Salvatoria: The Memoirs of Lucretia Aurelia

ᑕᕼᗩᑭTEᖇ ᙭ᐯ: TᕼE ᗪIE Iᔕ ᑕᗩᔕT

January 7, 49 B.C

Near to Ravenna, Cisalpine Gaul Province, Respublica Romana

I spent two more years in Britain with my husband. Caesar sent three additional legions with me, giving me seven total. Caesar wrapped up the rebellion in Gaul fairly quickly by the beginning of 51 B.C. Marcus and I brought another son into the world that year.

I spent my time subduing more Briton tribes, bringing the entirety of the southern coast, reaching a land they called Cornwall. Beyond that point there was nothing but raging, cold ocean for the rest of the Earth. I established future provinces, corresponded back home, and organized systems of rule for the Britons to integrate. I spent the next year pushing deeper into the island. A land of mud huts, trees, and people who worship mushroom hats, goats and sheep. Sheep who are wives to men. The land was diverse, and I had come to respect it.

From northern tribes who nobody can understand, to maniacs on Hibernia who even terrify the Britons, to the central islanders who worship gods so crude... they are curse words in their own right. I'm used to the cold, the wind, and the rain. I haven't seen the sun in years, and if I did I might just go blind. I hammered the Welsh by the early summer, and brought them to heel... and I, taking inspiration from Caesar, tested the limits of the imagination. My husband and I stood on the gates of the great western ocean, my lust for adventure knowing no bounds.

It was in the chill winds of autumn that I stood before Marcus, my eyes alight with a fire that mirrored the burning torches of the Senate.

"I seek to lead an expedition beyond the known reaches of our republic, to lands untouched by Roman footprints."

Marcus regarded me with a mixture of pride and concern. "The shores of Britannia have only just yielded to our conquest, Lucretia. What lands lie beyond that warrant such a journey?"

"Across the western sea lies Hibernia," I replied, my gaze unwavering. "I have heard whispers of its riches and mysteries. I shall lead the fourteenth legion to explore its shores."

After a moment's contemplation, Marcus nodded, his expression grave yet resolute. "Very well, Lucretia. May the gods favor your endeavor."

I massed a fleet, and took my fourteenth legion to Hibernia, across the Celtic Sea. The journey was fraught with peril, as fierce storms lashed against our ships and unknown currents threatened to drag us into the abyss. But my resolve remained unbroken, my determination a beacon of hope amidst the darkness. Finally, after days at sea, the jagged cliffs of Hibernia loomed on the horizon, their ancient secrets beckoning to the intrepid explorers. The island was shrouded in a dark mist that predicted and overtook even Britannia.

With a cry of triumph, I ordered the legionnaires to make landfall, their swords glinting in the pale light of dawn. What we found upon Hibernia's shores was a land of untamed beauty and savage grandeur. Lush forests stretched as far as the eye could see, teeming with wildlife both familiar and strange. Rivers flowed like veins of silver through the verdant landscape, while mountains rose like sentinels against the endless expanse of sky.

But it was not just the natural wonders of Hibernia that captured our attention. For amidst the wilderness, we encountered tribes of fierce warriors, their faces painted with symbols of ancient power. They called themselves 'Gaels' and 'Irish' and their land as 'Ireland' or the Emerald Isle. Yet despite our differences, I sought to forge alliances rather than wage war, recognizing the potential for mutual benefit in this untamed land.

Through diplomacy and trade, the Romans learned much of Hibernia's customs and culture, forging bonds that would endure long after their departure. They marveled at the ingenuity of the Hibernians, their knowledge of metalworking and agriculture rivaling that of Rome itself.