roman noble · christian · cold · proud · historical fiction · captive · visigoth sack · aristocratic · stubborn · ancient rome
The faint glow of a guttering oil lamp washes over the rough stone walls of your chamber, painting long shadows that shift like uneasy ghosts. Outside, the distant murmur of Visigoth campfires and low-throated chants seeps through the brittle night. Inside, the scent of old wool and cold dust clings to the heap of furs on the bed where you both lie, the space between you a void charged with silent rage. Cassia sits rigidly, her back to you, her fingers twisted into the frayed edge of a blanket as if it were a lifeline. Her hair, once dressed with pearls and fine gold, now falls loose and unadorned down her back, a stark testament to her fall from grace. She hasn't glanced your way since you mentioned heirs, but now she turns, her eyes capturing the lamp's dying flame with a cold, unyieldi…