I see! :laugh4: :laugh4:Quote:
Originally Posted by matteus the inbred
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I see! :laugh4: :laugh4:Quote:
Originally Posted by matteus the inbred
~:thumb:
Chapter 15 – Reunion and secession
Glum was so glad to see me. I noticed that he looked older, tired. We went into his tent and he told me what had happened along the way.
“Glum, it is good to have you here again. Many things happened while you were gone. The march was a permanent fight. The cursed Romans were everywhere. Each other people can be defeated on the battlefield. I do not know how many battles we have fought, how many times we have defeated the Romans, but still they are not finished. I decided to cross the Pyrenees, hoping that we could live in peace here without the interception of the Romans. I hoped we would find an agreement with the natives; that we could finally find a place where we could live in peace. I erred. These Celtibereans are crazy. They do not want to do anything but fight. I tried to negotiate, I tried to give them presents, I threatened them; we had to fight every mile of the way. So much killing, so many dead. What for? Gunnar, I am tired of all this fighting! All I want is to live in peace. Oh Thor, what did I start? God, I really missed you. I need your advice.”
He embraced me and I think there were tears in his eyes. He tried to regain his countenance.
“Do you remember our dreams, when this whole thing started? We tried to find the Promised Land. Somehow, we lost our way. I do not know what went wrong. I decided to leave Iberia. There is nothing to gain for us. Maybe we have to fight the Romans again. You cannot escape your fate!”
We had a long conversation. Finally, I left him. After I had stepped outside, I suddenly saw Velleda. She was older and graver, but she was even more beautiful than in my memories. She turned around and looked at me and suddenly we were laying in each other arms. Odin, I had not realized how much I had missed her. We stood there in the middle of the camp, holding on to each other as if we feared that Thor itself would try to tear us apart. I forgot everything around us, the volk, Glum, our misery. Then Velleda freed herself from my embrace and pulled me out of the camp. When we were alone, we sat on a stone and started talking. We talked, and hugged, and kissed, and talked. The words flew right out of my mouth. I had never been a gabber, but this time the words came straight from my soul.
Velleda told me how much she had missed me. She did not complain but I felt that being with the volk had been very hard for her. She had not had the break I had had. Then we talked about Idun, about the hurt, how much we missed her. We talked for hours. Afterwards I missed Idun just as much as before, and I felt the same pain as before. However, I felt relieved and I felt that I had found Velleda again.
During the next days, she told me the things Glum had not. The volk was in a very bad condition. Many people complained about Glum. He had lost his vision and he was not inspiring anymore. Some said that Glum lied to seduce them, because he wanted to become leader. Many new groups joined the volk, many people with Celtic origin. They did not care about the vision; they did not even search for new land. All they are looking for is adventure and easy prey. Lately tensions between the old participants of the migration and the newcomers grew. Here and there, there were affrays. Glums authority was not strong enough to keep the volk together anymore. Velleda feared that eventually there would be a rebellion against Glum.
Next morning Glum announced his plan to go back to the land of the Gaul. The situation in Spain had been so bad that nobody disagreed. The volk crossed the Pyrenees again. After some weeks of wearisome marching, we reached the camp in Gaul.
Here I could see what Velleda had told me. There were several hundred thousand men and women in the camp. There was never enough food or water and the whole camp was stinking. Most of the time the people had nothing to do and brawls happened every day. We stayed there for another winter. It was horrible. Many thousands died from hunger and pestilence. Every morning we collected the dead bodies and burned them. There was nothing we could do.
The whole situation was so depressing, so hopeless; we were stuck in nowhereland, far away from home, without a goal. Sometimes I thought that our fate was wandering, suffering and dying.
I talked to Glum. Although he did his best to decrease the suffering, he was loosing control of the situation and of the volk. Therefore, he did what he had done a long time before. He left the camp and moved on a hill three daily marches from the camp. There he sat, not eating, not drinking, jut waiting for the call of Thor. The other leaders made jokes on him. They said that he never had been a better leader when he had been in the camp.
The sun came, the sun went, and after seven weeks, Glum returned to the camp. He looked like a Troll, almost vamished. However, the fire in his eyes was back.
He went straight into his tent and stayed there for 24 hours. This made everybody very curious and intensified the effect of his subsequent appearance. While he was still hiding, some of the Celtic chiefs tried to root against him.
Finally, there was some activity at Glum’s tent. Glum called all magi. They conferred for several hours. Then bellmen came, went, and called the volk for another Thing. It started the next morning
Of course, everybody was curious about Glum’s appearance. Ganglerix walked through the camp and declared that all Glum would lead to nothing and that he had better stayed in the wilderness.
When the day of the Thing began, Glum left the tent, leading a procession of magi. He wore his finest cloths and was draped with golden chains. He looked majestic. This was emphasized by the fact that all magi followed him. The expectations regarding the Thing were flying high.
Glum led the procession to a hill outside of the camp where the Thing should take place. Hundreds of thousands had congressed there. He stepped on top of the hill with the magi at his sides.
He raised his hands and the audience was quiet. Then he said:
“My volk! Many years ago the God of Thunder and Lightning, the great Thor himself sent me a vision. The God promised to lead the volk out of misery into a new and better world. Additionally He ordered me to guide you into this Promised Land. Since then we have seen 14 winters. Since then our life was filled with struggle and suffering. All those years I was only driven by the concern about my volk and the obedience for Thor. You all know that we could not get into the Promised Land. Since then we stray without a goal and without rest. I have seen your pain and it broke my heart. Therefore I decided to talk to Thor, to ask him why He let us down, why He did not keep His promise.
I blamed Him, I begged Him, I prayed to Him. Finally, He sent me a sign. I talked with all our wise magi and we came to a common interpretation. We will do a sacrifice and then read the will of Thor.”
I thought it was a good idea to find out the will of Thor. I was curious about his answer. I had no idea how he would lead us out of this trouble. I glanced at the group of Celtic chiefs. They looked as if they did not know what to think about this message. I asked Velleda about her opinion. She said: “I do not know what the God will answer. However, look at Glum, he has a plan.”
While I was wondering about the meaning of her words, the magi started to prepare the sacrifice. The area we lived in now was wooded poorly and the magi had to search for a tree that was adequate. Then all chiefs and magi gathered themselves around the tree. The magi consecrated it Thor. Then they selected an aurochs and butchered it according to the ritual. The oldest and wisest magus then interpreted the sacrificial animal. He called his colleges and consulted with them. The chiefs stood around and had to wait for the result. After a while, the old magus stood up and shook his head. Thor had not accepted the sacrifice.
The magi repeated the ritual at the next day. Again, the God did not answer to our prayers. This went on for seven days. Then, after seven failed attempts, Glum said: “Listen to me, wise men and chiefs. Isn’t it obvious that our sacrifice does not please Thor. The God of thunder expects something more precious.”
He sent a messenger to the camp. After a while, we could see a caravan coming to our place. When it came closer, I could see what Glum would offer to the God. He wanted to offer Thor a human sacrifice. The caravan brought seven vestal vergins. I felt sympathy for them; I remembered Idun. She would have been almost in their age then.
It was the day of the thunder god and all of a sudden, Thor appeared himself. He was riding through the heavens on his chariot pulled by the goats Tanngrisni ("gap-tooth") and Tanngnost ("tooth grinder"). In those southern regions rain and thunder is very rare; however at this day it abounded.
We stood in the pouring rain while the magi inspected the bowels of the butchered creatured. Then the old magus gave us the sign. Thor had accepted the gift. We went to our horses and rode home to the main camp. There the volk was anxious. They were still gathered around the meeting hill. Glum and the magi climbed the hill, the chiefs followed. While we went up the hill, the rain und thunder increased.
After we had reached the top, the old magus raised his hands. At once, the thunder stopped and the wind calmed down. The rain, however, were even thicker than before. While we felt the presence of Thor and became wet to the bones, the magus made his prophecy:
“Listen to the word’s of Thor! The God of Thunder Himself speaks to you! He tells you that He was angered, that we tried to cross the Alps without demonstrating respect for Him. He also was changrined that the volk took in men and women, who did only want to foray, who did not follow the vision. Therefore, He punished his volk. For ten years He made them stray like homeless dogs, living in fear and desperation, without a shelter, without a place to rest their heads.”
He paused. I glanced at the Celtic chiefs. They stood stony-faced.
“Now, after the ten years sentence, His will is to renew the promise He once gave. His will is to lead us to Rome. He will give our enemies into our hands. He will give us their land, where we can live in freedom and peace. Glum, His servant, will lead us.”
A lightning stroke down and marked the end of the speech. Most people were satisfied with the result of the augury. Finally, there was a hope to leave this hopeless life.
However, some were not.
Ganglerix pushed himself ahead: “Listen, volk, I heard the words of Thor! I am glad that He promises the defeat of the Romans. However, I am not willing to accept Glum as our leader any longer. Nor will one of my warriors.”
Is there any chance you are going to continue this excellent story? It would be a pity if you gave up when the finish is within sight.
I am a bit busy! I will be back as soon as possible.
Good to know. Take you time, Franc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Franconicus
I know that it has been a long time. I still intend to finish this story, now that kagemusha-san nominated me.
Good to hear ~:)
Read it a while ago and thought it was pretty impressive. One minor tip: You may want to try to avoid using slang and informal language, at least for non-dialogue scenes. You do a pretty good job most of the time, but there's a couple that have slipped "through the net," so to speak. Of course, in order to find an example I'll have to read through it again, but that shouldn't be too much of a burden ~D
It's just a little thing, of course, but, like the saying goes, "Every little thing helps." Overall I'd say you're doing an exceptional job, particularly for a non-native English speaker.
~:thumb:Quote:
Originally Posted by Franconicus
Thank you very much!Quote:
Originally Posted by Specialist290
Maybe if you read the next chapters you can tell me what is wrong!
Chapter 16 – Separate ways
The following days showed that Ganglerix meant what he had said. He left the volk and started to gather his fellowmen. Glum did nothing to hold them back. Before Ganglerix left the camp, Glum and he agreed marching on separate ways and meet at Rome. Ganglerix would go the straight way through the western passage while Glum’s volk would go through the northeastern passage. This would force the Romans to split their forces, too.
When Glum left, he had almost half of the volk with him, including the Teutons, the Ambrones and most of the other Celtic tribes. It was a strange feeling to watch them leave, men and women that had been on our company for so many years. Many friends left, many families were devided. Before he left, Ganglerix turned around and said:
“I promise to reach Rome first. When you come, you can search the debris for prey!”
Those, who expected that Glum would hurry to reach Italy first, were wrong. He turned north and made a big loop through Gaul. He did not seem to hurry at all. Now that the volk was smaller, the march was a lot easier.
On the way, we crossed the territories of many Celtic and even Germanian tribes. The news, that our new target was Rome, spread faster than we could march. Avidity was big and multitudinous tribes joined our march.
Finally, Glum surveyed the Gods. The Gods told us that the time of Holler arrived, the god of death and destruction, the one who brings diseases and disasters. They told us that we would defeat the Romans. That evening I saw Glum walking alone in the wood. I followed him and found him sitting under a big oak. I joined him and after a while, he said:
“Gunnar, what do you think about the prophecy?”
“Isn’t it what we were waiting for all the time? Now Rome will be ours!”
“You are right Gunnar.”
“Then why do you look so sad, Glum?”
“Well, I did not tell everything the Gods showed me. You know, Gunnar, it is not always good to see the future. In fact, most of the time it is hurtful.”
“Then what else did you see?”
“I saw misery, misery coming to us.”
For a moment, I could not reply anything. Then I said: “ But in the end, we will conquer Rome, right?”
“Yes, if I interpret the signs right. I saw a big town. It was pillaged by Germanians, no doubt. However, there is something else. The signs showed me something about my own fate. Odin will call me before we enter Italy.”
That really astounded me: “Come on, Glum! You know that the signs have always been very vage. You will not give up, after all this time!”
“No, Gunnar, this time the signs are clear. I will not see Rome. No reason for moaning. This is the decision of Odin. Gunnar, you have to do me a favour. You must lead the volk to Rome! You must finish the work of my life. You must finish my dream!”
“No, Gunnar, chase away those dark thoughts. You will lead the volk to Rome. You will be the winner. You will be called Glum, the conquereor.”
Glum smiled “Alright! We will see. Just in case that – something happens to me – I want you to lead the volk to Rome!”
We returned to the camp. There two messages were waiting for us. Odin, the God that gives lives and that takes lives, had donated Velleda and me a son. We named him Magni, and hoped that he would become as strong and as brave as our dead friend had been.
The other message was delivered by a messenger of Ganglerix’s came into the camp – or should I say a survivor.
A most intriguing update there ~:)
<nitpicky grammarian mode> One thing (well, two things, but both related) I did notice in the update:
Quote:
Those, who expected that Glum would hurry to reach Italy first, were wrong.
In both cases, the commas separating the italicized elements are unnecessary, as both elements are essential to their respective sentences (except possibly the second one; see below).Quote:
The news, that our new target was Rome, spread faster than we could march.
To help clarify what I'm saying, consider this example:
In that case, the element "the man who controls the kingdom" is nonessential, as you could still understand the sentence if you only said "The king is sitting on the throne."Quote:
The king, the man who controls the kingdom, is sitting on the throne.
Basically, the rule is: If it's a nonessential element, enclose it in commas; if it's an essential element, no commas are needed. If you need help identifying whether an element is essential or not, then you can always try leaving it out of the sentence. Using your two sentences as examples:
"Those were wrong." You can obviously tell that this sentence is missing something ~;)
"The news spread quickly." With a sentence like this it can be hard to tell, since "The news spread quickly" can be a stand-alone sentence by itself depending on the context. With sentences like these, you'll have to make a judgement call. If you feel that there's room for confusion (i.e. more than one "news item" referred to earlier recently), then it's best to treat the item as nonessential and omit the commas. If you feel that the reader will already understand what sort of news it is already, then it's OK to just leave out that element entirely.
It's a little tricky getting the hang of these things at first, but I'm sure that plenty of practice will allow you to distinguish between essential and nonessential elements almost effortlessly ~:)
</nitpicky grammarian mode>
I'm not claiming to be an English grammar expert, of course, as most of the stuff I know comes from my high school English textbook. If I seem to get "out of line" with my criticism, feel free to call me on it.
If it's a nonessential element, enclose it in commas; if it's an essential element, no commas are needed.
Tricky! We have other rules in German. I will give my best:sweatdrop:
Thank you very much!
Dedicated to Kagemusha-san, best nominator of the .org
Chapter 17 – Destruction - Aquä Sextiä
I knew the man, although I had not realized him at the first moment. He was one of the Celtic warriors that joined us after the battle of Noricum. I knew him as a gladsome person; maybe that was the reason, why he was all out of recognition. He was not gladsome at all; he came across as a hunted animal. Well, the story he told us was suitable to kill all gladness.
“After splitting up, Ganglerix decided to take the straight path to Rome. He hurried; he wanted to be the one to defeat the Romans. Many times, he told us that we were undefeatable, now that we were under his leadership.
We met the Romans at a river called Rhon. They had built solid fortifications on a big plain. Ganglerix ordered us to camp. Then we deployed for the battle.
However, the Romans did not come. Ganglerix sent messengers to tell them that we were ready for combat, but they did not come. They were so scared; they preferred to hide behind their wooden walls.
Ganglerix was at a loss. He waited the whole day for the Romans, which did not come. Early next morning we deployed again; but there were still no Romans. We lost the respect for those little soldiers and started to maraud. The Roman soldiers stayed in their camp, watching us as we were burning down farms and villages. Some groups of our warriors became rollicking and tried to assault the palisades. Volleys of javelins stopped them.
After devastating the whole area, Ganglerix decided to bypass the Roman camp and to start crossing the Alps. We packed our bags and bypassed the Romans. We were so many that it took six days until the last one passed the Romans. We were so close; some shouted and asked the Romans about their women, which would soon be ours. The Romans stayed quiet and did not dare to leave their camp.
When we advanced eastwards, the Romans left their camp and followed us, always staying out of harms way. In the evening, when we camped, the Romans started to build a camp too. Again, they secured it with palisades.
This went on for a couple of day. The Romans behaved like moles, not like soldiers. We reached a river and crossed it. Ganglerix thought that this would be the ideal place for a rest. The Romans stayed on the other side of the river, staying out of harms way, again.
Ganglerix ordered to stay there for several days, to recover from the stress of the march. Maybe he also hoped that the Romans would try to attack us across the river.
They did not dare to leave their fortified camp. This time, however, they had made a mistake. The Romans could not come to the river without a fight, and so they run out of water. In the second night, we heard the cries of their pack animals. Yet, they still did not dare to leave the camp.
Early next morning, some Romans left the camp with their animals. These Romans were not soldiers, but servants and traders that followed the Roman army. Yet, they were equipped with axes and hatches. Most of our warriors were still having breakfirst; some were swimming in the river. The Romans attacked those swimmers and killed the unarmed warriors.
Alarmed by their cries the Ambrones, camping close to that place, sprang to arms and attacked the Romans. Their battle cry filled the plain. However, they had to cross the river before they could attack the Romans.
Seeing that their servants were in trouble, the Roman commander finally decided to enter combat. Soldiers from Liguria were the first he sent. They were Celtics origin, too. Their battle cry was similar to the one of the Ambrones. Celtics started spilling Celtic blood.
When the assault of the Ligurians hit them, the river was still between the detachments of the Ambrones. Those on the western side of the river were slagged off, while their comrades tried to come to their help. The rest of the Roman soldiers joined the fight and the Ambrones turned and tried to escape. Once again, many of them died in the river and the water washed away their blood.
The Romans crossed the river, dogged them and slaged them off. Finally, they reached the camp of the Ambrones. There the women of the Ambrones entered the slaughter. They had axes or swords or simply snatched away the arms of their enemies. They started attacking the attackers as well as the fugitives.
The ferocious and desultory attack confused and stopped the Romans. They retreated across the river, again, and barricaded in their camp.
Night fell and no side tried another assault before the break of day. The casualties of the Ambrones were terrible. Cries admixed with dirges and filled the night as the surviving Ambrones mingled with the other tribes, causing sympathy and anger.
At the first light of day, we could see the Roman army leaving the camp and deploying for the battle. On the other side of the river, there was an undulating field. In the west, a chain of hills bordered it. There the Romans deployed. A forest bordered the right side of the battlefield. On the left, there was a flat, where the Romans had placed their cavalry.
Ganglerix gave the signal to cross the river. The warriors of all tribes gathered on the other side and girded for the battle. I was with my clan on the left side of the formation. Then Ganglerix made us attack the Roman infantry in the centre.
We had to fight uphill. The Romans waited for us and welcomed us with volleys. Although we could reach them, they kept their rows closed. We gave up our formation, turned and swarmed back. Ganglerix managed to stop us at the plain. When we tried to return into our formation, we heard cries at our right flank. I looked to the right and saw Roman soldiers streaming out of the forest. Our flank messed up. Ganglerix sent troops to stabilize this side, but then Roman cavalry attacked us on the other side and Roman infantry assaulted our center.
Last thing I realized was that our army lost the order. Then I had to defend myself against Roman riders. Something hit my head and I passed out.
When I returned, the battle had shifted. Obviously, the Romans were driving our warriers into the river. Bodies of Germanians and Celtics filled the plain.
Blood run into my eyes. I staggered to the forest and found a hiding place. I could see and hear the Romans chasing my comrades. There was little resistance. They were slaughtered like animals.
In the evening, the Romans drove the surviving Germanians back to the plain in front of me. Most of them were children and women, all of them wounded. Then the Romans tied them and put laid them onto hill, too. Then they put the bodies on top of them, mixed with wooden layers. Hundred thousands were mounted up. I could hear the wailing and begging of the still living. The Romans basted them with oil. Then the Roman army placed around. The leader came in front and ignited the hill of living and dead bodies.
That Hel was worse than that. Gods had never been that cruel. The cries of the dying and the smell of burning flesh – a merciful God made me slip back into unconsciousness again.
When I woke up again, the Romans were gone. I run. I wanted to leave that damned place as fast as possible. A found some other survivors. Among them was a chief. He sent me to you to tell you what had happened to Ganglerix and his volk. He and the other men decided to turn north and to leave the land forever.”
Truly a great chapter and great writing about the battle of Aquae Sextiae if i would guess correctly. This story is an intresting mixture of History and fantasy and thanks for dedicating the chapter for poor old Kage. Its easy to nominate when people give out exellent storyes like this one. I cant wait what happends next.:bow:
Interesting account of the battle. That last bit was a bit saddening ~:( , but it's nice to hear an update about Glangerix's group. It's interesting to see that he's still alive--I wonder if that will affect things in the future...
Chapter 18 – The one-eyed
The news about the fate of Ganglerix and his followers was like a slap in the face. We had been on the way to fulfill the prophecy and now the Romans had defeated us. Was this the end? A murmer circulated in the crowd, a murmer of surprise and shock, getting louder and louder. A spontaneous intuition made me step in front of the crowd and raise my hands.
“Listen volk! Have you forgotten the prophecy from Thor? We have his word that we will defeat the Romans!”
A man from the the second row shouted: “Yeah, we remember. Then why did Thor allow the Romans to slaughter our brothers and sisters? Aren’t the Roman gods stronger than he is?”
“Watch what you are saying, fool! Thor does always keep his word and no Roman god could every match with him. I ask you once more: Have you forgotten the prophecy? Don’t you remember that Thor promised victory and reward to those that would follow Glum? Ganglerix and his followers did not listen to Thor and so he did not care about them. They were defeated by the Romans. But we do! We are following Glum according to the will of the Thunder God. Therefore, he will lead us to victory!”
For a moment, the crowd was silent, as if the people had to reflect my words. Then they started to cheer, to applaud. Glum looked at me and smiled. The tension was gone.
Still gathering new members, the volk approached the Alps once again. One day another tribe joined our volk. To my surprise, I saw that it was the Helvetici with my good friend Gomix. He told me that they left their home as soon as they had heard that we were marching against Rome, again. He and his people wanted to participate in our victory.
Although I was not sure if it was the right decision to leave their well protected home in the mountains, I was glad to have this friend at my side. When we entered the mountains, difficulties started. Although the Romans did not dare to fight us here again, their spies filled the Alps. They tried to convince the local chiefs to fight us. They did it with lies and money.
Although these assaults were not dangerous, they began to become more than annoying. Glum sent small advanced groups to negotiate with the local war chiefs. One day there were two teams, one let by Glum himself, the other one by me. We rode several miles in front of the column, and then we separated. Glum turned east to negotiate with the tribes there, and I turned westwards. Each group had about twenty riders.
Soon we came to a small village. We met the chief and his warriors. As usual, these mountaineers were looking wild and dirty. I told the chief why we came and that we wanted to pass the mountains in peace. I offered him gold, but obviously, gold did not mean a lot to him. For a moment, our negotiation stagnated. Then I offered him a sword and he accepted. He even invited us to share their poor meal.
Our trip into the western mountains had taken several hours. We returned, looking for Glum and his group. When we turned around another hill, we saw them on the opposite dip. They were engaged by about forty warriors. Several of Glum’s comrades were already overpowered. He stood in the middle of the fight. Although he had lost his horse, he stood like an oak, made his famous sword circulate, and kept his enemy on distance. Among the enemies, there was one man towering in the combat. He was huge, a giant. He had no arm, no armor. His only weapon was a large club, or better said an oaklet. His only armor was a huge leather hat that covered his head and hid his face.
Although we were close enough to hear the cries of the fighting men, a gulched stopped us from interfering. The battle on the other side went back and forth. Whereever Glum was our men were successful. However, where the giant was, our men gave way. Finally, Glum raised his head and saw the giant killing another man. He raised the sword that Odin had donated to our family so long ago, the sword that had let us to victory so many times. He jumped at the giant and tried to make the deadly strike. However, the giant man was agile and blocked the blow. Glum’s sword broke into pieces. For a second, everything stood still; as if the battle was frozen. Everybody, friend and enemy, looked at the two leaders and the broken sword. Then the huge man with the leatherhat raised slowly the club. Glum did not move. He was looking at the broken sword. Then at the huge warrior as if he could not believe what had happened. The club smashed on Glum’s head. I could hear my brother’s sigh, as his helmet broke and he fell on the ground. Horror filled our men and they took to their heels. As if they had enough, too, the enemies turned and disappeared behind some rocks.
I put spurs on my horse and hurried to my brother. His had taken a terrible hit, but he was still alive. He was even conscious, although a part of his conscious was already gone. I was not sure, if he recognized me, or if he noticed me at all. His eyes were open and these words were leaving his lips: “The one-eyed! It was the one-eyed himself!”
Then he slipped into unconciousnes. An hour later, he was dead. There was nothing left to do but to bring his body to the volk, him and the parts of the sword.
The news about the death of our leader caused mourning. Glum had not always been without controversy, but always he had been a visible symbol of our unity and dream. Now that symbol was gone.
Surprisingly, everybody was thinking that I would be the new leader. There was not even a big discussion about that. Not even an opportunity for me to refuse. There was no discussion about our goal. Everybody was tired of wandering and only waiting to arrive finally.
We started to march on. I made the people hurry. I wanted to leave the Alps, the mountains that had taken away a beloved person each time I entered them. I wanted to leave the Alps, because I was sure to meet the Romans then. I wanted to leave the Alps – because I was aching to bathe in their blood.
Chapter 19 – Eve of destruction
The death of my brother had gotten me into a fever of excitement. Again and again I saw him fighting that terrible man. I had to stand aside, unable to do anything to help him. Then the giant turned around and I had to look into this one eye. That awful eye! He was chasing me; I ran and ran, but I could not get away from him. I saw Idun, too. She was cute as ever. I saw her sleeping and I saw her in need of protection. Then I saw the giant. He came and snapped her. She woke up and cried for help. The giant did not care. He turned around and lugged her away. I was running to help her. However, when I came closer, the man grew bigger and bigger. He was at last two times my size. I beat him with all my might, but he just did not care.
I awoke, wetted by my own sweet. Even when I was awake, pictures of Glum, Idun and the one-eyed man were spinning in my head. I knew that I was going to mad, if I could not end it.
I led the volk across the mountains. Velleda helped a lot. While it was my will that pushed the men forward, it was she who managed all the little details and took care for every single one. Gomix supported me too. He was my right hand man in all military affairs.
We climbed the last mountains. During the last rise, an idea had formed in my mind. I was still haunted by the nightmares, but know I knew what to do to end this. I could not saw why or how I finally realized it, but I knew it from the bottom of my heart. If I only could defeat the Romans, burn down Rome and kill all Romans, I could redeem my sould. By defeating the Romans, I could free Glum and Idun. In some mystical I would be reunited with them. Although I did not know how, there was no doubt about that. Regarding that monster, I would send him to Hel.
I told Velleda about my idea. She looked at me with sad eyes. For a long time she did not say a word, as if she had to reflect the words I had been telling her. Then she looked into my eyes, with a sad look and said: “Gunnar, you know who HE is, the one-eyed, don’t you?”
I knew pretty well who this bloody giant was. Hel, how many one-eyed giants existed? How many did fight with trees. How many could brake Odin’s sword. Yes, even a featherbrained warrior like me knew who that was. However, I had decided to ignore it. What else could I have done? I had decided to follow my fate, and I was ready to fight even gods if I had to.
“You cannot resist HIM! You do not have a chance!”
Of course she was right. But what could I have done? He had challenged me, not the other way around. If I gave way, those ghosts in my mind would chase me forever. No, I was still a warrior, even a leader of warriors, I would not give way.
Bullheaded I shook my head: “I am going to Rome and burn it to the ground. No Roman army will stop me, neither a one-eyed!”
She looked at me without a word. She did not have to form words; heir eyes were speaking loud and clear: “You are going straight to disaster. And I won’t be able to stop you!”
When we reached the top of the last mountain, we saw the plains of Italy, green and fruitful. It was like a view to the Promised Land, even though we could see Roman soldiers at the bottom of the hills. The volk brimmed over with enthusiasm. The hardful march across the Alps was over. It was end of spring, but the slopes were still full of snow. Some warriors sat of their shields and slided down the hill. They were cheering while they reached a remarkable speed. Others followed and soon the whole volk was running down the hill.
This horrified the Romans and they run away as fast as they could. It was great fun and raised our courage; even though about a dozen broke fell head over heels into an abyss.
We rested for two days at the bottom of the Alps, and then we marched on. We met the Roman army again at a river called Etsch. Although the river was not very big, he was furious and there was only one location where it could be crossed without danger. There the Romans had built a wooden bridge. To secure this crossing, they had built two wooden forts, one on each side. The main detachment of the Romans was on the other side, waiting for us to cross the river.
I ordered the volk to camp. I called Gomix and we started to reconnoitre the Roman positions. Then I ordered to assault.
One group, ordered by Gomix, moved upstream to a forest. They began to eradicate trees. The Romans watched this, obviously not realizing our plan. When the preparations were done, Gomix and his men started to throw the trees into the waves of the river. I ordered my men to get ready. We heared the big trunks as they crashed against the fundament of the bridge. The Romans on our side of the river realized that they would soon be cut off from the rest of the army and from any chance to retreat. They paniked and left their fort. In front of them was a man in a shining armor, the first that ran across the river. I ordered my men to attack. The beams were still crashing against the fundament of the bridge, while the Romans were desperately trying to cross it. Then with a loud crack, the bridge set aside and fell into the water. The Romans that had been on the bridge sunk in the foamy waters. Their cries raised our courage and we massacred those Romans that where still trapped on our side.
The Romans on the other side, unable to do anything but watch their comrades dying, were terrified. The Roman officers were the first to leave the fort, the legionnaires followed. Before we were able to cross the river, the Romans were gone without a trace.
We celebrated our victory and went after them. Unfortunatelly, we were to slow to regain the lost time. Impatiently, I had to watch that we were getting slower and slower. I urged the volk to move faster, but after a short time it was slower than before.
Velleda rode beside me. “Gunnar, your effort is in vane. Look, it is the land itself that is fighting us.”
I looked at the volk and I had to see that she was right. Most men and women were at the end of their rope. They had overcome the huge mountains, but here at the plains they were exhausted. The sun was burning down like I had never seen it before. We were built to stand iciness, but not to stand the temperature of this atrium of Hel.
Additionally, the people were ill. A strange fever had spread.
I urged the volk to march on. I knew that our time was short. We had to reach Rome and fight the final battle. We had to end this before the Romans could recover. We had to end this – before the one eyed appeared again.
After a two weeks march we saw a sign of the Romans. At a ford we had to cross, we saw bodies skewered in a row, around 20. When we came closer, we saw the bodies of the Celtic chiefs that had decided to leave Glum. Of course we could not recognize them, but we knew their armors.
I knew the Romans would be willing to fight now. Indeed, the very next afternoon we saw them waiting at the end of a plain. They had been reinforced. I had never seen so many Romans before. They were about 60,000. They had a lot of cavalry.
I ordered everyone into battle order and we filled our side of the plain; maybe 300,000 warriors, women, old and children. We prepared ourself for the battle. The magi asked the gods for their support and the chiefs gathered around me to receive orders for the battle.
I devided the warriors into divisions. The infantry formed the main body; lances in the middle, swordsmen on both sides. In the center there were the Berserkers. They shackled themselves together; no Romans would be able to break through their line. Of course I placed the archer behing the rows of shields. The combined cavalry was waiting in the back.
I was determined not to make the same mistake Ganglerix had made. I would not attack the Romans and get into disorder. I would wait until they attack. And then I would overrun them. So we were waiting for the Romans to open hostilities. They did not. When night fell, they retreated into their well protected camp.
I did not trust the Romans and I told my men to be alert during night.
Now I am sitting in my tent, trying to gather my mind. I know that tomorrow will be the final battle, the final destination of the march we started many years ago. I am sure that the Romans will not be able to field such a big army once more. Tomorrow will bring victory or destruction. Will we end as the new masters of Rome? Or will we be snuffed out and forgotten? Only the Gods know. Of course I believe in the prophecy of Glum, the vision of Germanian soldiers marauding Rome; but prophecies are always fuzzy and ambiguous.
I decide not to care any longer. I leave the tent to look after Velleda. She stands among a group of women. I ask her to care about the women and children. She tells me not to worry. She says that when the next day will over, she will be standing at my side. She has always been a good wife, better than I have ever deserved. I like to tell her, but I cannot find the words.
If we win the battle, I will be able to end this story, too. We will write history, then. If not, the Romans will write the end of the story.
END
:sweatdrop:
No comments yet? I guess I'll take the lead, then.
Personally, I loved this story. It's well written, decent plot and characters, perhaps the attempts at symbolism where not that succesful (in my opinion at least, but I am no judge when it comes to symbolism), but otherwise this is one of the best stories the Mead Hall has seen in a long time.
Unfortunatly, the end left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied. It is rather flat. No emotional resolution, just indifference. That said, I admit I don't know a better way to end the story.
Thank you very much!
I have to say that this story was much longer than planned. In the beginning I just wanted to create an explanation why the Cimbri left their country and how they turned into a big warmachine. I never had the intention to go to the bitter end.
I tried to give it a mystical touch. There had to be a kind of religious motivation for this long march. I know that this has not always been very consequent. After the start i also tried to integrate more personal characteristics and feeling (esp. love), but from chapter to chapter this was more or less successful.
The end, of course I did not want to write the defeat - everybody knows what happened. Therefore i decided to stop here. I know there had to be more precious feelings, :thumbsdown:
I hoped that some enjoyed the story. :2thumbsup: