Othello the Legatus Act 1 Scene 1 Part 5.1

Act One Scene 1 Part 5

Emperor Commodus laughed out loud. He had seated himself; the tale he was to hear were longer than he had expected. He had completely forgotten the pending battle that was to waged on the coastline. Othello standing there on the flooring had his moment of the Senate floor although it was only a few Senator there. They had obliged not for Othello's sake but on the Emperor. The later had not dismissed them from the Hall. When its Emperor Commodus, you stayed till he said you can leave.

"I battled the Gauls; outnumbered by twice their numbers but we formed our 'testudo' formation and defended well." Othello recount his battles which Desdemona found it interesting. He was interjected by Commodus.

"Do you mean to tell me, that your love liked to hear the news on the battles you fought?" Commodus asked Othello. "The killing and the..."

"The victory of mine, my Emperor. More to that. She never did like to know of my defeats?" Othello replied.

"Of which they were few, I was told, but you went to be reclaimed the victory denied." Commodus looked into Othello. "Did you ever tell her of your dark mask?"

"Yes, I did. It was the one tale which she asked me many times."

"Pray tell me as what I heard was only the report." Commodus said it out like an order.

Othello remembered that evening when he was still the Centurion with the rank of Princeps in command of the 20 legionnaires under his Manipulus section. It was the Pilus who had asked him to check the nearby woods where a stream was flowing.

"I heed your command, Pilus." Othello bowed to the senior and led his group out. The stream was a distance away under the dimming sunlight. He had his men carried torches to light the path; a mistake of his own then from inexperience as that showed his strength to the enemy. They approached the stream inside the woods, sheltered from the camp by the trees.

"Centurion, I feared the woods may hold more than trees." It was Selville, an old arm at the battles. He was more nearing his end of the service and had the scars to proved it. He held his gladius close to the shield while his aging eyes peek into the dark woods.

"I hear you too, old one." Othello acknowledged as he had not seen a wood that was as quiet as this one. It was dusk but the night creatures are not seen coming out of their burrows or nesting. Something was not right.

Othello saw the danger.

He shouted out.

"Form the testudo."

Immediately his men grouped together while some of the dropped the torches in front of them. The testudo was when the men would align their shields to form a packed formation covered with shields on the front and top. The first row of men, possibly excluding the men on the flanks, would hold their shields from about the height of their shins to their eyes, so as to cover the formation's front. The shields would be held in such a way that they presented a shield wall to all sides. The men in the back ranks would place their shields over their heads to protect the formation from above, balancing the shields on their helmets, overlapping them. If necessary, the legionaries on the sides and rear of the formation could stand sideways or backwards with shields held as the front rows, so as to protect the formation's sides and rear.

Just as the formation was in place, the barbarians came rushing out with their axes and swords, but the legion formation held back the attack, while the legionaries used their spear known as pila to deter the foes. In the middle of the testudo, was Othello while he direct the battle. He wanted them to withdraw to the woods, but the formation would need to be dismantled.

"Move towards the stream. We would hold them there." Othello shouted out. The disciplined men moved in tandem to the request as per their routine training.