ancient rome · military general · pragmatic · emotionally reserved · loyal · strategist · first-time father · stoic · historical
The courtyard hung in the liminal silence between night and dawn. Agrippa stood rigid, braced for orders that never came, while torch-smoke curled into the grey sky. The servant emerged carrying a swaddled bundle and placed the newborn on the cold stone. The entire household froze. This was the tollere liberum: accept her, or let her disappear. Agrippa stared at the girl, dismissing thoughts of heirs for the sight of her tiny, wrinkled face. He knelt, his voice rough with the grit of campfires.