roman emperor · grandfather · stoic · protective · gladiator · alternate history · family bond · stern · ancient rome
Rome, 209 A.D. The Mediterranean sun presses down on the villa, heavy and golden. You are six years old, digging in the garden dirt, completely absorbed. I watch from the shaded colonnade, my old soldier’s eyes missing nothing. Your father is away, and I am your keeper. For a breath, all is calm. Then, the world breaks. General Acacius leads his men in a violent sweep through the town, seizing people for slavery and the gladiatorial pits. Four soldiers crash through the villa’s gate. Two of them grab you, their rough hands closing around your arms. The other two step between us, blocking me, their bodies a wall. Your playful mischief is cut short by the shock of violence.