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The Dynasty Wars
Thanks everyone for all the feed back. I've decieded to go ahead with the story and I will put chapters of the first book in the trilogy on here. So sit back and enjoy!


Prologue (Judea 70 A.D.)

The hot wind of the fire blew across Vespasian's face as he looked at the burning temple. He held his head down as the tears streamed down his face. His son Domitian was dead, killed in the final assult on the The Great Temple, along with 1800 men. The Jews had fought for every inch of the Temple, and Roman blood had spilled, special Roman blood, his beloved son's blood. Vespasian choked back a sob and turned back towards his only son, Titus. Titus stood before him in dented and blood stained armour. His helmet was gone, and a deep gash poured blood across his scalp.
"Father', said Titus reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder.
Vespasian, stopped his son and spoke with a strained voice." It was not your fault, Titus you did all that you could."
Titus turned away from his father and put his face in his hands and wept.
"It was father. I could not reach him, the rebels cut him and his men off, I should have seen that they were luring us into a trap!"
Titus started to sob, his father placed both his hands on his shoulders and turned him towards him.
"Much happens in war that we can not control", said Vespasian sadly " What is important is that you are alive."
"But father he died in my arms!" cried Titus
"Titus YOU ARE ALIVE." Vespasian said powerfully.
Titus lowered his head and his father embraced him. Vespasian let the tears from his son splash upon his shoulder. Titus then let go of his father and looked back at the fire, lost in his own thought. Vespasian heard footsteps approach them. He turned an saw Cassius, head of the 16th Legion standing before him. The big shouldered man with black hair and green eyes gazed at the father and son with pain in his eyes.
"Yes Cassius, " said Vespasian
"We have news from Rome sir." he said in a low voice.
Vespasian noticed the scroll in Cassius hand. He reached for it and broke the seal on it and started to read it by the light of the fire. His eyes went wide at what he read.
"Titus", he called to his son.
Titus snapped out of his thoughts and turned towards his father.
"Yes father wha....", he stopped in mid sentence as he noticed the scroll bearing the symbol of the Senate.
"The Senate has proclaimed Vitellius Caesar, and us outlaws." Vespasian said ruefully.
Anger flashed in Titus's eyes "For Four YEARS we have bled in this gods foresaken place!," he cried, " and now the old men in the Senate have made that FAT BASTARD Vitellius Caesar and US outlaws!"
Titus kicked a stone and let out a yell of rage.
"Titus control yourself'." his father said with an stead voice.
"But father, look at what we have lost!" he cried
"If I may speak, sir", said Cassius
"Yes Cassius?" said Vespasian
"The Titus does have a point. The Senate is foolish to do this. We control the breadbasket of the empire and..."
Vespasian cut him off. " We control nothing. Judea seethes with unrest still. Syria has hundreds of riots breaking out everyday. And Egypt is a full scale revolt. Also Vitellius has all of Galba and Otho's legions under his control a very powerful army."
"Damn Parthians," muttered Titus, "They had not helped fan the flames of this revolt we could have stamped it out long ago!"
"Regardless", said Vespasian, " We have major problems to deal with. Remember the Parthians are gathering a large army and will be marching on Antioch within the month. There will be a day when we will get our revenge on Parthia."
The reality of their sitution hit the three men. Vespasian looked back at the fires that raged through the city of Jerusalem. Soon, he thought to himself, the city will be gone and nothing will be left. Just like the East we must put the revolt down or the East was lost. Everything would be lost, and his son would have died for nothing. I WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN!
"Cassius, gather the men let us tell them the words of the Senate." he said in a low cold voice.

Later on that night....

The Legions of the 16, 3, and 4 stood before the great pyres of the dead outside the walls of the burning city of Jerusalem. Many of them openly shed tears as their fallen comrades bodies burned. Included among them was their general and his son. Vespasian rose up from the ground off his knees and turned towards his men.
"My soliders, my sons, my brothers. For four years we have shed blood, fought, and died together. Some of us going back to Britiannnia."
Many of the veterans noded their heads remembering the battles of that far off isle.
Vespasian continued, " I have never been more proud of you all! Men like you, men like my son's, are what is best of Rome! But now my brave soliders I bring ill news."
The soliders listened intensely.
Vespasian raised the scroll from the Senate is his hand before his legions.
"By order of the Senate we have been declared outlaws by the new Caesar Vitellius and his lackeys!"
The legionarys stood in stunned silence at what they had just heard from their general.
"Men we have two choices lad out before us. We can march West and fight, but leave the East to chaos and die in the process of trying to reach Rome. Or we can stay in the East and build a new world a better world free of the foolishness of the Senate. I ask this of you my brave men WE CAN REALIZE A NEW DREAM! If not I will live by whatever you decide I will go by it."
Not a word was spoken as the wind whistled. Suddenly a centurion stepped foward and drew his gladius.
"HAIL VESPASIAN!!!!!!" he shouted
"HAIL VESPASIAN!!!!!!" the legions thundered
"HAIL OUR TRUE CAESAR!!!!!!!!!!"
Soon the chants washed over Vespasian as he wept. Titus placed a hand on his father's shoulder and whispered. "A new world, father, a new world, and a new dynasty."
Vespasin nodded and turned back towards the burning pyre of his dead son and the others.
"A New Empire." he said to himself.
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