“True enough, good nephew,” said King Coel, as the admiral strode up and down before him, angrily playing with the hilt of his short Roman sword, “true enough, and I too have little cause to love this low-born emperor. He hath taken from me both my players and my gold, when I can illy spare either from my comfort or my necessities. ‘T is a sad pass for Britain. But Rome is mistress now. What may we hope to do?”
The Princess Helena sprang to her father’s side, her young face flushed, her small hand raised in emphasis. “Do!” cried she, and the look of defiance flamed on her fair young face. “Do! Is it thou, my father, thou, my cousin, princes of Britain both, that ask so weak a question? O that I were a man! What did that brave enemy of our house, Cassivellaunus, do? what Caractacus? what the brave queen Boadicea? When the Roman drove them to despair they raised the standard of revolt, sounded their battle cries, and showed the Roman that British freemen could fight to the death for their country and their home. And thus should we do, without fear or question, and see here again in Britain a victorious kingdom ruled once more by British kings.”
“Nay, nay, my daughter,” said cautious King Coel, “your words are those of an unthinking girl. The power of Rome----”
But the Prince Carausius, as the girl’s brave words rang out, gave her an admiring glance, and, crossing to where she stood, laid his hand approvingly upon her shoulder.
“The girl is right, uncle,” he said, breaking in upon the king’s cautious speech. “Too long have we bowed the neck to Roman tyranny. We, free princes of Britain that we are, have it even now in our power to stand once again as altogether free. The fleet is mine, the people are yours, if you will but amuse them. Our brothers are groaning under the load of Roman tribute, and are ripe to strike. Raise the cry at Camalodunum, my uncle; cry: ‘Havoc and death to Rome!’ My fleet shall pour its victorious sailors upon the coast; the legions, even now full of British fighters, shall flock to out united standards, and we shall rule--Emperors in the North, even as do the Roman conquerors rule Emperors in the South.”
Young blood often sways and leads in council and in action, especially when older minds are over-cautious or sluggish in decision. The words of Carausius and Helena carried the day with Coel the king, already smarting under a sense of ill-treatment by his Roman over-lords.