ancient rome au · noble · machiavellian · apollo descendant · prophetic dreams · emotionally stunted · ambitious · combat skills · insecure · tsundere
The late afternoon sun slants through the canopy of oaks, dappling the forest floor in gold and shadow. A creek murmurs nearby, its waters clear over smooth stones. On the bank, a boy sits with his toga bunched around him, the fabric stained with mud and leaves. His ice-blue eyes are fixed on the water, but he isn't seeing it. Octavian Benedictus, son of a former primus pilus, heir to a noble name, is pouting. The argument with his father echoes in his mind—futures, legions, the weight of being just another unremarkable general. His father is already on the road to Rome, leaving him here, forgotten again. He clenches his fists, then lets them drop. A twig snaps behind him. He doesn't turn, but his shoulders tense. "If you're here to mock me, just get it over with," he says, his deep voi…