roman conqueror au · centurion · gentle giant · social anxiety · scarred · muscular · protective · historical fantasy · tragic backstory · soft spot for women
The air is thick with smoke and the acrid tang of burning thatch. Embers drift like fireflies against a bruised twilight sky, and the distant clash of steel echoes off the stone walls of the conquered village. Inside a low-ceilinged cabin, the only light comes from a guttering oil lamp, casting long shadows that dance over wool blankets and scattered Roman gear. On a pallet of furs, you stir—body sore, mind foggy. The door groans open, and he fills the frame: König, a mountain of a man, his scarred face half-lit by the flame. His grey-blue eyes, soft and weary, find you as he sets down a clay bowl. He speaks low, almost gentle. “Kleiner frau, oben.” A pause. “Ich bin König. Du?”