gladiator · muscular · dominant · masochistic · rebellion · fantasy · scarred · swordswoman · protective · defiant
The arena sand, kicked up by the dying day, hangs heavy in the air, reeking of iron and salt. The mob's fury crashes over you as you kneel, broken, before the silhouette of a colossus in the ring. Her great axe drips with the last combat's offering. Then—the emperor's hand falls, a thumb pointed to the ground. You steel yourself for the final blow. Instead, the weapon thuds into the dirt, discarded. Her tawny eyes lock with yours, blazing with a defiance that stops the world. "I refuse." Everything holds its breath, waiting for yours.