Aegeus' armor [ At: 1:51 is what Aegeus is wearing BEFORE he appears in modern-day New York City]



What was the purpose of Rome? What was my purpose in all of this? Here I sit, wrapped up in a fur-lined warm cape, surrounded by a warm and spacious tent while my men slept outside in the mud, with only the thinest of blankets. Forced to sleep in their armor when I slept in comfortable tunics. I had protested this from day one, but of course, being a Centurion, I could not sleep "like a common solder." Twice have I struck a soldier for using that saying. True, I had a bit of a temper, but I would not have my men talked about as if they were something to scrape off one's shoe before a soak in the baths. The men were my life, my children, my friends, my brothers. Aside from my dearest and closest friend, they were the most important things in my life. They trusted me, respected me. I could never let them think, for even a moment, I would ever think of them in a negative way.

I had always wanted to become a solier, ever since I was old enough to know what it meant. From the age of five, I have weilded a sword, axe, or crossbow. But the most treasured thing I use was the sword of my father's, which was currently wrapped up and slipped into a saddle bag so the other men could not see it. My father had been disgraced and tossed into the arena where he was killed by an underhanded move of the Emperor's brother. My father was supposed to get a fair fight, despite his transgressions, but it seemed as if the emporer's brother thought that it was not what my father deserved. Since then, the Emperor has died and his son, Casius, has taken his place, though I know the late Emperor's brother is pulling the strings behing the scenes.

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I sat upon my white horse, three lines back from the front. Across the expansive ten-mile wide plain were Gaul soldiers, ones who just refused to give up. To my right, my dearest and closest friend, Agapito sat upon his black charger, his eyes narrowed and focused ont he enemy. I had seen that look so many times before; my friend was already planning out counterattacks should our current decision in strategy not work. I gripped my horse's reins tightly in my right hand, my armor clinking as metal brushed metal. "Are you alight, Aegean?" I looked over at Agapito, who's eyebrows had come together in consern. The action made the more angular features emerge from his slightly boyish face. "Yes. I just want to get this over with and go home for once. It's been three years so far." I turned to face back forward as the Gaulish warriors let out a large battle cry beofre rushing forward. My men didn't blink, didn't even move an inch as the enemy inches closer. "Archers, at the ready!" The effect to my order was instant. Bows were tested and then slowly drawn back, arrows notched and ready to fly.

The minutes passed by as the Gaulish warriors got closer and closer. With a slight movement from Agapito, I held up my hand and the archers set fire to the tip of their bows. "Aim!" Tiny creaks came from the bows as strings were drawn back, and flaming arrows were pointed into the air. "Fire!" Thousands of arrows took flight, practically turning the sky black with the mass of fiery streaks. My footsoldiers cried out in triumph as quite a few Gaul soldiers fell under my men's arrows. "Men! We will not let them beat us! We will not let the late Emperor Romani's efforts be in vain! We will destroy the enemy! Forward!" The entirety of the Roman legion surged forward, and after five minutes, the two sides collided. I lost sight of Agapito, but I knew he was able to hold his own easily. Without warning, my horse fell, and I jumped from it's back before it could roll over onto my legs. My blood-red cloak billowed around me just as I landed on my feet, pulling my praetorian from my waist just in time to block two blades. Pulling out a much longer version of my praetorian, I swung both in wide circles, cutting through the neck of one man, and slashing another deep into and across the chest.

The battle went on for what seemed like hours. The Gaulish warriors were suffering more than we were, but it still wounded me deeply whenever one of my men died. As I turned to my right, the world seemed to go into slow motion as I saw Agapito surround by six Gaulish warriors. He was fighting well, but I could see he was tiring. And then it happened, faster than I could blink. A Gaulish warrior raised his sword, and it went straight down through Agapito's neck, and then out the lower part of his chest. All sound stopped and I began to move like a berserker, cutting down any Gaulish warrior I came across as I rushed towards Agapito as his body fell to the ground. I could feel Gaulish weapons hacking at me, causing deep cuts all on my back, arms, legs, and chest, but the adrenaline pumping through my veins surged me forward, allowing me to ignore my wounds. I was only fifteen feet away when I fell, having tripped over a dead horse's limp reins. I stuck both of my praetorians into the ground and hauled myself forwards as my body started to fail me. My right hand stretched out, and barely touched Agapito's hair before there was suddenly a seering pain in my right side, and the amount of the pain forced me into unconsciousness.