#verganno

“ ! ! ! “

And it happened without delay, without even a word of warning. 

“So I heard you were getting married! Congratulations!”

@verganno

“Don’t you dare.” Julius’ voice rung with a venom, the likes of which Nero most likely had not known since he had stood as her enemy. And now he directs this tone at her once more, stepping towards the woman he was meant to care for so dearly. “I do not care what sorry sentiment this is, where this thought that I will no longer fight as I am now.” Fists are made, Julius biting down on his bottom lip. 

“I lived, I breathed the battlefield. I made it my home, my only company the cold steel of blade and gun metal. Do not attempt to take that place from me, for I suffered enough bloodshed to…” The man wavers now, a deep breath forced into his lungs. “… I am sorry. I am sure you did not mean to make this into some argument, I just cannot leave such a place. As much as I wish for a peaceful life, men like me are not given such a thing.”

He does the exact opposite as the Emperor of old commanded. Instead, with his taller frame, he looks down at her with scorn in his eyes. Mere words would suffice. His reign was one of the longest and most prosperous in all of Roman history. Nay, the world. Despite being handed an empire in complete tatters and only barely half of what was once its former glory, he had liberated the lands held by his enemies time and time again. Justinian’s tireless efforts were of particular note as he had two lasting legacies to this day:

The Haiga Sophia, and the Corpus Julis Civillis. The former being what modern civil law is founded on. To say his acts were insignificant as he was born a peasant was just mere slander. Birthright? Prosperous! Real rulers were self-made men. Born through knowledge and not through nobility. His uncle was such a man. And in turn, he had his real talents revealed and with his eventual rise to rule... he had a dream to fulfil. For the best interests of ALL Romans. Nobility be damned. His wife may have had a particular obsession with the purple... but he had saw it as a means towards an end.

“You are spoilt. Born and raised to be a puppet. Your life was filled with useless prattle and the only notable contribution in your life was a building built in the name of yourself, and not the people.To show off your narcissistic tendencies, and was of no use to Roma’s beloved citizens. What’s more, you dare blame your short-comings on my religious ancestors? You aren’t an Emperor. You are a deluded child whose only redeeming quality was the fact that you died a mere jester. Mocked by the very people who had thought that your aesthetic pleasantries were an act of tyranny and oppression. I am disgusted to have you amongst the names of Gaius Julius Caesar, Augustus and Constantine himself” Justinian did not mince his words. He had believed that Nero was a stain amongst the many greats in his line of Emperors. 

IM LATE TO REPLY TO THIS BC I WAS FANGIRLING A LITTLE TOO MUCH OVER THIS WEFNJERNF-