History Literature / Limes

* OverprotectiveDad: Eutichio is very much protective and jealous of his daughters, especially Serena. [[spoiler: That is the reason why he kicked Eno (now Cuniperto) out of his household, as he and his youngest daughter were too close for his comfort.]]

** Eutichio laments how difficult will be finding an husband for the feisty and rebellious Serena as she will flat-out refuse to marry someone like her nerdy, cowardly brothers-in-law. He thinks she needs a real man, a strong and brave one. [[spoiler: He has the answer to his prayers literally next-door, but is too xenophobic for the idea to dawn on him. Serena, on the other side, isn't.]]

* ForeignRulingClass: Much like [[UsefulNotes/AngloSaxons Anglo-Saxon England]], Northern Italy of VII century AD is ruled by a class of lordlings of Germanic origin - the Lombards. The Roman patricians like the protagonist are getting less and less relevant in the new order, with most of them losing lands or seeking refuge in the [[UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire Eastern Empire]].

* LiterallyLovingThyNeighbor: [[spoiler: Serena and Cuniperto fall in love (or they have always been, it's up to the reader) and the ending implies they will marry.]]

* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Antonino confirms that Serena knew Cuniperto in her childhood. He is Antonino's son with a Lombard woman and was employed as a stable boy in her home under the nickname of "Eno". They were friends, close as siblings, until the disgraceful day her father saw him innocently kissing her cheek and kicked him out of his household without a second thought. Serena eventually forgot about him, but he didn't and spent the following years making a name of himself until he could get even with her father.]]
* SealedWithAKiss: [[spoiler: The ending sees Serena playfully kissing Cunioerto after TheReveal, hinting that they will marry and solve the feud between him and her father.]]

* WhamLine: [[spoiler: "Don't you remember about me?" establish a connection between Serena and Cuniperto and completely change the tone of the story.]]

* UnreliableNarrator: Eutichio's first description of Cuniperto is ugly and savage, with a long beard and red hair. When the perspective shift towards Serena, she finds that his hair is more of a reddish blonde and his appearance is more polished that she expected from her father's description.

* JockDadNerdSon: In-laws example. Eutichio is very educated, but also was a skilled warrior in his youth. On the other side his sons in laws are more the scholars than the warriors (100% the former and 0% the latter), a thing that [[ARealManIsAKiller doesn't really endear them to Eutichio]].

* BornInTheWrongCentury: Eutichio is much of a survivor. His more grounded sons-in-law argue that is pretty much a miracle that he can still live like a patrician of the Late Roman Empire, but Eutichio has never realised how privileged he is.

* UnreliableNarrator: Eutichio first description of Cuniperto is ugly and savage, with long beard and red hair. When the perspective shift towards Serena, she finds that his hair are more of a reddish blonde and his aspect his more polished that she expected from her father's description.

* ForbiddenFriendship: [[spoiler: TheReveal shows that Serena and Cuniperto has such friendhsip when they were respectively 7 and 14. They were as close as siblings until the day Eutichio decided that this stable boy was not a companion worthy of his precious little girl.]]

* ObfuscatingStupidity: [[spoiler: Cunioerto pretends not to speak Latin and not knowing Roman property laws because it serves his agenda of trolling Eutichio and putting himself in a position of power since Eutichio doesn't know how to negotiate with him on his own terms. He reveals the truth only to Serena because he hoped she would recognise him.]]

He's told that there is a Lombard warrior, Cuniperto, that has settled in the property next to his. Even worse, the Lombard is violating his property by building a sluice for water drainage from Eutichio's river into ''his'' land and taking his cows out to pasture into Eutichio's land. Eutichio goes to face him to make him respect his property's borders (the [[TitleDrop ''limes'' between Rome and the Barbarians]], as he calls it), but it goes anywhere, as he's too proud to compromise with a Barbarian. He finds the Lombard's appearance barely civilized and holds him in contempt for his lack of understanding of Latin language.

* BornInTheWrongCentury: Eutichio is much of a survivor. His more grounded sons-in-law argue that is pretty much a miracle that he still lives like a patrician of the Late Roman Empire, but Eutichio has never realised how privileged he is.

* DarkAgeEurope: 7th century Italy, to be exact.

** Eutichio laments how difficult will be finding an husband for the feisty and rebellious Serena and that she will flat out refuse to marry someone like her nerdy, cowardly brothers-in-law. He thinks she needs a real man, a strong and brave one. [[spoiler: He has the answer to his prayers literally next-door, but is too xenophobic for the idea to dawn on him. Serena, on the other side, isn't.]]

* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Eutichio is visiting Rome when the story begins and laments how decayed it is. The once mighty senators, those who have made and decided history, are now deprived of their meaning and doing just mundane burocracy,the ancient forum is in state of desrepair with sheep and goats grazing there.

** Perhaps a subtle one is when Cuniperto suggests through the interpreter a duel between him and his son. When he replies that he has only daughters, he asks if the daugthers are married or not, so he can duel with one of their husbands. [[spoiler: Since he already knew he doesn't have sons, it may have been a subtle way to learn what became of Serena and if she is already married.]]

The story takes place in 7th century Northern Italy, two centuries later the Fall of the Western Empire (incidentally, it is two centuries later the events of ''Literature/TheLastLegion''). The Italian peninsula is almost entirely ruled by the Lombards, a Germanic tribe that has conquered much of Italy from Byzantine rule and all but lives separately by their Roman subjects. The DecoyProtagonist is Eutichio Crescenzio Severo, an patrician descendant of the founders of the city of Augusta Taurinorum (modern-day Turin). He comes back from a visit to Rome after he receives some bad news. There is a Lombard warrior, Cuniperto, that has settled in the property next to him, but is taking possession of part of his property, hoisting a dividing hedge and building a sluice for water drainage. Eutichio meets with him to make him respect his property's borders (the [[TitleDrop ''limes'' between Rome and the Barbarians]], as he considers it) but is too proud to compromise. Also is repulsed by Cuniperto's Barbaric appearance and his lack of understanding of Latin language.

* AfterTheEnd: The story is set two centuries later the Fall of the Western Empire (when incidentally the events of ''Literature/TheLastLegion'' took place). Italy has been invaded more times and now is almost entirely ruled by the Lombards (save for Rome and Ravenna who have stayed in the hands of the Pope and the Byzantine Emperor respectively). The Roman aristocracy under Lombards rule are less and less relevant when not treated as second-class citizens. Eutichio's son-in-law remarks that Eutichio being able to retain his lands and his fortune almost untouched is more the exception than the rule.

* ChildOfTwoWorlds: [[spoiler: Cuniperto's father was Roman, although a peasant. He can speak Latin and was know as "Eno" during his childhood.]]

* DecoyProtagonist: The story starts with Eutichio being the P.O.v character and main hero, but after his confrontation with Cuniperto, the focus shifts to his daughter Serena making her the real protagonist.

** Eutichio laments how difficult will be finding an husband for the feisty and rebellious Serena and that she will flatly refuse to marry someone like her nerdy, spineless brothers-in-law. He thiks she needs a real man, more like a warrior. [[spoiler: He has the answer to his prayers literally next-door, but is too xenophobic for the idea to dawn on him. Serena, on the other side, isn't.]]
* ForbiddenFriendship: [[spoiler: TheReveal shows that Serena and Cuniperto has such friendhsip when they were respectively 7 and 14. They were close as a brother and his little sister until the day Eutichio decided that his stable boy was not a worthy company for his precious daughter.]]
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: Cuniperto claims to have met Serena in her childhood. [[spoiler: And he's telling the truth. Antonino speculates that she has forgotten him due to a combination of her really young age and the pain of losing him so abruptly, giving that at the time she speant the following weeks in utter despair.]]

* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Antonino confirms that Serena knew Cuniperto in her childhood. He is Antonino's son with a Lombard woman and was employed as a stable boy in her home under the nickname of "Eno". They were friends, close as siblings, until the disgraceful day her father saw him innocently kissing her cheek and kicked him out of his household a second thought. Serena eventually forgot about him, but he didn't and spent the following years making a name of himself until he could get even with her father.]]

** Eutichio's perspective is that he represents the LastStand of civilization and his neighbor is a savage Barbarian who doesn't even speak Latin neither knows the concept of private property. [[spoiler: The subversion is that his neighbor ''does'' speak Latin and knows that he's violating his property. The thing is that he has a personal grudge against him and is trolling him beautifully.]]

* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Eutichio is visiting Rome when the story begins and laments how decayed it is. The once mighty senators, those who have made and decided history, are now deprived of their meaning and doing just mundane burocracy,the ancient forum is in state of desrepair with sheep ang goats grazing there.

** Cuniperto takes possesion of the water stream in Eutichio's possesion by the claim that everything of the natural world is free and belongs to anyone, and if he didn't need to build a water drainage or fed his beasts he wouldn't have looked elsewhere from his lands.
** Serena by the same logic challenges him by flatly walking into his property and milking his cows and taking the milk with her. When Cuniperto questions her behaviour, she argues that since his cattle are fed the grass of her property, then their milk belongs to her.

* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler: Serena not bringig herself to give the usual good-night kiss to her father after learning the AwfulTruth about how he wronged Cuniperto (and to an extent herself) is an example of thi.]]

** Antonino is subtly shocked when Serena tells him that thei Lombard neighbor can speak Latin and claims to have met Serena in the past. [[spoiler: He has figured out that it's his son.]] Serena notices his reactions and keeps questioning him until TheReveal.

** Eutichio laments how difficult will be finding an husband for the feisty and rebellious Serena and that she will flatly refuse to marry someone like her nerdy, spineless brothers-in-law. He thiks she needs a real man, more of a warrior. [[spoiler: He has the answer literally next-door, but is too xenophobic for the idea to dawn on him. Serena, on the other side, isn't.]]

* DeathByDespair: [[spoiler: Cuniperto/Who's mother died shortly after he left his home looking for fortune elsewhere.]]

* JockDadNerdSon: In-laws example. Eutichio is very educated, but also was a skilled warrior in his youth. On the other side his sons in laws are more the scholars than the warrior (100% the former and 0% the latter), a thing that [[ARealManIsAKiller doesn't really endear them to Eutichio]].

''Limes'' is the second short story from the 2010 collection of tales ''Archanes and other stories'' by Valerio Massimo Manfredi (writer of ''Literature/{{Spartan}}'', ''Literature/TheLastLegion'' and ''Literature/AlexanderTrilogy''). It is the only short story of the collection to be set in ancient times (DarkAgeEurope, precisely) while the others are modern-day thrillers.

* SurprisinglyHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Serena ends the feud between Cuniperto and her father without violence and the same way it started - [[SealedWithAKiss with a kiss]].]]

* Decoyprotagonist: The story starts with Eutichio being the P.O.v character and main hero, but after his confrontation with Cuniperto, the focus shifts to his daughter Serena making her the real protagonist.

''Limes'' is the second short story from the 2010 collection of tales ''Archanes and other stories'' by Valerio Massimo Manfredi (writer of ''Literature/{{Spartan}}, ''Literature/TheLastLegion'' and ''Literature/AlexanderTrilogy''). It is the only short story of the collection to be set in ancient times (DarkAgeEurope, precisely) while the others are modern-day thrillers.

* ForbiddenFriedship: [[spoiler: TheReveal shows that Serena and Cuniperto has such friendhsip when they were respectively 7 and 14. They were close as a brother and his little sister

* SurprisinglyHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Serena ends the feud between Cuniperto and her father without violence and the same way it started - [[SealedWithAKiss with a kiss]].]

* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler: Serena not bringig herself to give the good-night kiss to her father after learning the AwfulTruth about how he wronged Cuniperto (and to an extent herself) is an example of thi.]]

* ChildhoodFriendRomance: [[spoiler: The ending implies tha Serena and Cunipeto will get married, after she recognise him as her childhood friend.]]

** Eutichio laments how difficult will be finding an husband for the feisty and rebellious Serena and that she will flatly refuse to marry someone like her nerdy, spineless brothers-in-law. He thiks she needs a real man, more of a warrior. [[spoiler: He has the answer literally next-door, but is too xenophobic to consider the option. Serena, on the other side, isn't.]]
* JockDadNerdSon: In-laws example. Eutichio is very educated, but also was a skilled warrior in his youth. On the other side his sons in laws are more the scholars than the warrior (100% the former and 0% the latter), a thing that [[ARealManIsAKiller doesn't really endear them to Eutichio]].

* FeudingFamilies: The Roman patrician Eutichio has some issues with his new neighbor, the Lombard Cuniperto, who is aggressively expanding into his lands.

The story takes place in 7th century Northern Italy, two centuries later the Fall of the Western Empire (incidentally, it is two centuries later the events of ''Literature/TheLastLegion''). The Italian peninsula is almost entirely ruled by the Lonbards, a Germanic tribe that has conquered much of Italy from Byzantine rule and all but lives separately by their Roman subjects. The DecoyProtagonist is Eutichio Crescenzio Severo, an patrician descendant of the founders of the city of Augusta Taurinorum (modern-day Turin). He comes back from a visit to Rome after he receives some bad news. There is a Lombard warrior, Cuniperto, that has settled in the property next to him, but is taking possession of part of his property, hoisting a dividing hedge and building a sluice for water drainage. Eutichio meets with him to make him respect his property's borders (the [[TitleDrop ''limes'' between Rome and the Barbarians]], as he considers it) but is too proud to compromise. Also is repulsed by Cuniperto's Barbaric appearance and his lack of understanding of Latin language.

Enters the picture Serena, Eutichio's youngest daughter and the real protagonist. Once she meets by chance her Lombard neighbour, she finds out not only that he speaks Latin perfectly, but also the he
[[ForgottenFirstMeeeting claims that they have met before]], refusing to tell when. It's up to Serena to find out what said connection means and to put a stop to the escalating tensions between her father and the neighbor.

!!The following tropes show up: