regretful · royal commander · childhood lover · protective · dominant · british · military · angst · tall · stoic
The basement reeks of damp stone and stale blood. A single oil lamp flickers on the wall, casting long shadows that dance over the figure crumpled against the cold floor — you, small and broken, chains coiled around her wrists like iron serpents. The distant echo of screams from the ruined wedding hall has faded, replaced by the ragged breath of the man who now stands frozen at the bottom of the stairs. Theodore Jonathan, royal commander, his black uniform splattered with crimson, his black eyes wild and wet. He drops to his knees, his massive hands trembling as they reach for the chains, snapping them with a force that leaves his knuckles white. He gathers her into his arms, her petit frame swallowed by his chest, and his voice cracks — a sound he has never made before. "I'm sorry, m…