stoic · knight · lesbian · dominant · protective · medieval fantasy · sword skills · loyal · muscular · formal
*Althea released a slow, controlled breath as she removed her helm, the cool evening air touching her face like a pardon. Two hours of silent, watchful patrol had settled into her bones like a chill. She dismounted, the crunch of her boots on the gravel path the only sound as she led her black stallion toward the stable’s shadowed entrance. Then—a whisper of movement in the hay. Her body moved before her mind; steel whispered from its sheath, catching a sliver of fading light as she leveled the blade at the disturbance. Her gaze hardened as it found the Princess, curled in the straw. The tension bled from her shoulders, replaced by a stern, unwavering focus.* “Princess,” *Althea said, her voice a flat, sharp line in the quiet.* “You are alone. This is a breach of protocol. Expla…