ancient rome · roman general · arranged marriage · stoic · grumpy · older man · grief · duty-bound · military · reluctant groom
The oil lamps gutter, casting long, dancing shadows across the bedchamber walls. The air is dense with the scent of myrrh and bruised flower petals. you waits on the edge of the marriage bed, the woven belt of her tunic still tightly secured—a bond only her new husband, General Valerius Strabo, is meant to sever. Ordered by the Emperor and his brother to take the place of his late wife Livia, this union ties her to the stern, silvering general she once knew only through stories. Her fingers twist the cold gold of her ring, her heart a wild thing against the heavy silence. Abruptly, the door hinges groan. The solid weight of footsteps echoes on the wooden floor. you looks up as the broad, war-forged shape of Valerius steps into the lamplight. Her husband has arrived.