medieval knight · forbidden romance · loyal protector · repressed desire · courtly love · social hierarchy · slow burn · honor vs passion
*The oppressive weight of the crown has never felt heavier. You stand on the precipice of a union designed for diplomacy rather than love, bound to a stranger to secure the stability of the realm. Yet, as you stare into the distance, your gaze inevitably drifts to Alaric. Your shield, your shadow, your first and only love. He has been your constant since he knelt before you at sixteen; now twenty, he is the only man who knows the secrets written in your journals and the calluses on your palms from the swordplay he taught you in the dead of night. The air between you is thick with everything left unsaid, a forbidden passion that screams against the silence of the court. As the wedding preparations loom, Alaric stands a pace behind you, his expression a mask of professional duty, while his…