I previously mentioned my improbable dream to become one of King Arthur's knights. Given my common birth, it seemed an unlikely dream so I settled upon the next best thing. I would serve as a soldier in Arthur's army. To that end, I joined the Caerleon Legion and was appointed as a junior officer.
A little history is in order here. Caerleon is an ancient city that originated as a hill fort during the days of the barbaric Britons who held the land before the coming of the Romans. When the Empire conquered the island, Caerleon was converted to a legionary fortress (Caerleon literally means fortress of the legion). For centuries, Roman legions protected western Briton.
When Rome withdrew, the city fathers realized the importance of defense. They organized their own city military, which they simply called the Legion (known as the Caerleon Legion to people outside our fair town). Unfortunately, our Legion did not live up to the legendary discipline, and success, of our famous forebears. To be honest, it was more of a militia made up of the citizenry when called upon for service. Even though I was a junior officer, I still spent most of my time assisting with my father's business. The Legion would drill irregularly, occasionally turn out to chase off small bands of barbarians, all the while waiting for the King to call us to service. This seemed unlikely once he had defeated the rebel kings and established his authority over all of Britain.
We would get that call one summer. A new Saxon rebellion broke out. They called on reinforcements from the mainland and gathered a huge army. The barbarians pushed westward, sacking British settlements as they marched. King Arthur called upon all soldiers of his realm to converge upon the enemy. He then rode forth the confront the enemy.
The Caerleon Legion mustered together and marched eastward. We did not expect to see action; Arthur and his knights were a couple of days ahead of us. Surely they would be victorious before we arrived. Many of our number grumbled that there would be no spoils of war by the time we got to the front.
After a couple of days of marching, we were surprised to see Arthur's army approaching us. They looked haggard and worn. We realized they were in retreat! How could this be? Arthur defeated? We could barely believe it, but it was true. Arthur and been fighting a running battle against overwhelming numbers. He was delaying to allow time for reinforcements to arrive. Our Legion was one of many retinues that were converging upon Arthur's position. Thus, he decided it was time to make a stand. He selected a position at Badon Hill, site of a ruined hill fort from ancient days. The infantry, including the Caerleon Legion, formed upon the hill while Arthur and his knights guarded the flanks.
Soon we could see a swarming, writhing mass approach us. It blackened the horizon like a coming storm, With trepidation, we realized that it was the Saxon army. Sometimes I wonder if this was the greatest force assembled since the days when the Great Alexander crossed swords with the Persian horde. Regardless, the size of the Saxon army filled us with dread. However, our commanders called upon us to hold our ground in the name of Arthur the King and the Lord Jesus Christ. We were determined to give our all for them.
My hand grows weary from writing. I shall return to my narrative on another day.
OOC Notes:
- The historical record does not provide much detail about the Battle of Badon Hill, a historical battle that has traditionally been attributed to Arthur. My account of the battle is inspired by the Great Pendragon Campaign and Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles.
- The Caerleon Legion is purely my own invention. Caerleon was known as the fortress of the Legion (actually one of many in Britain) so its seemed logical that a remnant of one of the vaunted Roman legions would persist. Given the deterioration of the Roman world around the time of Badon Hill, it also seemed logical that the Caerleon Legion would not be the powerhouse of earlier times.
- Rufus's role as a junior officer was inspired by exceedingly brief and uneventful career as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. Unlike Rufus, I was not engaged in any conflict
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