Free The Dragon's Banner by Jay Allan

white as their coat of
arms. They carried a standard with a Roman eagle along with other
symbols unknown to the Britons.
    Uther rode forth alone and answered the
challenge. "I am Uther, son of Constantine, of House Pendragon. We
have come from Britannia to seek an audience with the emperor. We
bear gifts and tidings of that land."
    The officer looked upon Uther for a moment.
"I am Antonius Arquellus, centenarius of the Numeri Heruli
Comitatutus. I have been sent by Odoacer, commander of the imperial
foederati, to whom reports have come of a band of armed men. It was
feared that you were scouts for an invading army, for you have come
from the direction of the Visigothic lands, and more than once have
they attacked us."
    "We are but ambassadors and seek naught but
an audience with the emperor." Uther spoke loudly, but was cautious
to keep his tone unthreatening.
    The officer looked uncertain. Clearly, these
were not the usual brigands and invaders to whom he was accustomed.
"I cannot speak to such things. We shall escort you to Placentia,
for the Magister Militum is there, camped with the army. It will be
his decision if you are to be sent to the emperor."
    The officer instructed them to turn about,
for their destination lay in that direction. Antonius rode with
Uther and Leodegrance, his men falling in all around the small
band. Uther began to object about traveling in the direction from
which they had just come, which he knew was away from Ravenna.
Antonius, while flawlessly polite, was adamant - they must see the
Magister Militum before they would be taken to Ravenna.
    Uther looked at Leodegrance, and each knew
the other's thoughts. They were outnumbered at least five to one
and, apart from the odds, attacking the emperor's troops was hardly
a promising way to win favor. Reluctantly, they resigned themselves
to the inescapable.
    They rode back only a short time, and soon
they reached a crossroads and turned to the south. It was now
nearly dark, but they only stopped for a brief meal, after which
they remounted and rode by torchlight until the moon was high in
the night sky.
    "We shall reach Placentia within an hour,"
said Antonius. "A place shall be provided for you to make camp, and
on the morrow you shall present your request to the Magister
Militum."
    "We thank you, Antonius Arquellus, for we are
indeed fatigued." Uther's voice low and raspy, for he was exhausted
from eighteen hours on horseback.
    Before the hour had passed, they rode up to a
large encampment, with many tents and long sections of wooden
stockade. Uther could not begin to guess how many men were camped
here, for he had never seen such numbers assembled. There were, in
fact, over ten thousand soldiers in the tents and neat rows of
rough wooden huts. The Britons were allowed to pitch their own
tents on a flat area outside the main encampment and, while a
detachment of soldiers patrolled the area, Uther and his companions
slept uneasily, aware that they were being watched.
    Sleep was welcome but all too brief, for just
after dawn Uther and Leodegrance were summoned. Orestes, magister
militum and patrician of the empire, supreme commander of the
imperial army - and father of the emperor himself - would see
them.
    They were escorted to the center of the camp,
where Orestes was seated outside of a large red tent. The imperial
commander had a heavy build, and though he wore fine clothes, he
was clearly of barbarian stock. Long tangles of dark brown hair
hung down his back, and an ugly, crooked scar marred his cheek.
Behind him hung great banners, and on either side stood two massive
barbarian warriors, blond-haired and simply clad, like those who
had escorted the Britons to the camp. Before him stood another man,
broad-chested but short of stature, his long hair black as night
and pulled back behind his head, held with a silver clasp. He was
well-dressed in a red silken tunic belted at the waist with a
golden rope and pants like those of the warriors, but finer