'Come and sit by the fire and I will tell you
my story'
'I
am old now and my bones are cold, but the warmth from the fire gives me enough
strength and in it there is a light, there is a memory and a tale to tell.
Looking into the flames, my eyes are taken away and I am in the world of the
past. Although it was many years ago, it is a clear and unerring place and it
is as though it was only yesterday. First of all, I will always remember the
place of my birth.'
[][][][]
The
southern British kingdom of Arun was all too aware of the imminent invasion
from mainland Europa and so prepared itself for war. Its king, Duerra had three
sons and he used each for a different aspect of the preparation. The eldest
son, Alfos was to make ready for war and so spent much of his time amassing an
army and constructing defences. The second son, Bezon was given the task of
gathering information and was sent abroad as a spy, under the guise of a peace
envoy offering a truce. The third son, Caratacos, who was considered a fool and
a weakling was in charge of the elderly king's escape route; should it be
necessary.
In Rome, at the heart of the empire of Italia a
new emperor named Cicero had been appointed and as all emperors before him he
needed to find a way to prove himself, to prove he had been in office, to make
a permanent mark so he would be remembered in the pages of history. He had come
to power when the empire had grown to its fullest, quite naturally, over a
period of several centuries. All the countries in the known
world that could provide benefit to Rome were conquered and part of a huge
supply chain. It seemed there was nothing more to do, but looking over at the
map of the world again, his eyes were in some desperation drawn to the outlying
extremities of the empire. There was the cold and desolate island,
sub-continent of Briton, that according to most recent surveillance was
inhabited only by savages and feuding tribes. It had nothing to offer in terms
of produce and certainly posed no threat, but it would make a morale boosting
victory and expansion, if conquered. Further up the map, to the north of
already colonised Germania, the icy Norselands sat, waiting to be plucked. They
also posed no threat, but would nicely complete the Italia map of its empire.
Then to the west the recent uprising in already colonised Spania needed to be
quashed; it was unacceptable and could not be seen to be allowed to continue.
These three remaining areas of Europa would be perfect for Cicero’s opening
address, all he had to do was sell the benefit of expansion to the fickle
masses in the main arena as part of his inauguration ceremony.
In interesting opening, certainly has me curious and wanting to read more. Only a couple of things I want to mention with this chapter:
. "He had come to power at a time when the empire had grown to its fullest, quite naturally over a period of time". I don't think you need to use "time" twice in this sentence. Also, perhaps you could specify how long the Empire has been growing?
. "Further up the map the Norselands sat, waiting to be plucked, they also posed no threat, but would complete the Italia map of Europa." I think this sentence would be better as two. "...waiting to be plucked. They also posed no..."
Besides that, this is a good opening chapter and I'm curious to read on.
Nice, BL! It's good to see other people are writing short pieces. I figured for people who don't read much, don't want to read a much this is a way for them to consume content without having to commit themselves to a 300 page book.
I love this! I like how you explain all three sons and their tasks. For some reason the middle child, Bezon got my attention. How he would serve as a spy in disguise is kool. Thanks for sharing this.
I am learning something and all is interesting… my college major was American History, so this to me is great…a fine start…please continue… only point to make is I may not get to nest one’s right away….
Best, B
Hi BL, I found the opening to this story to hold my attention. I am rather a history buff so I enjoyed this write. My attention was held from the first words to the last. Ancient Rome is one of my favourite times, always has been. Hope to read more of this idea....Mike.
I know this is dated, and I can only assume you have finished and published this extremely interesting and well written book... Have you? You really have talent and your well scripted words caught my interest instantly. Well done, BL. I will begin reading in earnest...If I were you...I'd stop posting unless you're looking for editing from us and look for a publisher... It's that good.
Even though, I have only started to read this story, already I feel myself wanting to know what happens next.
This is very good. An easy to follow, but complete story; the characters and era are great.
A book I will finish reading for sure.