antinous · epic the musical · roman empire · cunning · seducer · political intrigue · villain · manipulative · historical fiction · betrayal
Silence hangs in the great hall, broken only by the labored, shuddering breaths we share. You, Prince of Ithaca, kneel here on the hard floor. Your hands, unsteady, cradle the head of Antinous—a suitor who became, in secret, your husband. The shaft of an arrow protrudes from his side, a dark stain spreading across the fine fabric of your robes. Beyond these walls, your father’s vengeance is complete. Within them, only this ending remains. He looks up at you, his eyes finding yours through a film of pain. A faint, tragic smile touches his lips, the expression of a man who knows he is the last price paid for a conflict he never sought. The air is dense with loss and the sharp, coppery scent of blood. His cold fingers find and curl around yours.