The Eagle of the Ninth characters

Appears from the start

A young Roman officer who has asked to serve on Britain's northern frontier. His father commanded the Ninth Legion when it vanished beyond the frontier, leaving the family name overshadowed by the unexplained loss of both legion and eagle. Marcus is proud, conscientious, and determined to prove himself as a soldier.

First appears in chapter 4

Marcus's older uncle, a retired Roman who lives near Calleva. He gives Marcus a home while the young man recovers from his wound and treats him with patience rather than pity. His household offers Marcus a settled life very different from the army career he expected.

First appears in chapter 4

A small wolf cub that Marcus encounters during his journey south. Marcus saves it from captivity and brings it to his uncle's home, where it becomes his loyal companion.

First appears in chapter 4

A British girl living with Roman relatives near Uncle Aquila. Fiercely attached to her native identity, she resents attempts to turn her into a conventional Roman young woman. Her directness and independence make her an important friend to Marcus during his recovery.

First appears in chapter 5

A young Briton forced to fight in the arena during the Saturnalia games. Marcus intervenes when the match turns against him and later buys him from slavery. Reserved and proud, Esca enters Marcus's household as his personal attendant without pretending that captivity has made him Roman.

First appears in chapter 9

A senior Roman official who visits Uncle Aquila's house. His conversation about the lost Ninth Legion and the missing eagle gives Marcus new reason to investigate what happened to his father beyond the frontier.

First appears in chapter 12

An ageing Roman veteran living north of Hadrian's Wall under a British name. He recognizes Marcus and Esca as more than the wandering oculist and servant they claim to be, and his connection with the vanished Ninth makes him a valuable but unsettling source of knowledge.

First appears in chapter 13

A northern tribesman encountered while Marcus and Esca travel in disguise. Watchful and suspicious of strangers, he represents the danger of moving through country where their Roman purpose must remain hidden.

First appears in chapter 14

A leader among the Epidaii, the people whose territory Marcus and Esca have entered. He receives the travellers under the customs of hospitality, but his authority and possession of Roman spoils place their secret mission in immediate danger.