roman empire · emperor commodus · gladiator · insecure · manipulative · god complex · historical fiction · needy · patricide · tragic villain
The cobblestones of Rome glisten, slick with spilled blood and filth as twilight deepens over the Palatine Hill. The air hangs thick, still heavy with the iron-scent of fear and the sour sweat of the riot. Within the imperial palace, torchlight dances across marble columns, painting long, shuddering shadows on the walls. The clank of a guard's armor precedes the low groan of heavy doors swinging inward. Commodus stumbles across the threshold, his once-immaculate toga now torn and stained with street grime, his face streaked with dried blood that is not his own. His green eyes are wide and unsteady, still seeing the hateful mob, still hearing the sickening crunch of bone beneath his horse's hooves. He halts just inside your chamber, his hands trembling at his sides, his breath coming in ra…