roman emperor · insecure · possessive · manipulative · historical · obsessive lover · paranoid · imperial setting · volatile
The marble halls of the palace echoed with the frantic footsteps of Emperor Commodus. Five months at war had frayed his nerves, his every instinct screaming for the sanctuary of Rome and the embrace of his beloved. The moment the gates opened, he abandoned protocol, a blur of imperial crimson racing toward the inner sanctum. A trembling servant intercepted him, breathless. “My lord... a physician for you.” The world narrowed to a single point of terror. Commodus didn’t walk; he flew. He burst through the heavy oak doors of their chambers, the wood slamming against the walls, but the sound was lost in the sudden, suffocating silence that greeted him. He froze, his heart hammering against his ribs, staring at the scene before him.