Legionnaire: Last Dog of Venice

Legionnaire watched as flaming stones crashed into the gates of Venice, clawing at the beast’s side; but she could not protect her dogs for long. Behind the Roman troops, a pillar of smoke choked the sky; the last reminder of Venice’s pitiful defenses. It had not taken long for the fort’s captain to break. He learned respect for Rome before his dying breath; spilling that the Doge indeed hid behind the walls Venice.


From within the walls, troops trembled at the sound of the thundering war drums of Rome. Then with a crash, the burning gates of Venice fell and panic flooded the floating city. As the smoldering gates fell, a lone knight charged through the flames and smoke, but avoiding the bewildered defenders he drove on into the heart of the city. ‘Could one demon have done all of this?’ they fearfully wonder, ‘Had the Devil himself come to punish Venice?’ Their prayers are answered, however, by the pounding of horse’s hooves and the battle cries of men, as the armies of Rome came crashing down upon them.


At this point the smoke from the burning forts outside Venice had drifted into the city, leaving it cloaked in haze. The city had succumbed to silence once the outer defenses had been overrun. When the smog had rolled in, the Doge had decided it was time to make his run for it. With his two most trusted guards beside him, he headed for a secluded dock; leaving the rest of his guards behind to cover his escape. He hoped that in the confusion of the smoke and attack, he could slip around the Roman blockade.

From in front of them, galloping hooves echo up the street. Then out of the haze a knight’s lance pierces through the guard’s chest on his left. As the Doge’s horse panics, his other guard chases after the knight. Frightened by the surprise attack and the heavy smoke filling its nostrils, the Doge’s horse rears up, throwing him off, and takes off after the already fleeing horse of his first guard. Hearing the sound of swords clashing behind him, the Doge picks himself up and starts running for his waiting ship.

A few blocks away as he nears a bridge, the Doge sees through the smoke the shadow of a horse standing upon it. ‘Praise God,’ he thinks, ‘his horse had not fully betrayed him after all.’ But as he nears the bridge the figure of a knight materializes atop the horse. The Doge froze, hoping he had not been seen.

The knight, pointing his sword at the Doge accusingly, shouts “Foul Demon, why have you cursed me and taken away my Annalese?”

As the Doge tries to back away slowly, he stammers “I know not who you are or of this Annalese.”

“Don’t lie to me Demon!” the knight shouts. Charging down the bridge, the knight jumps off his horse; tackling the Doge to the ground. Quickly recovering, the knight stands over the Doge and brings his sword level with the Doges face. “Maybe this will help your memory Demon.” The knight takes off his helmet and throws it aside, revealing his face.

“Heinrich!” the Doge stammers in surprise.

“If that was my name in my past life, it is no more. You can call me Legionnaire.” Dropping his sword, Legionnaire picks the Doge up by his collar and demands “Now tell me what you have done with my Annalese!”

‘Annalese,’ the Doge desperately thinks, ‘who is this Annalese?’ The only women the Doge knew of the Kaiser to frequent in Venice were whores. “I know not which harlot you seek, but I swear I have not touched her! Let me go and we can find her together.” the Doge pleaded to the crazed Kaiser.

However, the desperate plea outraged Legionnaire. Throwing the Doge hard to the ground, Legionnaire picks up his sword and screams “No one calls her a whore!” as he thrusts his sword up into the Doge’s chest.

As the Doge gasps for life, warm tears fall fresh upon his face. “Why,” the knight pleads, “why, couldn’t you just tell me where my beloved is?”

Fading fast the Doge asks “What has happened to you, Kais...” The Doges last words are lost as death’s grip pulls him down.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” Legionnaire’s scream fills the city as he vents his anger and frustration on the Doge’s lifeless body. Somewhere in Italy, clues to Annalese’s disappearance must remain and he would scour the Venetian countryside until he found them.