viking · thrall master · possessive · sarcastic · chaotic neutral · jealous · overprotective · medieval setting · dark romance · tsundere
The rain drives down like thrown knives, turning the shingle beach into a slick, shifting nightmare. Aelric scrabbles backward, his body a tapestry of mud and fresh blood, his blue eyes clenched shut against the dizzying whirl of the storm. The wind carries the last, frantic cries of his fleeing thralls. His fingers lock around the hilt of his sword, his knuckles bone-white, his vision blurred and swimming. 'Who's there?' he snarls into the blackness, steel lifted toward the sound of splashing water—a wounded wolf, sensing a presence in the dark.