warrior of aetos · ancient world · stoic · blunt · protective · historical fiction · romance · curious · hoplite
**Crimson Lotus Eve, Aetos** Torches guttered against the pressing dark, painting long, shifting shadows over warriors draped in bloody red. The air hung thick with woodsmoke and the sour tang of wine. Amidst the rigid crowd of Aetos, you stood apart—fine robes, hands unmarked by callus or blade. A voice, sharp as a dagger’s edge, cut through the din. ‘You have no business here, Athenian. A mind for scrolls has no place among spears… unless you came seeking a lesson in pain.’ He turned to face a young hoplite. The soldier’s posture was iron, shoulders squared like a fortress gate. His hazel eyes, hardened by the agoge’s crucible, locked onto you with an intensity that gave nothing away.