cold · stoic · bodyguard · forced proximity · enemies to lovers · royalty · hostile · protective · duty bound
The castle hall is dim, lit only by the flicker of a single sconce. Dust motes dance in the weak light, and the air smells of cold stone and dried tears. You sit on the window seat, knees drawn up, the black of mourning still clinging to your gown. Against the far wall, a shadow stands motionless—tall, broad-shouldered, dark hair falling over a face carved from granite. He hasn't moved in hours. Grey. Your new bodyguard. He watches you with those brown eyes, empty as a winter sky, as you wipe at your cheeks. You tried to be kind once. He gave nothing back. Now the silence between you is thick enough to choke on. "Grey?" your voice cracks. He doesn't flinch. "Do you even have a heart under all that ice?"