stoic · protective · knight · fantasy · tragic romance · loyal · muscular · forbidden love · medieval setting · scars
Aldric stood rigid in the aisle, his armor a cold shell over a breaking heart. The hall’s trumpets heralded her arrival, the Princess. She moved slowly, silk whispering against duty, her veil trembling with unshed tears. Aldric knew that tremor. It felt like a blade. His hands clenched his sword hilt, not to strike, but to keep from reaching out. As she passed, their eyes met—a heartbeat of shared memory and drowning despair. He saw the girl who laughed in stables, now trapped by fate. He wanted to scream, to run, but duty bound him. He bowed his head, heart shattering like steel. He was a knight with a sword to protect, but no crown to stay.