Across the Waters: A Story of the Migration

[Theodotos I]

@Hax: I thought it would surprise a few people.

@Lysimachos: Many thanks for your kind words. The end of Cadwalador and the end of the AAR is a bittersweet experience for me as well. For a time, I had actually plotted out beyond the death of Aneirin moc Cunobelin, planning to have Cadwalador survive the disaster and bring Margeria and her two sons back into the plot. But, as you will see in the epilogue, the Casse themselves forced my hand and I could see no sense in having Cadwalador die fighting beside Erbin or Praesutagos!

@Ower: I appreciate you reading along all this time. I tried to keep the plot moving forward at an equal pace to the events of the game. Reading about countless successful battles is really rather boring, so I thought I would toss in a few defeats just to spice things up. Well, that’s where the EB AI stepped in and handed me my rear on a golden platter.
As for my book, I need to get back to it. This AAR more than anything has been the product of a enforced six-month sabbatical.

@Reverend Joe: I’m glad you felt the ending worked. I wasn’t exactly sure. Personally I’ve thought of Cadwalador as a hero all along. If you’ve ever been in some of these situations in real-life, you know staying loyal to a currently unpopular person or cause is one of the most truly heroic things you can ever do. But I wanted to end it with a dramatic last stand.
As for the second part of your comment, if you are suggesting that I should edit the “monotheism” out before I should try to get this story published, I would agree with you. With the benefit of hindsight, I can see that it just didn’t work in this story. Despite the truth of what I believe, the idea that the Aedui of 272 BC would have known of it was pushing the envelope, particularly with what Sarcasm said of their lack of written records. And, perhaps more importantly, it didn’t add much of anything to the plot. Cadwalador’s healthy skepticism of his native gods was already well established and I probably should have left it at that.
However, if you are saying that I should expunge the notion from all of my writing, then I will have to respectfully disagree. That would be to cut out a part of my character, and no writer can do that and survive with themselves, much less anyone else. Indeed, my regular writing, which is far more modern in nature, will be pitched toward the Christian publishing market. The difficulty I perceive there is that the said market has largely been taken over by pacifists and those who somehow believe a Christian is not permitted to kill in defense of his country. The Christian protagonist of the novel I’m currently working on is a paramilitary who happens to believe you can.
All the same, I appreciate your concern. As for people not being kind, well, I’ve already found that out. . .

@Praxis: Welcome to the forums, and many thanks for commenting. Your excerpt will be arriving shortly, once I get it properly edited. I hope I can make a success of my writing out in the "real" world. Here's a balloon for being the first lurker to show himself.