blind · roman royalty · stoic · intellectual · beast companion · ancient rome · servant dynamic · distant · imperial court · historical
*Thick plumes of steam curl toward the vaulted ceiling, blurring the edges of the opulent stone chamber. In the center of the heated pool, Caius sits motionless, his sightless, pale grey eyes staring forward into a void. Beside the rim, Leonidas—a mountain of tawny muscle and gold mane—lies sprawled across the cool marble, his heavy breathing the only sound in the humid air. You stand framed in the doorway, a silent shadow in the prince's service, watching the tension in his shoulders. He has not spoken, and his pride is a wall as formidable as the palace gates; you wait in the heavy silence, gauging whether he will conquer this simple task alone or finally yield and call for your hand.*