SPQR- Chapter 1
And so the day had finally come for Martellus the Second, the wolf who had more than earned his salt in several provinces abroad to return home to his father and mother to tell of the brave and glorious stories of his legion during their tenure in Judea. The streets of Rome would be lined with all manner of its subjects, selling souvenirs, making music on their pipes, and all would sing praises to the glory of Rome and the power of her divine Emperor. This great homecoming for the soldiers, many of whom had gone years since seeing the beloved hometown of their birth. Many great honors and titles would be awarded for the invaluable services they had rendered, for the sake of this most glorious Empire. It was the hope of every Roman subject, that someday the other provinces would forsake their religions, their civilization and acknowledge the superiority of Roman culture, although until that day came legionnaires like Martellus the Second would have to enforce the order in foreign provinces.
"It has been so long since we last saw our cub- four years have passed since he left Rome for the savagery of Judea, and even then he had spent so much time in Thracia enforcing the will of the Emperor. We have no way of knowing if he survived at all," Claudia spoke to her husband. She was truly and honestly worried about the fate of her son- she knew very well that the scars of war were not just physical.
"I do not doubt the divinity and irresistible power of our Emperor and his will. We know the actions of the Imperial army were necessary as there was a violent uprising in Judea that threatened the peace and stability of our government, not to mention the lives of the loyal subjects," Martellus spoke. He had prayed every night both to the Emperor, and to the assorted gods of Rome that his son would return home to this domus, having won great honor for him on the fields of battle, and fall in his arms crying tears of joy to be home at last.
And as the elderly wolf couple left their homes dressed as they were in their most beautiful white robes for the Triumph through the main streets of the city, they received word that this conquest had been more fruitful than any past conquest the Roman army had taken part in. They learned that the soldiers had already returned home and to their utmost relief, their son had survived the years of warfare, though his face would bear the scars of war. They also learned that the Legions were successful in ransacking the Temple as a display of Roman might against the Judean warriors. Everything in the temple which constituted the sacred service of the Jews, the golden menorah, the priestly harness and armor, they now belonged to Rome and it was at this very moment being transferred to the Capitoline hill for the Emperor to do with as he pleased. The dusty province of Judea, with its disagreeable citizens and hatred of the Empire would never rise again as the heart of their province had just been gutted.
As the crowds of white-clad Romans gathered on the sides, a cheer arose as the first of the garrisons began their slow procession down the Via Appia, the widest road of the city which led straight to the Senate where Martellus worked. They were dressed in their silver armor, though it had become tarnished through years of battles. A careful observation revealed in many of these returning veterans, chinks in the armor, a helmet that had been cracked to the point where it was ineffective for stopping any weapon, and several of the soldiers had scars that even given an eternity to heal would always be there, a permanent honorable mark left behind on their bodies.
Even in the midst of this joyous occasion, it was obvious that some of the Romans would not see their sons return home. Martellus and Claudia saw beside them, a lioness crying into the shoulders of her husband that her only cub had passed away. Her husband reassured her that it was all for the greater good of the Empire that some would pay the ultimate cost. He entertained his wife with stories of when he was a centurion of how various noble warriors would sacrifice their lives for his well-being and safety- surely, their son had passed away guarding his fellow soldiers from barbarian attack. Any other death would not have been honorable and thusly, it would not have been the death of a Roman soldier. But of course this was little comfort for that lion couple whose son did not return. But no momentary loss would stop this parade, this Triumph from happening. Finally, when Martellus II' Legion, known simply as the Sons of Thunder came down the Via Appia, the elder Martellus and Claudia rejoiced when they saw their son, alive and victorious.
The Senate had been an appropriate destination for this procession because Senator Martellus was going to honor his son and his legion for their work with a rousing speech, which would proclaim the supremacy of Rome to the Senate, and the will of the gods in their victory over the Judean rabble. Soon, the wolf would come forward on the Senate floor, he and his fellow legionnaires and receive laurels and medals to wear for their valiant efforts in those foreign provinces. The entire event would be a glorious achievement, a crowning glory for men who had spent years away from home. As they entered the building, Martellus prepared for his speech which would no doubt win an ovation from his fellow Senators.
Soon, he found himself behind the main podium in the bowl-shaped Senate chamber, confidently reciting the speech he had spent months preparing. This would be a wonderful speech with the Senate and the soldiers and the Emperor Vespasian himself would be in attendance. The crowd had gathered and Martellus began his speech
"Vae victis! Ad Gloria Romanus! We are gathered here in joy and celebration to mark the victory of the Romans over the barbarians in Judea. They destroyed an insurgency which had threatened the peace and order of loyal subjects abroad and sought to replace our government with one of their own, not guided by Roman principles. All of these soldiers had fought well for those principles to return home alive and those that did not return had paid the ultimate sacrifice in blood, enabling the victors to arrive home on this glorious day. My son was among those who fought, as a Legionnaire against the Judeans. I would like to call him to give a speech to give honor to the Empire and praise to her Emperor, the divine Vespasian."
All eyes turned to the younger wolf, still clad in his uniform- his golden eyes turned to his Legion, then to the Senate, then finally to the Emperor. He had fought against many adversaries in to-the-death fights and won every single time but right now, Martellus with his lupine strength was overwhelmed at the thought of devising a speech for his countrymen. He wanted to honor the Emperor but for whatever reason, his tongue now had become heavy as metal in his mouth and was therefore useless. The blood rushed to his head to avoid the embarrassment of not being able to speak and the heavy armor he was wearing did not help him at all; overwhelmed by the anxiety of the moment, the proud and mighty wolf soldier fainted to the ground.