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Full Circle 4 of 8
Celedon (celedon1@AIRMAIL.NET)Sun, 10 Jun 2001 23:21:25 -0500
Chapter 4=20 Darius adjusted his cassock against the chill of the night air. St. = Julien's was an old chapel, one that Darius himself had helped to lay = stones for the foundation and had always been drafty and cold in the = wintertime. "I won't deny the past, for to deny what I once was is to = deny who I am today." He sighed, shaking his head slowly. "What do you = want me to do? Apologize for something that happened fifteen hundred = years ago?" He paused. "I apologize. I thought that you were dead long = ago. And yet..." His voice trailed off.=20 "If I were dead, I would have invited you to the funeral to say a few = words over me," Methos replied bitterly. "I thought you would have known = me better than that."=20 He slid down the cold stone wall of the church into a relaxed, crumpled = heap onto the floor. "Don't you want to know why I've come after all = these years to see you?"=20 Darius remained silent, then slowly nodded. "You would have told me = eventually."=20 "Would I?" Methos' tone of voice carried a tone of weariness yet = disbelief in Darius' statement. "Would I?"=20 __________________________________________________=20 382 CE=20 Four years of waging war, four years of campaigning in the spring and = summer months only to retreat back in the fall and winter months to = harvest crops, lick their wounds, regroup and plan for the next year's = offensive. Each time they won ground, they left a contingent of their = army behind to guard what had been won with blood and lives lost.=20 Methos lived in a kind of hell in that time, free to roam the = encampments, yet still a prisoner and slave to be placed on display when = the need arose to impress upon visiting dignitaries how powerful an = opponent the Visigoths were.=20 Letters had been sent to Rome after the battle of Adrianople demanding = land for the Visigoths to settle upon and also demanded they be paid a = ransom for Methos, whom they held. Methos soon learned by word of mouth = that Rome had refused all thoughts of paying ransom for him. It didn't = surprise him. He had only been there at the behest of the Emporer, = Valens, who lost his life in the battle, to oversee the strategy of the = mighty Roman army and analyze where its' flaws were. He was to determine = where improvements were to be made. However, he had been impressed into = the ranks of the elite Roman generals after too many had died during the = campaigns against both Goths and Visigoths from the north and the Huns = and Vandals who were attacking the Roman territories on the east.=20 The idea of giving up land for peace had been rejected by the Roman = Senate each time. Each time, it made his captors more furious and they = vowed revenge one day upon Rome.=20 Methos shared quarters with Darius, who kept a close eye on him, wary of = him yet fascinated by this war trophy his son had given him. Neither = spoke to one another in those four years. Yet both knew somehow that = they had much in common. Darius remained as aloof as possible, ever in = control of any given situation.=20 Late in the fourth year of his captivity and very late into the night = after all had either fallen asleep or had passed out at the table from = too much mead, wine and beer, Darius received a visitor in the form of = the newly elected ruler of the Visigoths, Alaric.=20 Methos unobtrusively stood by the wall in the common area of the main = structure of buildings listening to the two men, with two divergent = ideas of what lay ahead for the Visigoths.=20 Darius paced through the great hall as he talked with Alaric, about the = next year's campaigns. "I have a plan, that will make our people as = mighty as what Rome once was!" he gloated. "It is nearly foolproof and = one I am sure that it would further our empire westward towards Gaul."=20 Alaric frowned. He was a tall man as many of his people were, with = bright red hair which fell to his waist and piercing blue eyes; one = could see the stamp of intelligence written onto his face. "Never mind = about Gaul. What my people are demanding are more lands to stretch out = and settle upon. They need time to regroup, have families, and raise the = sons you need for your armies, Darius. We, as a people need time to sow, = to harvest, to reap the benefits of all that we have gotten in years = past, and to have peace. War comes at a high cost to all."=20 Methos watched the interchange with keen interest, having learned over = the years the thick, guttural tongue of his captors. He knew of Darius' = secret vow said to Greyson in the darkness of night, that one day he = would push his army westward through Gaul to the ocean and become as = mighty a leader as anyone had ever seen before.=20 He understood that feeling of power, having had it before long ago and = seen it before in other years prior. He knew of campaigns won or lost = because of one man or one thing that went awry. Power was like a drug. = Once you had experienced it, it held onto your dreams and thoughts = forever. He knew that only too well.=20 "Rome will come to her knees eventually, Alaric. We will be there when = she does for the first spoils of her vast holdings. This I promise you." = Darius' eyes stared intensely at Alaric. "But the time is ripe to move = forward!"=20 Alaric stood his ground. "No. Not with my army, you won't. My people = need peace; peace is what I will give them--for a while."=20 Methos watched as Darius' face colored in rage. "You can't!"=20 "Watch me." Alaric's voice grew as cold as a winter's snow. "If you defy = me on this, Darius, then I will have your head. I am ruler of the = Visigoths; you will obey me! They are my people and I will do what is = best for them. Do you understand?"=20 Darius remained silent as his eyes blazed at his king. Finally he spoke = in a voice strangling with anger and fury, "Lord, you are wrong to do = this!"=20 Alaric spun around and threw his beaker against the wall. The wine = looked like blood as it ran down the wall in rivulets. "Enough!" He = advanced upon Darius. "There are things you are not aware of. An = emissary from Rome arrived this morning offering us lands in the Balkans = in exchange for our soldiers as well as our generals. I have accepted = their offer." With a fist raised, he continued. "You will be traveling = to Rome as a part of that military contingent, Darius. And you will be = taking that upstart son of yours with you. I will not have someone who = has dreams of taking my place as leader in my midst."=20 Darius blinked and took a step backwards, surprised that Alaric knew of = his plans. His mind was reeling-- he was quickly trying to think of what = to say but could not refute it, or would he admit to it.=20 Methos' hopes raised. Darius would be going to Rome, as would Greyson. = It would be easy to get lost in Rome, easy because he had learned how to = blend in years ago. Perhaps he could make his escape at long last. He = hadn't tried before in the past few years because he was learning from = Darius all he could without Darius knowing it--learning all his tactics, = all his stratagems, all his plans for an empire to rival Rome's.=20 Now, at last, he could put it to good use.=20 Finally--- back to Rome.=20