Aurelia || SERIES ROMANA I

Epilogue

Londinium, May 60 AD

Gently and steadily, the raindrops pattered against the cold glass of the windows of the Roman city villa. Even if the Roman governor, Gaius Suetonius Paulinius, was conveniently not in Britannia Superior at the moment, he would still have had to clear his desk for the woman who was pacing the room in time with the rain, dictating a letter to her husband in Rome to her secretary without haste. Her golden hair showed its first shimmering silver strands, but otherwise Aurelia Vespasia had hardly changed since her arrival in this time almost thirty years ago. In her sea-blue eyes still shone the same determination to leave her mark on this time and make this world a better place.
Aurelia had followed the urging of the people of Londinium and travelled to their city to officiate at the inauguration of the newly built University of Londinium in her capacity as local patron of the universities of the Empire. The university had been inaugurated, she had made a generous donation to the library and, to top it all off, she had also taken the first lecture so that teaching could begin without further delay. But now her work in Britain was finally finished and she could return to Rome. For even if she would never admit it in front of the inhabitants of Londinium, she could not wait to return to her family. For in his last letter Gaius had informed her that her eldest son Britannicus had finally received permission from the senate to marry the girl he loved with all his heart, and it touched her deeply that her son, who had had to wait so long for this permission, had now decided to wait for his mother's return. If the winds were favourable, she could be back with them in less than two months, finally embracing Tyra as her daughter-in-law after all these years.
An impatient, almost nervous knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, which were circling around Rome, and Aurelia paused in mid-motion. Slowly she spun around and fixed her gaze on the door. She casually signalled to her secretary, whereupon Prunia hurriedly rose and opened the door. On the threshold stood a heavy-breathing soldier, dripping with rain, who could not be much older than her daughter Drusilla, staring at her from wide-open eyes. A puddle began to form at his feet.
"Sorry to disturb you, milady," he said, snorting. "But I come with a message from the Icenians. Their leader, Boudicca, is in the process of gathering troops and leading them against Camulodunum. You must leave for Rome immediately!"
Only with difficulty could Aurelia hide her surprise and began to calculate. An annoying habit she had never been able to stop in relation to special events. She didn't know much about the woman who had dared to challenge Rome. How could she have been so foolish as to forget this detail before her departure? Thoughtfully, Aurelia averted her eyes and ignored the discomfort of the young man who thought he had to warn her. The rain was already easing.
"Why does she oppose Rome?" she finally asked, and the soldier's hobnailed soles told her that he was fidgeting uneasily. He still had so much to learn. She wondered how long he had been in the army. A month? Maybe two?
Finally, in a nervous voice, he explained that he did not know the reason. He had only been told to warn Aurelia and escort her safely to the port of Dubris.
If she remembered the Roman lore of the revolt correctly, Rome had not only ignored the will of Boudicca's husband but had also tampered with her daughters. If someone did that to Aurelia, she would fight back too. Maybe it was time to rewrite history again.
Determined, she turned back to the young soldier and told him in a firm voice to order her escort to get ready. Relief appeared on the young man's face as he misunderstood her order, briskly saluted her and hurried away.
"You have no intention of returning home, do you, milady?" came Prunia's voice with a hint of amusement and Aurelia brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"Of course not," she replied with a fine smile and her secretary scurried off so that she could make all the necessary arrangements for her lady. With a small sigh, Aurelia sat down at her desk and composed eight letters - one for each of her children, one for Gaius and one for Boudicca. Gaius would know what to do if things got out of hand. Once the letters were drawn up and handed to a messenger, a huge weight fell from her shoulders. For the moment, she had to leave Rome behind so that she could protect Britain from Rome.

About an hour later, the last rays of the setting May sun fell on the rooftops of London. Steam rose gracefully and weightlessly from the wet streets and rose up to the sky.
Without attracting much attention, Aurelia and her companions slipped out of the magnificent city mansion and put spurs to her horse. In the past few minutes, she had tried to memorise the way, but because she did not trust her own memory very much at the moment, the precious map was in her saddlebag. Too much was at stake for them to afford to lose time just because they couldn't find the right way straight away.
After a crossroads, the young soldier who had informed them of the impending uprising caught up with her and pointed out uncertainly that they had just taken a wrong turn. With a smile, Aurelia shook her head and slowed her horse as the city gate now came into view.
"You are mistaken, soldier," she returned, amused. "We are travelling to Venta Icenorum."
Full of horror, he looked at her and his horse almost collided with a merchant's stall had Aurelia not grabbed his reins at the last moment. She quickly threw a few coins at the merchant as an apology and ignored the soldier who kept trying to explain to her that he was disobeying his orders by doing so.
"Now, soldier, I have supreme authority here and no one will stop me from speaking to her," she hissed at him, carefully watching the few people who were in the street. "I will not return home as long as those under Rome's protection are threatened by an uprising here!"
Before the soldier could harangue them further, they passed through the city gate and the already informed guards waved them through in awe. With a smile, Aurelia spurred her horse. There was no time to lose.