A Short History of Kings

By Chris James

Chapter Two

The sea was covered in fog even as the rains fell, soaking every square inch of the ship above decks. Theo had discovered something marvelous about being invisible, he didn't get wet. Daniel on the other hand looked like a drowned puppy standing next to the Lieutenant, who's Christian name was Luciano.

"You see that coast over there?" Luciano asked the boy.

"I can see nothing for the rain, sir," Daniel replied.

"Oh, yes. Well that darker area in the distance is land, the Germanic hordes hold those lands and we dare not venture too close. The legions of Roma have fought those people for decades; do you know what a decade is?"

"No sir, is it a measure of time?" Daniel replied.

"Yes, my boy... um, Daniel, it is... it means a period of ten years. Do you know what year this is?" Luciano asked.

"How is time figured, sir?"

"I will explain that to you shortly. This is the year 623 AD; do you know what the AD stands for? Of course you don't, it means 'anno Domini' and that stands for the time since the birth of our Savior."

"The son of God, the Bishop works for him," Daniel said.

Luciano laughed. "Yes, it's something like that. But it's been six hundred and twenty-three years since he was born and our calendar starts with his birth. That way we all remember when the years began being counted and we can agree on the current date."

"That's clever, things began with Jesus," Daniel said.

Luciano looked down at the boy and smiled. "You are the clever one, Daniel. It's a wonder that an orphan can be so enlightened."

Theo nodded, thinking that he had better tell Daniel not to act so smart. It was obvious that in the past five days Luciano had come to like his little charge. This man was not a threat to the boy, but Theo had seen some of the sailors eyeing him.

Daniel slept in the cubby hole under the stairs outside of Luciano's cabin, the safest place for him to be. For only there could Theo bring himself to sleep close to the boy, uncloaked and able to share his warmth.

Theo had discovered that keeping himself invisible was tiring, as if the magic was stealing his energy to work its charms. He had heard two sailors talk about how it would take six weeks to gain the Mediterranean Sea if the winds were favorable.

He had no idea what that meant, except that Italia was their destination, the ship would dock in a place called Ostia, somewhere near the city of Roma. He imagined the Bishop had a house in this Roma and they would certainly avoid going there if at all possible. It ought to be easy for two boys to disappear once the ship docked.

Daniel was well fed, Luciano saw to that. And if the lad snuck off with some bread, cheese and a bit of wine he put it down to past insecurity, as an orphan the boy must have been starved.

Luciano knew they would dock in just over a month if the sea was kind, what would become of the boy? His sons were older now, one of them already married to a fine girl from Napoli. Would his wife accept Daniel and raise him? She would if he told her to, but did he want the responsibility?

He pondered these questions at night as he lay in his hammock. Certainly Daniel had many redeeming qualities, he was a quick learner. Luciano had already begun to teach the boy how to speak and read Latin, he could become a fine sailor as he grew older. Maybe he should ask the advice of His Eminence? The Bishop had always been kind; he would know what to do.

"I think the Lieutenant wants to adopt you," Theo said one night as they lay together.

"He's nice... but what about you?" Daniel asked.

"I can't remain invisible forever; you have no idea how hard it is."

"What other magic can the medallion perform do you think?"

"I have no idea, but I don't think we're in a position to find out at the moment. Imagine what would happen to us all if I made the ship disappear," Theo said.

"Oh yeah, not good," Daniel agreed. "I never heard anything about Druid magic, do you think it exists?"

"I think this is pretty much proof that it does. They were very secretive, I only met one Druid priest when I was little, he gave me my name and said it was important," Theo said.

"Theo... does that mean something?"

"Theodoric... it means ruler of men."

"Oh, maybe you're meant to be a king?" Daniel said.

"Kings rule badly, I don't want to be like Leopold. I don't know what the priest meant, there's no way to find out now," Theo said.

"I bet there is, it's hanging around your neck," Daniel said.

Theo grasped the medallion and felt it's warmth in his hand, maybe Daniel was right. It would mean a lot to know what his future held. But he would wait until his feet were standing on dry land; it might take him that long to figure out how the medallion worked.

The channel finally widened and the ship turned south, leaving behind Kent and the Cornwall Coast. They were headed south to the land of the Visigoths, all this Theo heard from the sailors as they worked the ship.

The land mass was always to their left, the vast ocean to the right. The sailors commented on this place as if they knew every cliff and beach in the far distance. It was then that Theo learned that these ships rarely left sight of land when they sailed, for if they did the sailors might be lost.

The Bishop finally came on deck to take the air once the weather cleared. Theo saw he had brought his foppish boys with him and wondered how they fared in the rough seas of the channel. None of the Bishop's party looked too steady on their feet and he almost laughed aloud when one leaned over the railing to lose his lunch.

Theo had paid little heed to the holy man and his retinue, now he had the chance to study them. But it was with a certain horror that he saw Luciano approach the Bishop with Daniel at his side.

"Your Eminence, I'm glad to see you well," Luciano said.

"Thank you, Lieutenant... the seas have finally calmed, I am well," the Bishop said in reply. "And who is this?"

"This is Daniel, ship's boy. A bright and worthy convert from the pagan coast we left behind."

"Oh don't remind me, please... I'm just glad we got out of there in time," the Bishop said. That caught Theo's attention, what was happening?

"You wouldn't know, or maybe even care, but King Leopold was deposed by his neighbors, slaughtered the lot of them right there in the castle. Nasty fighters those Northern clans, they show no mercy, we'll never convert them. I don't think old Leo was much of a Christian; he still professed pagan beliefs in much of his life. But he's gone; God will sort it all out."

The Bishop patted Daniel on the head. "You'll be glad to be away from that place, listen to the Lieutenant; he'll make a proper Roman Christian of you."

The Bishop walked away and Daniel ignored the insulting looks of his attendant fop who tossed his head and followed the holy man forward.

"You want to tell me what he meant?" Daniel asked.

"I was thinking to ask my wife if you might live with us, go to school, and learn the proper ways of becoming a sailor," Luciano said. "But only if you agree."

"Can I think about it?" Daniel asked.

Luciano smiled. "Yes, take your time; we won't be in Roma for a month. Now go about your duty, we'll talk about this later."

Theo followed Daniel down below deck. "The King is dead," Theo said. "We could go back home if we want."

Daniel turned at the sound of the voice. "I don't want to go back, I want to see Roma."

"I agree, it sounds wonderful. But at least we know there's a chance to go home," Theo said.

Daniel shook his head. "Back to what? I don't want to be a farmer; I can't be like my father. If we go back then what we have is over, I can't face that, Theo. Roma is a big city, a huge city, and there's a chance for us there."

"Luciano will take care of you; I can see that coming... where do I fit in?" Theo asked.

"We'll tell him you're my brother, you stowed away to be with me," Daniel said.

"You may become Christian, but I'm a Druid, and Luciano will never accept that," Theo said. "The Bishop's power comes from Roma, what do you think they would do to a Druid there?"

"We don't have to tell them, they don't have to know."

"They'll know, sooner or later they'll find out. They killed the priests of our land, Daniel. They may not be able to kill me because of this magic... I just don't know. I'll go with you no matter what you decide, I love you that much. Luciano will teach you and Roma must be a place of great learning. Just don't learn to hate me and what I am, that's all I ask."

Daniel nodded. "I would never betray you."

The voyage went on, through storms on the western coast of the Visagothic Kingdom that tossed the ship around and kept the Bishop and his retinue below decks. Daniel gloried in the strong winds and stood beside Luciano on his watch. The two were becoming closer and Theo felt helpless to change the course of their lives.

He spent much of his time under the stairs looking at the medallion, and yet afraid to call forth any magic it might contain. The only knowledge he had of the Druids was the common stories told to all children, they were priests of an ancient time, pagans who worshiped nature.

He had seen the standing stones and circular forest dells that were supposed to be their ancient temples, but he knew nothing about them. Druid, the word itself spoke of magic and brought fear to the minds of children. The thoughts made Theo smile; he now knew it was all myth.

The answers he sought finally came to him in a dream that woke him up gasping and trembling in fear. The images he had seen were terrifying, death and sacrifice entwined in mysterious symbolism. But the knowledge made him feel different, and he didn't fear the power of the medallion anymore.

Theo had seen the past and now knew of his connection to the medallion, it had been his before... in another life. The concept of reincarnation was a Druid belief, Theo could accept that. The image of arms covered in blood had terrified him until he realized they were his arms, the blood at least was not his.

Luciano had said this was 623 AD. What Theo had seen was centuries before in a time when the standing stones did not exist, a thousand or more years in the past. He had seen a great priest standing before the altar under the moonlight as if he was really there, and now Theo knew he had been. With a gesture the great priest beckoned him forward.

The goat struggled as Theo plunged the knife into its chest, and as he did he saw the goat change into a man, he had killed a man. The solemn eyes of the priest stared into his soul and he knew, this man was his master. Lugus, the name came to him; the priest was named Lugus, a great practitioner of Druid magic, and Theo was his apprentice from that other life.

Theo sat up with a start and looked at his arms for the blood, but that was all in the past, in another life, another time. The images had given him the answer to the mystery of the medallion, for in that dream he had seen it hanging around Lugus' neck.

To be in possession of something so significant, so powerful, and yet Theo knew it was meant to be his. Somehow he had found it, or had it found him? Theodoric, he was meant to have the power, and with it he would become a ruler of men.

The voyage finally brought them to the Gates, and they sailed between the high rock covered island of the Visagothic Kingdom and the breathless hot lands to the south of the dark men. The sailors spoke in hushed tones about these strange southern lands and Theo looked out across the side of the ship at the clouds of dust that hung in the air. Hot, even the sea seemed to boil with the heat.

Luciano laughed at Daniels complaint about the temperature. "The lands of the south are covered in sand without a tree to be seen," He said. "There are times when the wind blows that fine dust across the Mediterranean and it chokes the very air in your lungs. Even Roma feels the heat, but you will get used to it."

Daniel wasn't sure; he would miss the cooling rains of home and the snow that fell in winter. But the sea beneath them changed to a startling blue as they traveled east, and within mere days they approached landfall.

"This is Italia?" Daniel asked.

"No, boy... that is Sardinia, a great island. We must sail around it to find Italia. Come, look at this map," Lucian said.

He unrolled a large skin out on the hatch cover and Theo moved closer to take a look. The lines drew shapes he could not understand, but he figured they were important to the sailors.

"Here is Italia, and that mark is the city of Roma. See how the land curves all the way down to the south, and this large mass is Sardinia. We are about here," Luciano said, pointing to a spot on the skin.

Theo wasn't so concerned about the location of Roma, what struck him was how vast an area this Mediterranean Sea covered. And as if reading his mind Daniel asked the pertinent question. "And where did we come from?"

"This map is drawn too close in detail, let me see," Luciano said. "Ahh, here it is." And with that he unrolled another skin. "This is a map of the Empire, do you know what this means?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, you wouldn't know our history," Luciano said. "This is the current Byzantine Empire, what is left of the Pax Romana, the Empire of Roma. For centuries Roma ruled the lands on this map, but things change. Now we are ruled from the lands to the east, the Byzantine is ruled by Heraclius the Emperor."

Luciano sighed. "It's complicated; a wise sailor does not get involved in politics. Roma is part of the Empire, and yet is not. The Holy Father is in Roma, his Holiness Boniface the Fifth holds control of our city. But these things do not concern you, you asked where you came from, and this is your home land."

Theo looked at the pointing finger and his heart sank, they were far, too far from the place of his birth. There was a huge mass of land between them and that tiny island on the map, home was gone, and it seemed like he might never see it again.

"The Island of Britannia was part of the greater Pax Romania a few hundred years ago, but the Empire has shrunk for so many reasons. The south of your island is Kent, and the King there is a Christian soul. But all these kingdoms and duchies, clans and tribes to the north are unstable, as was your own kingdom ruled by Leopold.

"The Bishop had a mission, and it failed, so he sails home in shame I'm afraid. The influence of the Holy Father struggles at such a great distance from Roma, but the words of our Savior will spread in time; Britannia will someday become a Christian land."

Daniel nodded, he understood what Luciano was saying, but so did Theo. The Druid influence had been suppressed by the Roman soldiers, the Pax Romanus had sought to crush the pagan ways. But Theo knew the beliefs of Lugus and the other Druid priests had only vanished from sight, it was not gone... and he was proof of that.

Here he was, Theodoric the Druid, and inside of him was the knowledge of the most ancient of beliefs, far older than this Christian faith. Here was Theo, the beneficiary of all that ancient knowledge and in possession of the magic of the medallion. Here was Theo the Druid priest heading straight into the heart of the Pax Romanus. Beware Roma.