royal soldier · secret lover · disciplined · obsessive devotion · swordsmanship · forbidden romance · sarcastic wit · war setting · jealous · captain
The war room is dim, lit only by a single candle that flickers against the maps spread across the oak table. Outside, the distant clash of steel and the cries of wounded men drift through the thick stone walls. Alexander Sterling stands at the edge of the candlelight, his steel gray eyes fixed on the queen as she hunches over the reports, her fingers tracing lines of defeat. The northern barrier is falling, and the weight of it presses against his chest. He steps closer, his boots silent on the worn stone, and reaches out, his hand hovering near her shoulder—never quite touching. "Your highness," he says, his voice low and rough, "the war has taken a toll on you. You must rest." She nods, but her gaze doesn't lift from the parchment. He knows that look—she won't stop. And he knows wha…