his now than she would ever have been had he kept her as the submissive wife.

She was lovely, young and in love with him and he couldn't understand why he had missed the signs. More to the point, he felt carried away by her in a way he had never thought he would feel again. But where had that sudden recognition come from? Why had he shrunk from her before? Maximus knew he had always been fond of her and wanted to take care of her; he had been proud of her when she had told him of the baby and devastated when he had learnt of its loss. But that wasn't love. Can a man fall in love in one moment? Or was he simply reacting to an erotic experience? Laughing to himself he wished there were a handbook on love like the military handbooks great generals wrote to instruct on the exact ways to wage a campaign. Somehow he thought that forming a meaningful relationship might have some similarities to launching an assault- one false move and all could be lost!

"What's so funny, Max?" Serena asked.

"Just an idle fancy! I'm trying to work you out. Work myself out, too. I'm afraid I don't have the equipment for philosophical musings. I'm better with a concrete problem to solve!"

"Then let's just enjoy ourselves and not question what we feel- just yet. Let me change the subject. It's something I've always wanted to ask you. Why is your first name Decimus? Does it have a family significance? You are the firstborn. It seems unusual. Was it your father's name?"

"No. He was Gaius. It's a funny story really. I was overdue. Born late. It was already into the next month when I was born. So my father said I was 'Little ten months". The midwife said that babies who arrive late are often very special- they take more growing. So- he called me Decimus to commemorate that."

"Did no one ever use that name?"

"My mother did. She called me Dec. So did my father when I was small but when he returned to the army, no one called me that again. It's always your family name there. As my father was Meridius, mostly I got Maximus so as not to confuse us, but it used to embarrass me when I was younger. Some big legionary or centurion would make some remark or call me Minimus- you know how men can be!"

"They wouldn't call you that now, would they?" They both laughed.

"Not if they valued their necks!" he replied.

"Do they call you Legate Meridius?"

"No-Maximus. It has somehow stuck. They call me Ironman behind my back, though."

"Ironman?" Serena screamed with laughter. "Why?"

"Because I'm so tough," he boasted. 

Serena ran her hand down to stroke his groin. "Hmm.  I thought it was because of this- but I suppose your men wouldn't know about this iron weapon, would they?" she giggled.

"You are shameless, girl. And I'd put that down if I were you. Don't play with weapons- the consequences can be dangerous! And furthermore- I'm not putting on another show for the household tonight. We'll wait until we're tucked upstairs and the doors and windows are shuttered." But he didn't pull away -instead he drew her closer to him and ran his hand up the edge of her dress.

VIII

And so began the sweetest time of Maximus' life. Yes, sweeter even than the time he had spent with Lucilla. That had always been tinged with guilt and the knowledge that it must soon end. It had been forbidden love, infatuation, discovery but, as the weeks went by, Maximus realised that, with Lucilla, he had been like a young boy with his first girl. They had known so little about each other, rarely sharing details of their lives, content to make love and sweet talk. But then they had had little time, always snatching moments, never with the luxury to know each other on a deeper level. What had they had in common? But then what did any man have in common with a woman?  His time with Elda had shown him something of the warmth of domestic life shared with a woman- might something even stronger be forged if there was also love?   Somehow he felt that he might find something in common with Serena- their passion, their home life, their children, the future- perhaps even a time when he was no longer a soldier and could retire to civilian life as her father, Corellius had done. Now there was a notion. Maximus-the farmer! Why not?

He broached the idea of her returning back to Germany with him with some reluctance. It seemed a cruel thing to drag her from her safe home to a fortress so near the battlefront. But he had little choice; he was an officer and he had his orders. One day, while they were riding near to home, Maximus indicated that they should dismount and they rested on a hillside, seated on some large flat rocks. He took her hand and held it, idly playing with her fingers as he struggled for how to say what must be said.

"Serena. The past months have been so wonderful for me. It feels like an enchanted time; I have never been happier. Do you know that I love you? I wish I could shield you from all the harm and danger in the world outside but I fear I cannot. I have to tell you something that may upset you - but I have no choice. I am a soldier and I have my orders."

Serena's eyes filled with tears. " hen you must go already, Max? It is still so early in the year. I thought we could have a few weeks' longer... but I knew the day would come. I don't blame you, my darling." She reached over and kissed him gently, placing her hand upon his face.

"No. It's worse. As you know I have been given my own command. The emperor is basing me at Vindobona. It's a great fortress with a largish town attached. He wants me to bring my wife. He thinks it is more seemly for a general." He exhaled sharply, readying himself for her startled reaction.

"I can go with you? We don't have to be apart? Maximus, that is the best news I have ever heard! I can't believe it. The emperor said so! The emperor knows of little me? How long do we have? I will need more clothes and travelling wear and then I'll have to pack household goods and furnishing because I'm sure there will be nothing suitable for us there...." Maximus stared open-mouthed.

"You want to come? To the Northern Limes? You don't mind?"

"Mind? Are you mad? I would travel to Hades and back for you, Maximus! So what if it is cold and uncivilised? Better a warm bed with you there than a cold one here alone. Did you think I wouldn't want to be with you?"

Serena flung herself onto his knee and kissed him, laughing at his confused expression.

"But you've never left Lusitania before...."

"Then all the more reason why I should go! Do you think girls love to live their lives in seclusion with no knowledge of the world outside? It will be a great adventure and I will be a lady of note- the wife of General Maximus, commander of the VIIth Felix."

Her tinkling laughter rang out on the wintry hillside as she burrowed deeper into his cloak. Maximus held her tight, feeling moved almost to tears. He would be where he wanted to be- commander of his own legion, stationed in the most important theatre of war in the empire and with his girl. No more alone. A family. A home. The gods had blessed him, unworthy as he was.

"Oh, Serena, I love you so much," he gasped.

"As I love you, my beautiful Maximus. But we have much to do. Let's go back and make plans..." She was on her feet and dancing away to the horses, excited as a little child.

Maximus rubbed his head. "When am I going to get it right?" he smiled ruefully to himself.

Serena watched him as he helped her mount and jumped up on his own horse. She was amused by his uncertainty and confusion. How could Maximus, so strong, intelligent and thoughtful, be so unsure of himself with women? He had proved that his problem wasn't between the sheets- the past two months had been Elysium and Serena had never believed that pleasure could exist like the pleasure he gave her when they were alone. No, he knew a woman's body and its secrets, more than well enough.

It had occurred to Serena many times how little knowledge he had of women in their daily lives and that was where his problem had begun. He had hardly known his mother; had lived almost exclusively with men. Women were bedmates or slaves to him. How she loved to teach him of what really was within a woman's heart- and what a willing learner he was! He did not seem to have the assumptions that other men had about a woman's inferiority. Maximus was a singular man.

One thing that had surprised her most was when he had opened up about other women he had cared for. Serena had blurted out the wrong question as usual and supposed, when she had asked him, that he would be reluctant to share those confidences with her. After all, he was a private man and might feel it inappropriate to reveal such things to his wife. One night when they had lain in bed, in the afterglow of love, she had asked the question:

"Tell me, Max. Have you ever loved another woman?"

There was a long pause and she was unsure whether he would reply. Turning round to lie upon his chest, she found he was not angry but deeply pensive, staring at the ceiling. But as she looked at him, he met her gaze and smiled.

"I thought I did. Once. But I don't think it was true love. I think it was first love. I recognise now that it didn't have the depth or understanding of real love. She didn't love me and I was infatuated with her. But when it ended it nearly drove me insane and I behaved like an animal. I never want to allow myself to lose control like that again. I believe that the reason I was so uneasy with you when we first married was that I had still not recovered and was holding something back. I blame her for so many things that went wrong in my life. She was poison."

"Tell me what happened? How could a woman have treated you so cruelly?" Serena sat up and pulled his head onto her breast to cradle him as he told her of his affair with the daughter of the emperor.  She listened transfixed to the tale of how this princess had seduced her Maximus and driven him over the edge. It was so obvious to Serena that he had been pushed beyond his limits to act out of character and risk all he held dear- his career, his principles - even his honour. And the little bitch had tossed him aside like something used and unwanted. How she hoped that she would one day meet this woman and show by her happiness what Annia Lucilla could never have, princess or not.

"She changed in an instant, Serena. One night she was vowing undying love for me but the next morning, after we had been discovered, she was cold and heartless and laughing in my face. I could not believe anyone could treat another that way."

Something of the story suddenly did not ring true to Serena. Of course, the girl had few morals and had made a play for him but it seemed that her infatuation had been as deep as his own. Why had she sent him away on the last time they could ever meet with such a cruel farewell? Unless... was it possible...had she been trying to protect him? Had her inexplicable change of attitude been an act? 'What would I have done?' Serena had thought about this long and hard and finally knew the answer. 'I would have set him free- even at the cost of my own peace of mind.' This woman still loved him and when that idea dawned on her she was even more relieved that she was to be at his side in future. It was unlikely that the princess would visit Germany again- but who knows? It could happen. This was one time when she had no desire to enlighten Maximus into the minds of women.

There was something else that Serena did not tell her husband. She suspected that, had he known this then he might have even disobeyed the emperor for the sake of her well being. Serena was pregnant again; she had not bled since he had returned and was surprised he had not commented on it. No doubt his joy at their newfound love had blinded him to such matters, but she was sure. When they were on their way she would tell him and not before. This time she would bear him a son and he would be there to name his boy himself.

IX

They left the villa several weeks later, having spent the intervening period in frenetic activity sending ahead cartloads of furnishing and other domestic goods; Maximus had shaken his head and simply given up trying to reason with his wife. He wondered what his apartments would look like in the fortress- no doubt he would have to put up with some hilarity from Quintus and the others. He had lived like a pauper up till then in camp, never bothered by possession or comforts and now his rooms would be hung with tapestries and strewn with rugs and meals would be served on decent plates. Well- if it kept her happy!

Finally they were ready to depart and after sad farewells to Corellius and Tertullia, to Cardo and Velita, they were ready for the off. As they rode away, Maximus on his horse and Cicero driving a small covered raeda for Serena, he caught sight of a familiar face. Peering from the corner of the slave quarters, he saw Marilla. 'Where has she been all winter? I can't remember having seen her.' he thought to himself. She was holding her son to her breast and smiling at him. The baby must be old enough to walk by now- wonder why she still bundled him up like a little one? Maximus smiled back and rode on. He hadn't noticed the little toddler pulling at his mother's skirts.

He retraced his homeward journey east to Tarraco and they spent a few days in that balmy town where the worst of winter was kept at bay, although the foothills of the Pyrenees were rising snow-covered in the distance. It was there one clear starry night in their room in the Praetorium overlooking the sea, that Serena told her husband the secret that had been burning a hole inside her. They were standing by the window, he behind her with his arms about her waist, both watching the night sky.

"Max." He was kissing her neck and stroking her breasts; she could feel his arousal and knew he was ready to love her.

"Mmmm?"

"I have something to tell you. Listen. Stop a moment." Serena turned around and smiled. "I am with child, Maximus, two months or more already. Pray Juno, we will have a healthy child by the harvest."

His eyes widened at the news and he raised her off the ground and swung her round.

"My life is complete. In you I have found my world." They clung to each other and cried with joy at the wonder that love had brought them. Nothing could ever take this from them. He didn't chide her for not informing him before- he understood her reasons. Maximus could not have left her behind once his mind was made up and he assured her that she would have the best of treatment when her time came. For once he would use his influence with the emperor and request an imperial physician- Serena might even be better cared for than at home! His care and concern were abounding until she had to be firm with him and make him stop or her feet might never have touched the ground.

One area of their life affected was in the bedroom. He refused to make love to her in case he did some damage but Serena would not hear of it. "I cannot go for months like this, Maximus, nor can you. I have been with child for weeks and nothing has happened and we have made love every night and morning! You will be gentle and I will go on top of you - but we will be lovers still until I am too big to raise myself! Believe me, you will only do me good." And he accepted this- he found it hard to resist Serena in anything and where, in every other aspect of his life he was commanding and determined, with her he was content to play another role; the gentle and biddable lover.

Serena thrived and grew and no harm was done. They were both as desirous of each other as they had ever been- maybe more. Maximus found her fecund body intoxicating and she seemed to become more womanly with every passing day. People who saw the young couple together on the boat to Italy, in Mediolanum and in the other towns they passed along the way said that never had they seen such a sight- two people so wrapped up in each other and unashamed to show it. It was not a very Roman mode of behaviour; uxoriousness was frowned upon, but it was hard not to smile at them. Once or twice, Maximus realised that they had acted more impulsively that was seemly but he shrugged it off; no one knew them there. However it would be a different story in Germany. He would not have his men see him acting like a lovesick fool, even if that is what he was!

X

Vindobona was the greatest fortress on the North Eastern Limes, although not to be compared with Colonia Agrippensis or Monguntiacum further west. To Serena it appeared dark and foreboding on the late March afternoon when they rode under the gateway into Maximus' world. She knew the easy days of their long journey were at an end. She was the wife of a senior officer in this military stronghold and Maximus needed her to maintain his image as a disciplined and serious legate. In public she would be demure and deferential, speaking only when addressed and keeping a seemly distance from her husband. Only in the privacy of their quarters could they speak openly and put aside their masks.

A formal greeting was given when the new general dismounted; soldiers and other officers of the new-formed legion saluted him and made their polite attendances towards his wife. Then Serena was whisked away by Cicero and other servants of the general's principia and Maximus left to call an immediate council to be brought up to date on the state of affairs so far. The men were gathered but formal training was in its preliminary stages; the new legion had only a few months to be at least somewhere near battle fitness if not the fighting machine that Maximus hoped they would be in the years to come.

Serena noticed how her husband behaved, with surprise. He was sombre and seemed to command such a presence that men stood openly in awe of him, even if he merely turned an eye in their direction. It stunned Serena that her gentle husband had this other side to him but she knew that it made sense; she had once been in awe of him herself. It was also evident that the respect her husband commanded extended to her as well; she was bowed to and treated in a deferential manner by all the women of the garrison- wives of other officers and townspeople. It made her smile to be so grandly viewed when she was a mere country girl from Spain! But she determined to act her part and make her husband proud.

Her quarters were large with several reception rooms, a triclinium and a few chambers; there was even a small bathhouse for the use of the general and his family. The goods that they had sent had not yet arrived and, as she had suspected, the quarters were bare but certainly habitable- slaves had been preparing them for weeks. Serena was introduced to the general household staff- a cook, a few kitchen hands, three slave girls and a personal maid for her. They seemed to be very anxious to please and did not dare make eye contact with the great lady.

Serena called her staff together. She wanted her home to be happy and relaxed although she did not want anyone to feel she was not conducting herself as befitted a general's lady. When they were all gathered, she spoke to them.

"I am the Lady Maxima Meridia, although you may address me as mistress Serena, for that is my own name. I intend this to be a happy household as is my home in Spain. I expect you to work hard and do your duty for your master as he will do for Rome- we all have a role to play. My husband has a weight of responsibility on his shoulders- the safety of all of us here in Vindobona depends on him. When he retires to his quarters and leaves behind the duties of his post, I want him to hear only happy voices and see a well run home. We do not want to use harsh discipline and cruelty. It is not our way. But I will not see anyone let him down nor tolerate any discussion of the private life of the general outside these walls. Do you all understand me?" They nodded solemnly. "Good. Then we shall all be friends!" and Serena gave them a beaming smile.

Calling her handmaiden to her she indicated that they should speak privately. The girl was a pretty little German girl who had a lively and intelligent air. Her slave name was Baria, some Latin corruption of her native name.

"Baria. I must tell you something personal. I am with child and will deliver in about six months, the gods be willing. Have you any experience of such matters?"

"Mistress, I have attended deliveries both among my own people and in my former household. I have some knowledge but know others who can be of more assistance. Our cook has born six children and delivered many. Do not worry- there are many women close to aid you when your time comes and in the months ahead."

"Good. Your Latin is excellent- that makes it easy. I have no experience in these matters and will benefit from any knowledge other people have. We shall grow close."

"The general. He is a very well respected man. Already I have heard that the men are proud to serve under him. We are proud to be his slaves, my lady, and yours too," Baria had a charming smile and Serena felt an immediate attraction to her.

"My husband is an exceptional man as you will find out, Baria. And he is a kind man. No one needs to fear working in his household."

It was late in the evening before Maximus joined her in their apartments. He had eaten in the principia, having sent word for her to dine alone. When he entered with his guards who, from that time on, always flanked the door to the principia, Serena noticed the instinctive fear with which the slaves reacted. All, of course, except Cicero, who bowed but had his usual wry look. Maximus caught his eyes and they exchanged a glance- Serena knew that they were friends despite their different stations in life. Serena greeted her husband formally, bowing and calling him " My lord" and caught again a gleam in his eye but his face stayed stern as he nodded back.

"Have you dined, my lady"

"Yes, sir."

"I suggest you retire for the night. It has been a long day and you need your rest. Goodnight." Maximus turned to Cicero to help divest him of his uniform and then  he read through some documents that were waiting for his attention.

"Goodnight, my lord." Serena bowed and withdrew.

Baria attended Serena as she prepared for bed, brushing out her mistress's long black hair, amazed at its curl, its thickness and its lustrous colour, so dark it was almost blue black. She removed her lady's garments and helped her with her sleeping gown, noticing the beautiful smooth brown skin of her body, almost shiny in the candlelight and wondered at this beautiful Spanish woman and her handsome husband. Was he always so stern, even with his young wife?

Serena dismissed her girl and told her to retire herself, saying that she wished to read a while and was not quite ready to sleep. Baria bowed and left. As she went down the corridor, the general brushed passed her, seeming not to notice her until they actually touched and he stopped and stepped back, allowing her to pass.

"Are you my wife's maid?" he questioned, not unkindly.

"Yes sir, my name is Baria."

"Well, Baria - I apologise for my clumsiness. I am in a hurry to see my wife!" and with a smile, he disappeared into his bedchamber. Baria smiled back - so the general was not always stern! His beautiful wife was more than just a great man's consort- she was also his love, too. How interesting- she didn't think these Romans had such romantic notions!

Inside the room, Serena was half-heartedly reading by the lamp, willing Maximus to come to her. Then she heard his low rumble on the corridor and jumped up to meet him. As he strolled in, he cast aside his haughty countenance and grinned broadly:

"What do you think, girl? Did I carry it off?"

"Like Ironman himself, my lord!" she giggled and he swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed.

"How solid do you think these walls are?" Serena inquired. 

"Several rows of stone- we know how to build forts, you know, Serena. It's the secret to the army's success."

"What so that the barbarians don't get frightened by the sounds of passion from within?" she teased.

"They might tonight when I've finished with you, woman," he growled.

Despite his audacious words, Maximus was gentle with his wife as he peeled off her night shift and laid her back among the furs and blankets. Standing before her, he stripped quickly and came to her, his warm strong body shielding her from the unfamiliar cold of March in the east. Wrapped up in their furs, they kissed and touched each other, sighing with contentment to be in each other's arms at last, away from the public gaze and free to be themselves.

Maximus slid down Serena's body and kissed her breasts and belly, talking quietly to his unborn child and then moving down to drink of his wife's juices and inhale her perfume, which always drove him wild. Bringing her to the edge of passion, tenderly nuzzling on her little nub, he held her and then led her over the brink until she cried out his name in her ecstasy. With the knowledge that she was in her own special Elysium, brought to it by his love, he lay beside her and he lifted her upon him, pulling a fur around her shoulders to keep her warm. As she sat there displaying her wonderful breasts and the rounded belly that was beginning to appear, he lay in wonder as he did every night to see her, eyes half closed, murmuring words of love and open to him in every way.

Serena loved to observe him as he watched her. Raising herself she found his shaft and lowered herself upon him. They both gasped together, he at the warmth and wetness of her dark passageway, she at the size and thickness that always took her by surprise. Maximus grasped her hips gently but firmly and rose to thrust within her. His wife used her knees for leverage and copied his motion in reverse, knowing full well that his resolve would be weakened if she rode him too and tightened herself even further with each stroke. With her long hair hanging like a dark curtain about his face and chest, her full breasts tipped with erect brown nipples quivering before him, Maximus raised himself and nuzzled her.

Locked in this embrace they began to move faster, breathe more heavily, pant more loudly until they came together, crying on the gods and each other in their passion. Sinking back to wrap themselves within the furs and lie on the soft pillows, Serena soon fell asleep. Maximus, however, was wakeful, his mind still alert from the hours of planning and discussion. It was not an easy task ahead and there were those who resented his presence- the emperor had warned him of as much. But he was ready for them. With Serena and his child by his side, he felt as though he could take on the world.