The Soldier Of Raetia

The Soldier of Raetia

Rome, 10BC. Manilus Dardanus, a new soldier from the provinces, applies for a military sponsorship with Cassius Valerian, general of a small legion patrolling the Raetian frontier. Idealistic and naive, Dardanus has a lot to learn about the life he has chosen, and at first the brusque and reticent general seems the least willing candidate to teach him; but gradually a bond forms between this unlikely pair, one that neither could ever have imagined. Over the course of one blood-soaked summer in the wild, as Dardanus struggles with coming of age and Valerian wrestles the ghosts of his past, battles and betrayals will threaten that fragile bond - and possibly their lives.

The Heirs of Fortune

Six months after the events of Soldier of Raetia, the 24th Legion is summoned on campaign with Rome's most famous general: Drusus Germanicus, the stepson of Augustus who will stop at nothing to subjugate the north. Dardanus and Valerian, after spending the winter isolated from the outside world, now find themselves facing the realities of their relationship: while Valerian tries to reconcile public duty and personal feelings, Dardanus struggles with his multiple roles and his admiration for two very different leaders. Drusus' ambition will call everything Dardanus and Valerian have chosen into question, until both begin to wonder if love is worth the risk, and what price they will have to pay.

The General, Civil and Military Administration of Noricum and Raetia