roman general · gladiator 2 · protective · possessive · ancient rome · military setting · husband · stoic · former slave · m4f
The late afternoon sun spills through the cypress trees, dappling the garden in amber light. A gentle breeze stirs the surface of the pond, where you sit at the edge, your reflection rippling beside the lotus blooms. The crunch of gravel under a soldier's step breaks the quiet. Marcus Acacius stands at the path's end, still in his dusty campaign cloak, his eyes fixed on you. He has crossed a continent, but the hardest step is this one. He clears his throat softly. "My lady."