Story #12 - Mathew DeLiso - 1600 words

Sixth Place!

The Scottish sun tried to shine through the heavy fog and moisture clouds of this particularly damp day. This weather, however, was not going to deter neither the Pictish nor their allies from attacking the great Antonine Wall. At the head of the Roman soldiers, stationed on or near the wall, was Ulpius Marcellus whom had also been the governor of Britannia at the time.

Amidst these soldiers was a magnificent looking man from the Italian peninsula, his name was Publius. Sun-kissed Mediterranean skin would've covered his entire body, giving him a beautiful complexion. He stood just over five feet in height which had been just about average, but his features more than made up for it. Short strands of dark chocolate silk would've been neatly combed against his forehead, and chestnut oculars would scintillate wonderfully in the very little light available.

Early that morning, the barbarians would have lined up outside that turf wall, and in considerable numbers. Their lines were filled with angry men, clad in leather, wielding large swords, axes, some even bows. The overall sound of the barbarians hitting their weapons against various objects, and their chants would've been quite intimidating to any of those who were weak of heart. As for Ulpius Marcellus and the soldiers like Publius, however, they had been used to such abuse by the raiders, and were undaunted by the acts.

A group of horns would have sounded over all the cheering and banging, and to these boisterous warriors, this was the signal to go on with the strategy as planned. It was just shortly after the sounding of this horn that barbarian archers began to send volleys of arrows over the wall. To counter, Marcellus ordered his archers to fire at will and for his legionnaires to hold their ground placing their mighty crimson scutums over their heads for extra protection from the fire.

Sounds of the dying men cried out from each of the sides, though it seemed the Romans were taking significantly more casualties than their attackers. These cries were not anything new or surprising to the brave Publius, whom served the Emperor as a cavalryman. He listened with much anger as his comrades and countryman died at the barbarian arrows, with each cry he only grew more and more anxious for his turn.

It was just about then, that the volley of arrows had ceased, and the Pictish lines went fairly quiet. A charming, heart-warmed smile of ebullient pearl grew on Publius' face as he had hoped for the very best. He hoped the Pictish had lost interest in the Romans, who had not left the safety of the wall, but of course this was quite far from the truth. Just as another barbarian horn signaled, the warriors began to advance on the wall. As they marched, Roman archers would release rounds of arrows into their bodies and about them, killing an unlucky few.

Publius and the rest of the cavalry had been waiting just a few minutes ride down the wall by orders of Marcellus, who hoped to use his cavalry to flank to attacking barbarians. It was only a few minutes into the advancement of the barbarians, that a messenger game galloping towards the cavalry, upon a most valiant steed. The emissary pulled his reigns to a quick halt before the leader of the cavalry, the Praefectus Alae. A few quick briefing words were exchanged between the two soldiers, before the Praefectus made a speech which struck Publius with pure adrenaline.

"The Governor has ordered the Alae to attack the Pictish left flank, and we will do just that. Ride hard, but hold the lines! Death is likely and acceptable, for those of you misfortunate enough to fall during this assault, will haven fallen for the glory of Rome!" The Praefectus cried before he immediately kicked his horse a bit in the side and went speeding out of an open gate in the wall. With various cheers and war cries his men would soon follow, readying their gladiuses for battle.

Just a few minutes into their ride, the barbarian advance reached the wall, and they began their scale. Publius, as well as any cavalryman, was clearly able to see this, and that only made him push his horse harder. The Roman Cornicens too made a signal as they blew hard into their Cornus, this signal ordering the advancement of a few centuries of soldiers towards the walls. The legionnaires would work quickly to climb ladders to the ramparts as the Picts were still attempting to scale the wall. The Pictish raiders hadn't made much progress, though the horn sounded due to the sight of ladders approaching the turf wall.

Publius and his Alae saw these ladders as well just as they clashed into the unsuspecting side of the barbarians. Publius had unsheathed his gladius a long time ago, and wasted no time in striking down surrounding enemy warriors. This cavalry flank, however, had only slowed a portion of the advancing lines. The ladders, which had been deep into the hostile ranks still approached the walls.

Publius fought fiercely to reach the men carrying the ladders, though it seemed it was to no avail. Two ladders were already being set against the wall, and he had been quite far from the others which continued to advance. He realized it was time to lay some trust in the hands of the infantry behind the walls and that he had to worry about his own purpose, as well as the welfare of his Alae.

The legionnaires upon the walls worked feverously to push down the ladders, though the barbarians, who were considerably larger in build were also working to keep them on. They had even been smart enough to place the ladders at an angle which favored their cause. In no time, it seemed, Pictish raiders had started reaching the top of the ladders, and started fighting the rows of waiting Roman soldiers.

Since the numbers of men who could reach the wall via the ladder were small, the Romans had the initial advantage. The fresh and eager Roman soldiers cut down the few raiders who made it to the top losing very little men. Though it seemed as time progressed, and the rampart began to grow more crowded and chaotic, the raiders began to gain sizeable numbers upon the wall. With the number of barbarian soldiers increasing, the battle was now more or less left up to the might of each army.

Legionnaires fell rather quickly, as did the Pictish raiders. After stabbing a man, and losing his sword, Publius worked to unsheathe the next from his saddle, and his attention was momentarily diverted to the men on the walls. The raiders had surely advanced, though at that very moment some Roman soldiers managed to push down one of the ladders, sending a few climbers to fall upon their comrades and most likely to their death. The sight of that small Roman triumph fueled Publius to have his group succeed, and he instantly began slashing down at more and more men, he seemed to strike them down instantly.

It wasn't long until the Pictish grew considerable numbers, and eventually took control of the ramparts. The Legionnaires and Auxiliary Archers who waited impatiently upon the floor began to send volleys of pilums and arrows which was fairly successful. Two centuries of men flooded the land below the ladders, hopefully to slow the raiders from forming upon the floor, and they did jus that for a considerable amount of time.

The raiders began to overcrowd the walls, and one of them had fallen upon one of the ladder-defending Roman soldiers causing both of them to die. The Pictish in the back particularly saw this and began to push small numbers of their own men off of the wall and upon the soldiers. It did take a small number of defending Romans out of the battle, but it also served to rattle the minds of the on looking soldiers. Finally, the Pictish warriors controlled the ladders and began to flood into the Roman side of the wall. They were charged naturally, first by three lines of thrown pilums, then finally by the Roman legionnaires themselves.

Pictish archers began to form upon the walls, and subjected the Roman lines to arrow fire, from an elevated position. Ulpius Marcellus had been watching from afar and grew considerably concerned for the garrison's ability to hold the wall much longer. As more and more Romans were struck down in cold blood, he gave one quick order, which he knew would've hurt his reputation in years to come, the order to "Bring them back!"

The retreat sound would've filled the air via the Roman Cornicens, Publius was struck still, nearly dumbfounded by the sound. The men of his Alae started working through the enemy lines, back to where they had entered, and area which had filled in with fresh soldiers. All the while, the cavalry were ordering each other to retreat, though the brave Publius could not hear them. He had tunneled in on the raiders on the wall when a quick jerk was given to his leg, and he fell hard to the floor. A hard stab down to his face would've ended the poor soldier's life. His horse would've reared up, scared by his riders death. The steed too would've been struck down by surrounding barbarians. As for the Romans, they had retreated the sounds of the raiders celebrating their victory.