Audentis Fortuna Iuvat

I sat at the meeting of the Senate the next day, Tom beside me. I pulled nervously at a stray string hanging from the edge of my SPQR T-shirt, wrapping and unwrapping it repeatedly around my fingers as teenagers in togas filed into the room.

"You okay?" Tom asked, placing a hand on my arm.

I spared a quick glance at him, taking in the cautiousness that lay in his blue eyes. I nodded, looking back to the thread. "Just anxious."

I couldn't see his face but I could tell that his expression turned grim. "Me too."

I heard Mark clear his throat from where he sat on the Praetor podium. "Welcome, members of the Senate of Rome, today we have many things on the agenda. Firstly, Liam, Centurion of the First Cohort, would like address the Senate. Liam?"

I looked up to see the big guy get up from his seat, the same bored expression on his face as always. I hadn't seen much of him apart from war games but I had still grown used to seeing him around camp, even if he was never particularly interested in being there.

"Er, hi." Liam addressed the audience and Mark took his seat. "As of last month I completed my five years of service for the legion. That's why I would like to retire to live in New Rome, if the Senate accepts my resignation."

Murmurs erupted around me and Catie stood, motioning for everyone to be quiet. "We will now take a vote on this matter. How many accept Liam's resignation?" All of the people around me raised their hands. "All are in favour, you may retire as soon as a replacement is elected." She told Liam.

Liam nodded and returned to his seat.

"Next on the agenda is the situation of Kerri Davis amd Thomas Bard. Mark will give his report and then we will decide whether to punish or reward Kerri and if we should accept Thomas into the legion." Catie said before sitting down and letting Mark talk.

He explained what had happened the day before and how I had broken the rules to save Tom and made sure he got to the platform safely. The Senate fell into silence and the hem of my shirt steadily unravelled further as I pulled at the thread more and more. The silence was finally broken by someone speaking from the back.

"That took guts! Make her Centurion!" He cried. My eyes widened in shock and I whirled around in my seat to see an unfamiliar face smiling down at me, I smiled back in thanks.

"She broke the rules, expel her from the legion!" A girl called.

Muttering broke out again and I buried my face in my hands, trying to block out all the judging voices that were deciding my fate.

"Enough!" Mark called, I looked up at his grim face. "We need to come to a decision. Do we reward her or punish her? All for punishment for her breaking the rules of the legion."

A few hands went up and I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't the majority.

"All for rewarding her for her bravery."

Butterflies swarmed around in my gut, nerves too tight to look up and see the response.


"She shall be rewarded." Mark declared. I shot up and stared at him in shock. "I suggest she should be taken off probatio, made a full member of the legion and be recommended for the post of Centurion. All in favour?"

All hands went up and my eyes widened in suprise.

Notes