The Eagle of the Ninth

Extending hospitality to Marcus and Esca, the whistler, called Guern, invites the two to his home, indicating that they are welcome as long as they choose to stay. wife, Murna, is clearly a Briton by her appearance, and though they appear to live humbly, she is adorned with attractive accessories rare to the area, and she cooks from a valuable bronze pot. Their residence is also set some distance apart from the homes of other Britons, a rarity in a region in which protection is to be found in proximity and numbers. Marcus’s suspicions are confirmed when Guern begins to shave and Marcus observes a permanent indent in his chin: It has been left by the chin strap of a Roman helmet, etched into his skin over the course of years and years of wear. Marcus carefully raises the question of how a former eagle came to live with the Britons. Guern is concerned that his identity has been found out—that somehow Marcus has heard rumors about him—but Marcus explains how he deduced Guern’s former identity. Marcus then reveals who he is, suggesting, “Maybe it is my father’s face that you remember. He was your Cohort Commander” (118), and Guern immediately accepts this fact as Marcus bears a strong resemblance to his father.