As he watched from somewhere above, apprehension gripped the faces of those on the hillside. Slowly and quietly at first another sound came to his ears but from the opposite direction down the incline of the hill, he recognised it as men moving in large numbers towards his position ascending the slope to face the gathered Roman lines. The sound of wheels or more specifically chariots joined the cacophony from somewhere unseen.
The tips of banners came into view depicting animals crudely drawn onto material fluttering in the slight breeze, on his side the eagle standard waited shining in the bright sunlight. He realised he was watching a scene from Briton but from decades before during one of Caesars forays into the country. A battle was about to be fought a pivotal battle he suspected, the final battle before Caesar ordered a retreat back to the sea and to Gaul. The Britons had been prepared on this occasion and had amassed thousands of warriors to defy the armour clad legions of Rome.
Horses whinnied from their lines, an order was given to advance towards the enemy still unseen except for their banners as the front ranks began to march slowly forward and the flats of swords began to slam into the sides of shields.
“Move forward now.” The distant voice almost whispered like a memory as if inside his head and the image changed. The man he recognised as himself was lying wounded on a field surrounded by the dead and dying. He felt sharp pains in his leg and upper arm. Looking at the image he saw a deep puncture wound in his upper left thigh and a large jagged wound to his left arm just above the bicep, blood flowed from both injuries.
A medicus ran from one man to another desperately trying to staunch the blood flow sustained by men from his Legion. Some he stopped at briefly and gave aid and then ran to another where he could save a life but some he ran on from barely stopping, their lives already expired.
“Is this how you pass from this life?” The voice asked.
“Yes.” He heard himself reply in a hushed tone. “The leg wound wouldn’t stop bleeding, a vein was damaged inside the flesh it bled inside and stopped my heart from beating.”
“And what did you learn from this life?”
“Discipline honour and duty.” He whispered again accepting that what he had witnessed was somehow real or had been real and that he had lived before. Everything seemed to make sense to him now, he was a warrior that was his calling that was what he had been before, that’s what he was now and that’s what he would be again. Brenna calmly called him from where he had been, slowly and carefully, aware that it would be damaging to pull him too abruptly from his past. Eventually he blinked open his eyes suddenly aware of his physicality, his body and where he was, he smiled up at Brenna’s beautiful face. Clenching his fists and moving his toes, he felt as if he had been asleep for days.
“That was amazing.” He said attempting to rise from the ground but she held him down, “Stay still for a moment and relax.”
He suddenly remembered the wounds and quickly looked at his arm and leg but there was nothing there, he frowned.
“How is this possible?” He looked at her with a frown over his face.
She smiled, “It’s part of who we all are. I wanted to show you this,” she gestured to the surrounding area, “everything is a part of everything else, the trees, the lakes, the animals and the people. Like all things the gods provide this and they watch. We will all live many lives and as long as we learn from each of them and grow we will live again.”
“Is this how soothsayers see the future?” He asked.
“I cannot say but like some soothsayers of our people mine too sacrifice to see what the future holds but it’s not always certain. Things can change the future especially where people have changed their ways or have chosen to take a different path. It’s like being in a strong river, different currents can take you different ways and those currents can determine where you will finish your journey.”
“I feel strangely more alive than ever before.” He remarked.
“That is usual especially when someone experiences this for the first time, elation, happiness and a renewed excitement and sense of life, it rejuvenates the physical body. It comes from knowing there is more, that there is something almighty out there even though we can’t always see it. Our people have always known this that is what some of our people have in common. A few tribes do not have druidic teaching but most do but even they can’t agree on all manner of things such as human sacrifice. I would never take part in such barbaric practise but I wouldn’t even take an animal’s life for such reasons although some believe it appeases the gods.
All life is sacred and I would never take one for such a purpose only for food as the gods have provided them. The wooden cages where the young are sacrificed are vile in the extreme but some of the more desperate and power hungry druids use them to control their people with fear.”
A realisation suddenly dawned on Varro and he sat up concern on his face.
“Are you a druid Brenna?”
She stared into his eyes unblinking. “I am what I am and I mean no harm to anyone or anything. Like you I’m on a journey, a journey as old as time itself. I know this word you use and if that’s what you choose to call me then yes I am a druid but that is no reason for you to be concerned about me or my intentions towards you. I have nothing for you but love. You used the word soothsayer before and now you use the word druid. I call myself neither, I am just me” She smiled as her hand moved lower and he relaxed a little lying down.
As she continued talking her hand caressed his stomach and he felt himself getting aroused.
“There are some who pervert the teachings for their own purposes but there are also some who will do anything to fight against the army that you are a part of. To them its normal its natural.” She smiled down at him. “It’s like making love, like you and I making love.”
He returned the smile as she reached down and took hold of his hard erection massaging it slowly with her hand. He moaned quietly arching his back as she manoeuvred herself to sit by his side. His hand stroked her back and slowly moved to her breast caressing a nipple. She leaned forward and licked at his shaft before taking its swollen end into her mouth. He felt her gently suck the end, warm and wet as he grew harder, tingling in anticipation. He was lost in the moment and watched as she moved and mounted him and guided herself onto him. She was beautiful, her body perfect, so sensual, he didn’t want this to end. All thoughts of duty or the army and druids vanished from his mind. For now nothing else mattered except this moment and their bodies moving together as one.
Later as they lay together wrapped around each other
they kissed passionately. “Can you see a time when people don’t have to fight?” She asked.
He looked into her eyes, “Maybe but not in our time, or not in this time I should say.” Smiling he kissed her again.
Some miles away to the west Togodumnus and Caratacus sat in the morning sun with their tribal leaders gathered around a small fire. They ate fresh fish caught earlier and cooked on the same fire and drank strong alcoholic milk made from the herd. The mood was sombre because they had lost a lot of warriors and had seen no sign that they could stop the invader spreading through the land.
“We need to strike them hard and stop the advance.” Said Tomgundum, a young warrior who had fought the enemy many times before and killed more than a dozen himself, or so he claimed.
Togodumnus looked at him, “And my young warrior just how do you propose we do this? Whilst we have the advantage of numbers and the knowledge of the ground they have their weapons, how they fight and the armour they hide behind. These men live this way, they don’t work the farms and land like most of us. They fight and invade lands and no place has stopped them so far. We have to use our natural advantages or they will take this land as they have others, enslave our women and imprison us all. We did it before against their best General and we can do it again and reclaim the land that they now pollute.”