Blood Upon The Ground – Answers for Aragorn Pt II Aragorn spoke once again. . . . “I have little time to waste upon you deserter. . . . Tell me what I want to know, and I will have your wounds cleaned, fresh cloths brought for you, food and drink and you may sleep and for two days you may rest. Then on the third day you will be taken out and beheaded with the sharpest spatha in Aquitania or you may perhaps die by javelin.
When it is finished you won’t have known you had been killed and your head will be with you. But if you refuse I’ll turn you over to Prince Vertixongius, you know what death is certain to await you there but now it is your choice.

Aragorn looked deep into the deserters cold eyes, knowing that he had to have the answers and had them before he left for Durocortorum.
Aragorn turned to the approach the prisoner, then turned away to face the keepers, it’s about time that you were about your task – interrogate him. If in two hours time the deserter hasn’t given you the answers to my questions, you are to send for me and for Prince Vertixongius, then I’ll allow the prince and his men the opportunity to question the deserter.
Lord Aragorn, face was serious and the deserter face paled again, I tired I’ll have my answers or your going to die a very slow painful death this I promise you.
Keeper brings in the druid, now! The deserter’s face brightens a druid priest? . . . Lord Aragorn, turned and faced the priest. . . . Is this one of the men that rode past your groove priest? . . . . Aragorn, asked the priest? . . .

My Lord Aragorn this may have been one of the Roman soldiers I seen riding to the estate of the Averius. But I did not see all of their faces, there were thirty or more of them.
But I can tell you this, he wasn’t the leader for his amour was different and he was a bigger man.
This is the man that I saw ride away from the estate and along with his fellow Roman soldiers and when his horse reached the small ridge behind the estate his horse collapsed upon him, trapping him under it.
Here is where I stayed and watched him till my apprentice came with Prince Vertixongius and his men.

Cantabri dog the priest spoke you have killed my kinsmen, the Lady Averius was my sister and you and your kind will die for what all of you have done.
Aragorn turned to faced the druid priest, a surprise priest to say the least but if he doesn’t give me the answers I want you may have him. I know that you druids have many methods to make people talk and to take their soul from them.
The priest shook his head and never took his eyes off the deserter.

The deserter whispered Lord Aragorn, I’ll tell you what you want to know, I know death faces me and that doesn’t scare me but losing my head and my soul and never going to the Warrior Heaven that I can’t face eternity with.

What are your questions? . . . Where do you want me to start? . . . And will you keep you pledge to me, that when I have answered all your questions, I will have my wounds cleaned, fresh cloths brought to me in this cell, food and drink. . . . That I may sleep and for two days I may rest. . . . Then on the third day I will be executed by death from the javelins. . . . Aragorn looked the deserter in the face and promised him that is how it would be.

I am Alaric of Gigia, son of Altaric of the Cantabri people. . . . In 232ce the Roman emperor Severus Alexander conscripted some 2000 of the Cantabri people for service into the Roman legion. . . . We were sent to train with the XXII Primigenia legion. . . . This legion was used as one of units in emperor's Alexander war against the Persian Sassanids in 233ce. . . . During this campaign I thought the Persians killed many of my people and we battled bravely but they fought from horseback always pulling back with a shower of arrow. . . . While back in Germania where we trained for the XXII, there was problems with so many Roman soldiers were away, a coalition of Germanic warriors, called the Alamanni, successfully attacked the Roman possessions in Baden-Württemberg in 234ce. . . . The XXII was then transferred by to the frontier in Germania. . . . Then in winter this last year (234ce), the emperor Alexander ordered the Roman legions to retaliated with a winter campaign again the Alamanni. . . . The XXII Primigenia legion was one of the more active units immersed in this campaign and of course this lead to a higher rate of casualty among the legion. . . . Of the 2000 Cantabri conscripted in 232ce, the XXII only lost 100 men in the campaign against the Persians from disease and warfare. . . . However, the same couldn't be said for this latest winter campaign against the Alamanni. . . . We lost 1500 Cantabri just in one day because the emperor Alexander took personal command of the XXII legion and lead us into defeat, if it hadn't been for Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus, taking over we would have lost the entire XXII legion that day. . . . Then four days later the soldiers of the XXII lynched Severus Alexander when he started negotiations with the Germans. . . . The legionnaries of the XXII legion then elected his successor Maximinus but it didn't bring and end to the warfare. . . . Four weeks ago there were 325 Cantabri remaining in the XXII legion, we were ordered to attack the left flank of the Alamanni. . . . Unfortunately, they allowed there left flank to appear weak and we rode into an ambush, and only 85 Cantabri remained at sundown. . . . The survivors met that evening around the campfire and decided it was time to go home to Hispania, we didn’t volunteer to join the Roman army we was forced to do so. . . . Whenever they had a dangerous mission it was the Cantabri unit that was sent in, we were brave, we were courage, but we wasn’t treated with respect even by our assigned Roman officers. . . . One of the Cantabri had been promoted to Decurio of one of a Cantabri turmae, with him as our leader we decided to go home on the morrow. . . . So during the next morning’s battle, instead of attacking, we withdraw from the battle into to the thick forest and made our way Southwest away from the battle, away from the killing. . . . When we finally stopped for the evening, there were only 60 Cantabri present, we wasn’t certain what happened to the other 25 but they wasn’t with us. . . . So the next morning we continued in a southwestern direct knowing that it would lead us back to Hispania and home. . . .

COMING SOON! Blood Upon The Ground – (Answers for Aragorn) The Deserters Journey Homeward - Pt III