55 BC
Caesar had managed to take over much of Gaul, her hunger for power seemed insatiable and even Divitiacus himself, who previously saw her as a figure of great honor and prestige, was beginning to fear her because of the large number of slaves she was in. sending to Rome and because of the too many wars she was fighting. Caesar was in her tent together with Marcus Antonius, Titus Labienus and Gaius Trebonius; the four, faced with the reports sent by the other legions, were thinking about how to repel the various rebels who wanted to oppose the Roman rule.
"They deserve to burn," Trebonius asserted.
"Don't overdo it," Labienus reproached "we cannot commit useless massacres, it is better not to make the populations more angry than necessary. Our problem is those peoples such as the Menapi, Carnuti, Turoni, Sequani and many others ... they are choosing of leaders who hate Rome. "
"Then let's destroy them while we can. They are inferior to us, it won't be difficult to slaughter some villages."
"Open your damned ears, Trebonius: a move like that is too rash. We can't risk losing those few allies we have. Put aside your hatred for the Gauls and listen to reason, fool."
"How dare you?!"
"Okay, let's calm down." Marcus Antonius intervened to calm the hot spirits. "There is no need to argue, we can still manage the situation. What we need is a strategy to prevent conspiracies."
"It's already happening," Trebonius said, nervous.
"That's not true. There are only anti-Roman leaders but that doesn't mean they can't be 'convinced' to be on our side. With the right amount of coins we can convince those fools to put down the hatchet."
"So we have to waste riches on them ?! You're a fool, Antonius!"
"We ask Caesar. She will know what to do."
The three men turned to the girl who was carefully and silently reading the different reports. This she raised her head and, when she realized she was being watched, she sighed, nervous, and said:
"The fact that you are arguing over these platitudes makes me think that you have had a bad awakening. No need to get angry, we can handle the situation and feel hurting any tribe in Gaul. Many populations complain about problems with the Germans, they are the source of the discontent of the masses. The anti-Roman spirit is fueled by a bad border protection, since the movements of the Germans disturb the Gauls. "
"The Gauls do not want the Germans in their lands" concluded Labienus.
"Exactly. So what we have to do is dismiss the problem."
The Germans beyond the Rhine were becoming, according to reports sent to Caesar, a problem for the people in Gaul. The Usipetes and the Tencteri, with a mass of over 430.000 men, went beyond the river, into Gaul, into the lands of the Menapi; Caesar, who wanted to prevent the severing of the various alliances made with the indigenous peoples, decided to act. Initially he tried to send ambassadors to convince the people to go back but the failure of these tactics led Caesar to choose a more bloody method, the most ferocious ever adopted up to that moment.
The girl marched her legions and cavalry, then she exterminated entire camps by ordering soldiers to burn houses and crops and ordered the slaughter of two hundred thousand men, women and children. That brutal and inhuman act was not only carried out with an almost demonic coldness but, as if that weren't enough, Cesare wrote about it, documented the fact without shame and when the Senate learned of these atrocities, indignation broke out among the anti- Caesarians.
Cato, Caesar's great adversary, was the first to condemn the girl's actions and ordered that she be handed over to the Germans as punishment for her monstrous deeds of hers; but the Senate granted Caesar the possibility of continuing the campaigns without any interruption. The aristocrats, corrupted by the amount of slaves that were sent to Rome, had no intention of interrupting Caesar's campaign and so Cato was again alone.
Meanwhile, on the coast of Gaul, Caesar had her camp set up in preparation for his attack on Britain. Divitiacus, still scandalized and frightened by what he had seen on the banks of the Rhine, met the girl while she was preparing for battle, with a regretful tone of her he said:
"What you did cannot be forgiven, Caesar. Aria, who used to look at you with admiration, ran away, returned to her homeland for fear of being influenced by the evil that surrounds you. Is that how you want to be remembered? As a monster? "
"In war there are no monsters, only winners and losers. I'm waging a war I don't do philosophy, Divitiacus ."
"You like to stop thinking, don't you? It makes you feel less guilty, right? It's all justified if you just consider yourself a warrior who thinks like a warrior. But you're not. I know it. I've read your splendid poems and essays, I have heard your profound philosophy and I know that you are an intelligent girl, too intelligent to carry out these atrocities. "
"Why should I care what you think?"
"Because you're not an idiot and you know that all this will have very serious consequences. I'm not talking to a barbarian king like Ariovistus who thought only of war and conquest, I'm talking to Gaius Julius Caesar and you are much more ... or at least I hope so. I really hope you're different from a power-hungry tyrant. "
"What if I'm not?"
"Caesar," Divitiacus went up to the girl and took her hand "you can fool the world, but not me. The war is making you ugly and you don't want to admit it. You came with the best of intentions and you want to leave behind you. a sea of blood. Don't think about me, think about what will become of you, think about your dream ... can it really be realized if you keep killing thousands of people? "
"I can't be anything else, Divitiacus." Caesar removed her hand and turned her back to the man. "I can be nothing else for Rome. In a world controlled by privileged men and corrupt politicians, a woman can become powerful only by getting her hands dirty with blood. The sacrifice of Gaul, Germany and Britain has this one purpose: to make me powerful."
"That's all?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you have a divine sword, Caesar, and I'm still convinced there is a reason. If you have Crocea Mors it is because you're important. The Gods do not protect evil people."
That day Caesar sailed with his legions to the mysterious island of Britain. There she faced and defeated the Barbarian populations. The Britons, a people of great warriors, seemed like children in front of Caesar's immense military prowess. Since the girl set foot in those lands she never lost a single battle and this caught the attention of the British prince, Nennius. He, who had heard of this warrior impossible to defeat, decided to challenge her in a duel, on equal terms; Caesar accepted only because in exchange for her she was promised the possibility of obtaining several domains in the territory.
The two challenged each other with sword and shield, Caesar refused to use Crocea Mors.
Prince Nennius was another man, with powerful muscles and a long blond beard; his face, painted blue, had two blood-thirsty eyes and when he got off his spotted steed he was accompanied by his beautiful wife who carried his weapons.
"The flowers of this land will sprout with your blood, Caesar."
The girl responded to his provocation with a smile.
"Don't underestimate me, woman, know that many enemies have fallen by my hand. You will be another of these."
"The important thing is to believe in it."
From Nennius's mouth came a battle cry similar to the roar of a beast and the man, with superhuman speed, struck a blow so strong as to break the girl's shield; Caesar fell to the ground due to the strong impact and when she got up she saw Nennius in front of her, ready to deliver another blow. The girl dodged with a jump, rolled on the ground and when she got to her feet she tried to attack the enemy behind her; but Nennius, for some reason, was quick enough to turn around and stab Caesar's side with a thrust. She had to step back to save her life.
"Look at you! You're really pathetic, Roman! Did you think you could defeat me with so little? I'm not like the weak ones you faced."
Caesar, enraged, attacked again, but this time her sword was broken by the blade of Nennius. The man used his shield to hit her head; Caesar fell to the ground, stunned, and when she tried to get to her feet she was hit with a kick so powerful that it sent her flying at least fifteen paces back.
Wounded and tired, Caesar had to use Crocea Mors. She took up the weapon and unleashed a single blow, but the blade stuck in Nennius' shield.
The man, with a satisfied look, said:
"Apparently your end has come, Roman."
"What are you talking about?"
There was the sound of a battle horn, some Britons came and attacked the Roman legionaries from behind: the duel was just a trap. Caesar's legion would not be able to get out alive, they had to order a retreat but the sword was still stuck in the shield. Caesar had only two choices: to abandon the weapon or try to take it with her.
"After a long time, we'll finally defeat the invaders," Nennius said, preparing to deliver the coup de grace.
Caesar had two choices: go away with the legion, then abandon the sword, or try to save Crocea Mors but risk losing her men.
"What a choice is this? " she asked herself with an anxious smile. "Should I choose between a divine weapon and my legionaries? Do you really think I need You?! I don't need ANYONE!"
Caesar dropped Crocea Mors. She dodged Nennius's blow. She grabbed the man's arm and bit his hand to force him to let go of the sword. She took the weapon on the fly. With a quick move, Caesar slit Nennius's throat and before leaving she said:
"You can also keep that stupid sword, maybe your weak kings will need it."
Caesar left and ordered her legion to withdraw. The Britons warriors were driven back and the Romans managed to escape without too many wounded.
Caesar then returned to the camp with her men.
When Divitiacus saw the girl return without the divine sword he was shocked and asked her:
"What did you do with the weapon, Caesar? Where is Crocea Mors?"
She looked at him. She smiled.
"Now it's no longer my problem, Divitiacus."
"Have you voluntarily renounced divine power?! Have you intentionally refused the protection of the Gods?! Why did you commit such blasphemy, Caesar?"
"Because I don't need a divine sword to win. But if you care so much you can go and retrieve it like a good dog, Druid."
That night Divitiacus visited Nennius's body. No one dared to stop the Druid out of respect for his office. He took Crocea Mors with him but instead of taking it to Caesar he took it away with him to a forest. He reached a crystalline lake illuminated by the moonlight. From the waters arose a naked girl whose long blue hair, adorned with seaweed, covered her breasts; Divitiacus handed the sword to her and said:
"Lady of the Lake, nymph of Venus, I entrust to you the task of shaping the blade and giving it new appearance so that it's cleansed of innocent blood. A new name must have and only a descendant of Romulus will be able to hold it."
The girl took the blade and silently returned to the lake. Divitiacus bowed his head in respect and disappeared into the dark forest.
Caesar had managed to take over much of Gaul, her hunger for power seemed insatiable and even Divitiacus himself, who previously saw her as a figure of great honor and prestige, was beginning to fear her because of the large number of slaves she was in. sending to Rome and because of the too many wars she was fighting. Caesar was in her tent together with Marcus Antonius, Titus Labienus and Gaius Trebonius; the four, faced with the reports sent by the other legions, were thinking about how to repel the various rebels who wanted to oppose the Roman rule.
"They deserve to burn," Trebonius asserted.
"Don't overdo it," Labienus reproached "we cannot commit useless massacres, it is better not to make the populations more angry than necessary. Our problem is those peoples such as the Menapi, Carnuti, Turoni, Sequani and many others ... they are choosing of leaders who hate Rome. "
"Then let's destroy them while we can. They are inferior to us, it won't be difficult to slaughter some villages."
"Open your damned ears, Trebonius: a move like that is too rash. We can't risk losing those few allies we have. Put aside your hatred for the Gauls and listen to reason, fool."
"How dare you?!"
"Okay, let's calm down." Marcus Antonius intervened to calm the hot spirits. "There is no need to argue, we can still manage the situation. What we need is a strategy to prevent conspiracies."
"It's already happening," Trebonius said, nervous.
"That's not true. There are only anti-Roman leaders but that doesn't mean they can't be 'convinced' to be on our side. With the right amount of coins we can convince those fools to put down the hatchet."
"So we have to waste riches on them ?! You're a fool, Antonius!"
"We ask Caesar. She will know what to do."
The three men turned to the girl who was carefully and silently reading the different reports. This she raised her head and, when she realized she was being watched, she sighed, nervous, and said:
"The fact that you are arguing over these platitudes makes me think that you have had a bad awakening. No need to get angry, we can handle the situation and feel hurting any tribe in Gaul. Many populations complain about problems with the Germans, they are the source of the discontent of the masses. The anti-Roman spirit is fueled by a bad border protection, since the movements of the Germans disturb the Gauls. "
"The Gauls do not want the Germans in their lands" concluded Labienus.
"Exactly. So what we have to do is dismiss the problem."
The Germans beyond the Rhine were becoming, according to reports sent to Caesar, a problem for the people in Gaul. The Usipetes and the Tencteri, with a mass of over 430.000 men, went beyond the river, into Gaul, into the lands of the Menapi; Caesar, who wanted to prevent the severing of the various alliances made with the indigenous peoples, decided to act. Initially he tried to send ambassadors to convince the people to go back but the failure of these tactics led Caesar to choose a more bloody method, the most ferocious ever adopted up to that moment.
The girl marched her legions and cavalry, then she exterminated entire camps by ordering soldiers to burn houses and crops and ordered the slaughter of two hundred thousand men, women and children. That brutal and inhuman act was not only carried out with an almost demonic coldness but, as if that weren't enough, Cesare wrote about it, documented the fact without shame and when the Senate learned of these atrocities, indignation broke out among the anti- Caesarians.
Cato, Caesar's great adversary, was the first to condemn the girl's actions and ordered that she be handed over to the Germans as punishment for her monstrous deeds of hers; but the Senate granted Caesar the possibility of continuing the campaigns without any interruption. The aristocrats, corrupted by the amount of slaves that were sent to Rome, had no intention of interrupting Caesar's campaign and so Cato was again alone.
Meanwhile, on the coast of Gaul, Caesar had her camp set up in preparation for his attack on Britain. Divitiacus, still scandalized and frightened by what he had seen on the banks of the Rhine, met the girl while she was preparing for battle, with a regretful tone of her he said:
"What you did cannot be forgiven, Caesar. Aria, who used to look at you with admiration, ran away, returned to her homeland for fear of being influenced by the evil that surrounds you. Is that how you want to be remembered? As a monster? "
"In war there are no monsters, only winners and losers. I'm waging a war I don't do philosophy, Divitiacus ."
"You like to stop thinking, don't you? It makes you feel less guilty, right? It's all justified if you just consider yourself a warrior who thinks like a warrior. But you're not. I know it. I've read your splendid poems and essays, I have heard your profound philosophy and I know that you are an intelligent girl, too intelligent to carry out these atrocities. "
"Why should I care what you think?"
"Because you're not an idiot and you know that all this will have very serious consequences. I'm not talking to a barbarian king like Ariovistus who thought only of war and conquest, I'm talking to Gaius Julius Caesar and you are much more ... or at least I hope so. I really hope you're different from a power-hungry tyrant. "
"What if I'm not?"
"Caesar," Divitiacus went up to the girl and took her hand "you can fool the world, but not me. The war is making you ugly and you don't want to admit it. You came with the best of intentions and you want to leave behind you. a sea of blood. Don't think about me, think about what will become of you, think about your dream ... can it really be realized if you keep killing thousands of people? "
"I can't be anything else, Divitiacus." Caesar removed her hand and turned her back to the man. "I can be nothing else for Rome. In a world controlled by privileged men and corrupt politicians, a woman can become powerful only by getting her hands dirty with blood. The sacrifice of Gaul, Germany and Britain has this one purpose: to make me powerful."
"That's all?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you have a divine sword, Caesar, and I'm still convinced there is a reason. If you have Crocea Mors it is because you're important. The Gods do not protect evil people."
That day Caesar sailed with his legions to the mysterious island of Britain. There she faced and defeated the Barbarian populations. The Britons, a people of great warriors, seemed like children in front of Caesar's immense military prowess. Since the girl set foot in those lands she never lost a single battle and this caught the attention of the British prince, Nennius. He, who had heard of this warrior impossible to defeat, decided to challenge her in a duel, on equal terms; Caesar accepted only because in exchange for her she was promised the possibility of obtaining several domains in the territory.
The two challenged each other with sword and shield, Caesar refused to use Crocea Mors.
Prince Nennius was another man, with powerful muscles and a long blond beard; his face, painted blue, had two blood-thirsty eyes and when he got off his spotted steed he was accompanied by his beautiful wife who carried his weapons.
"The flowers of this land will sprout with your blood, Caesar."
The girl responded to his provocation with a smile.
"Don't underestimate me, woman, know that many enemies have fallen by my hand. You will be another of these."
"The important thing is to believe in it."
From Nennius's mouth came a battle cry similar to the roar of a beast and the man, with superhuman speed, struck a blow so strong as to break the girl's shield; Caesar fell to the ground due to the strong impact and when she got up she saw Nennius in front of her, ready to deliver another blow. The girl dodged with a jump, rolled on the ground and when she got to her feet she tried to attack the enemy behind her; but Nennius, for some reason, was quick enough to turn around and stab Caesar's side with a thrust. She had to step back to save her life.
"Look at you! You're really pathetic, Roman! Did you think you could defeat me with so little? I'm not like the weak ones you faced."
Caesar, enraged, attacked again, but this time her sword was broken by the blade of Nennius. The man used his shield to hit her head; Caesar fell to the ground, stunned, and when she tried to get to her feet she was hit with a kick so powerful that it sent her flying at least fifteen paces back.
Wounded and tired, Caesar had to use Crocea Mors. She took up the weapon and unleashed a single blow, but the blade stuck in Nennius' shield.
The man, with a satisfied look, said:
"Apparently your end has come, Roman."
"What are you talking about?"
There was the sound of a battle horn, some Britons came and attacked the Roman legionaries from behind: the duel was just a trap. Caesar's legion would not be able to get out alive, they had to order a retreat but the sword was still stuck in the shield. Caesar had only two choices: to abandon the weapon or try to take it with her.
"After a long time, we'll finally defeat the invaders," Nennius said, preparing to deliver the coup de grace.
Caesar had two choices: go away with the legion, then abandon the sword, or try to save Crocea Mors but risk losing her men.
"What a choice is this? " she asked herself with an anxious smile. "Should I choose between a divine weapon and my legionaries? Do you really think I need You?! I don't need ANYONE!"
Caesar dropped Crocea Mors. She dodged Nennius's blow. She grabbed the man's arm and bit his hand to force him to let go of the sword. She took the weapon on the fly. With a quick move, Caesar slit Nennius's throat and before leaving she said:
"You can also keep that stupid sword, maybe your weak kings will need it."
Caesar left and ordered her legion to withdraw. The Britons warriors were driven back and the Romans managed to escape without too many wounded.
Caesar then returned to the camp with her men.
When Divitiacus saw the girl return without the divine sword he was shocked and asked her:
"What did you do with the weapon, Caesar? Where is Crocea Mors?"
She looked at him. She smiled.
"Now it's no longer my problem, Divitiacus."
"Have you voluntarily renounced divine power?! Have you intentionally refused the protection of the Gods?! Why did you commit such blasphemy, Caesar?"
"Because I don't need a divine sword to win. But if you care so much you can go and retrieve it like a good dog, Druid."
That night Divitiacus visited Nennius's body. No one dared to stop the Druid out of respect for his office. He took Crocea Mors with him but instead of taking it to Caesar he took it away with him to a forest. He reached a crystalline lake illuminated by the moonlight. From the waters arose a naked girl whose long blue hair, adorned with seaweed, covered her breasts; Divitiacus handed the sword to her and said:
"Lady of the Lake, nymph of Venus, I entrust to you the task of shaping the blade and giving it new appearance so that it's cleansed of innocent blood. A new name must have and only a descendant of Romulus will be able to hold it."
The girl took the blade and silently returned to the lake. Divitiacus bowed his head in respect and disappeared into the dark forest.
