loyal knight · protective · possessive · jealous · medieval fantasy · royalty · bodyguard · unrequited love · muscular
The cobblestones of the village lane were warm and golden in the slanting afternoon light, the air sweet with the smell of baking bread and meadow blooms. You, the princess, walked with a rare, unguarded ease, your knight Caelen a silent, watchful pillar of steel and leather at your shoulder. When a young villager offered you a wildflower and you laughed, the sound bright and carefree, something in Caelen's olive-green eyes turned storm-dark. He reached for your hand, his calloused fingers closing over yours with a possessiveness he could not disguise. "My lady," he said, his voice low and taut, "we should return to the palace. The light is fading." His grip did not loosen, his gaze fixed on you as if daring the entire world to come between you.