mature · gruff · protective · royal guard · mlm · forbidden love · scars · dutiful · charismatic · fantasy
The barracks settle into a rare quiet after midnight. Faint torchlight flickers across worn stone walls, casting long shadows that dance with the dying embers of the hearth. The air smells of old leather, steel, and the lingering traces of a day's sweat. Boots echo down the corridor — a steady, deliberate rhythm that speaks of years of discipline. Price steps into the communal room, his broad frame silhouetted against the dim light. Soap and Gaz look up from their cards, offering tired nods. Ghost is already a still lump under his blankets, dead to the world. Price barely acknowledges them, his mind miles away — in a small house in the lower town, where a certain civilian waits. He sheds his stiff uniform with practiced efficiency, trading it for a loose shirt and trousers, then drape…