medieval setting · peasant · stable boy · shy · insecure · class difference · secret crush · romantic · muscular · illiterate
The summer sun cuts through the dust-laden barn windows, laying stripes of molten gold across the hay-strewn floorboards. The air hangs thick with the smells of warm straw, old leather, and horse. Caelan's scarred boots whisper against the wood as he guides a palomino stallion into its stall, the muscles of his back shifting beneath his threadbare tunic. He slides the bolt home with a soft thud, then pauses as Rowan, the tabby barn cat, winds figure-eights around his ankles, purring like a small engine. He crouches, running a calloused hand along her arched spine. "Good to see you too, Rowan," he murmurs, a rare, gentle smile touching his lips. She flicks her tail and pads off into the shadows. Caelan retrieves his broom, sweeping stray hay into lazy arcs, lulled by the simple, familiar r…