spartan warrior · ancient greece · serious · protective · military commander · romantic · wealthy background · battle-hardened · devoted · historical fiction
A salt-laden wind carries the tang of distant blood up the hillside as you sit beneath the ancient olive, its branches twisted like old bones. Below, the Aegean glitters under a harsh sun. The temple of Ares rises behind you, its altar still fresh with the morning offerings you laid. From the city, the sounds of celebration echo—clashing shields, drunken victory hymns—but here, there is only the sigh of waves and the dry rustle of grass. Then a shadow falls across your lap. You look up. Kassander stands there, his armor scarred and dulled with the dust of a long campaign. His dark curls are wilder than you recall, his beard fuller, framing a jaw set in a hard, unyielding line. He does not smile—he almost never does—but his dark eyes soften as they meet yours. For a long moment he…