Chapter 2

The trip home was a short one as the village wasn't very large and one could easily go from one end of the village to the other in around half an hour of jogging.

My village, was called Clearwater Spring, named after the small river that springs nearby is my home. It might not be the largest settlement around or the prettiest but it was home and I'll really miss it but I've already decided on my course of action.

My previous spat with my friend Septimus now forgotten I decided to walk slowly towards home, my body aching after a good training session with the local Auxilla. I might not be an official member but the local garrison were nice enough to help me and a few others train. The nice burn of my muscles combined with some very good news made the trip more enjoyable than it should have despite the mid afternoon sun of late summer.

I took the time of the short trip home from the training grounds to think about the future and the past. I was already 20 years old and unmarried, the unfortunate reasons for that being that most women of eligible age marry at adulthood at 12, an age I had no interest in women to the stupefaction of my my family, now those same young women still left around are either too young for my tastes, taken or family. Both my grandfathers had 8 children each that also had on average 6 children to reach maturity most being girls.... Needless to say this limited my marriage prospects in the surrounding villages including this one.

Didn't stop us from having some 'harmless fun' from time to time however even if it stopped once they too got married, I'm no housebreaker after all.

"I'm home!" I shouted as I knocked the door and then entered.

It wasn't technically my home but my father's in fact but he and mother allowed me to stay longer than I should until I could find a proper house or build it myself.

"Welcome homes son!" My mother replied just as loudly from the kitchen.

I followed the sound of her voice inside until I reached the kitchen and found her making preparations for dinner. By the quantity of it I guessed we were having one of her brothers or father's coming over tonight. It wasn't really uncommon and I thought nothing of it as I begun settling in the old routine of helping my mother cook.

"Let me help with that." I said as i took over the vegetable cutting duty.

It took hours until we were done cooking the boar I hunted yesterday with Septimus but it was done. I originally wanted to salt it and keep it in the store but guests are coming and one should should not be stingy with guests, especially when they're family.

With a strange sense of timing I could hear the door opening just as I was putting down the dishes.

"Go greet father, I'll finish arranging the cutlery myself." I offered and my mother nodded at me in gratitude. her long blonde hair swaying slightly as she did so.

My mother was the ideal looking wife any Romuli man would dream of having. With long golden hair that seemed to rival it's namesake that almost reached her legs, a pretty face with a small nose, vibrant green eyes , a smile that can make most men into bumbling idiots and ... assets in the front and the back that made most other women envious. Even her conservative toga failed to hide her beauty, a fact that gave many visiting city folk no amount of grief as father and I proceeded to beat their stupidity out of them when they tried to cop a feel.

She returned with father linked to her arm.

With mother at his side father looked like a patrician, the epitome of what a romuli man should be. He was around the same height as me and filled with muscles hidden by his toga. His eyes were a sharp hazel similar to my own and his air was freshly cut, making him look like an older version of myself.

Upon seeing the way both were dressed I started feeling uncomfortable, for while mother looked dressed the way she normally does when family visits father was dressed in his best toga which he only wears in front of important guests. The realization I was never told we would be having guests also hit me harder than an uruk berserker as confusion gripped my mind. I didn't have clothes to match father and fro mwht I knew the baths were not ready for guests! 'Just what is going on?'

"Father." I greeted him respectfully with a slight bow.

Thankfully the cooking wasn't messy so at least my tunic was clean so i didn't shame him. He just looked at me with a frown at my hit eye but other than that he smiled, even if it was slightly strained.

"Aetius." He responded

"I didn't know we were expecting esteemed guests" I explained.

My father grimaced, he either forgot to tell me or whoever he sent most likely didn't catch me as I left the auxilla training grounds

"It is no matter son, it is probably even better, let me present you our guest Centurion Hector." Father said and I looked at our guest in lorica segmentata and with a helmet with red feathers.

My back straightened and the palm of my left hand met my chest while my right arm stood at my side as rigidly as my spine.

"Ave Imperator, Centurion!" I greeted in a perfect salute.

"You have the wrong arm on your chest recruit" He said with a smirk but I didn't let it affect me.

"I'm left handed, sir!"

He just nodded at that and left me like that for a few seconds to inspect me. my parents remained silent during this but I didn't dare look at them, I knew better than to ignore a centurion, all who trained in the auxilla did, especially after today.

"At ease young Aeitus, I didn't know I was to come to your house today.

"You honor us with your presence centurion" I replied as I broke the salute.

"Oh I see you already know each other already." My father observed with glimmer in his eyes.

"Indeed cousin in law, Aetius here had shown a keen interest in joining the recruiting efforts for the new legion. I didn't expect that one of the few bright talents in the local areas auxilla to be your son."

"Thank you sir!" I beamed at him.

'A centurion said I've got talent, YES!' I thought in joy. Joining the legions was always my dream and a centurion saying I'm talented was a validation of all my efforts and training.

"You've raised a fine son Aine." Hector said as I still running mental laps around the fact a centurion complemented me.

"It's been challenging Hector, but rewarding."

" Most things worth it are."

The two shared a mischievous smile which told me the phrase was a reference to something from their past and judging by father's look at me neither of us were privy to it.

"You've arrived just in time, please wait while I brink the food." Mother said and extricated herself with ease from father's arm.

"I'll help." I offered

She just smiled as we went back to the kitchen to bring the feast we prepared.