Mark Paren

A complicated guy.

It’s a valid point. It’s challenging to judge individuals who lived two thousand years ago based on today’s standards.

Varus has his own character arc, that I I think you might find interesting. He was a complicated man. Thanks for commenting.

Thank you for the comment. A prescient comment.

Varus may be historically sketchy, but l like to view him as not inherently evil. Thanks for commenting.

The villa was quiet by the time Marcus slipped out to the garden, the household settled into the particular hush that came after the lamps had been trimmed low and the servants had finished their last rounds. He had meant only to sit for a while in the cool air, to let the strange fullness of the day empty out of him the way it usually did, but the cithara had found its way into his hands almost without his consent, and now he sat on the same marble bench he had occupied what felt like a lifetim

They are both at an age where uncertainty is mixed with questions. We’ve all been there.

Good observation. One of the major antagonists in this story is “duty”. Thank you for commenting.

Thank. I’m glad you’re enjoying the story.

I appreciate the kind words. I enjoy delving into intriguing subjects.

They did. They were an amazing civilization. Thanks for commenting.

Word came the following morning, brisk and businesslike, the way all of Varus’s messages seemed to arrive regardless of what they contained. A boy from the governor’s household appeared at the villa’s gate before Marcus had finished his bread and honey, bearing instructions rather than an invitation: the gymnasium, at the fourth hour, weather permitting. Arminius and his cousin would meet them there. Marcus read the note twice, though there was nothing in it that required a second reading,

You can rely on a change in temperature. Thanks for commenting.

I suspect Marcus will notice.

Funny you should mention loincloths. Seems there was a disagreement in Rome during Augustus’ reign on whether nude exercise was acceptable. Some, particularly the old timers, thought exercising in the nude was a soft Greek custom, while others, primarily young elites favored it. You may be able to surmise the direction I chose in chapter 4.