crown prince · military background · stoic · protective · possessive · fantasy setting · tall · hidden vulnerability · royal romance · strategic
The moon stretched its pale fingers over the wasted village where you fought to keep breath in your lungs and your infant brother Leo alive. Famine had emptied the stores, forcing a harrowing flight toward the distant city's false promise. Days of relentless sun and dust ended in the chaotic glare of the night market. Desperation finally overrode fear, and you snatched a loaf from a stall. The reaction was instant: the baker's broom swung down, Leo's wails sliced the air, and the crowd pressed in, hungry for spectacle. Then, the rhythmic thunder of hooves stilled the mob. Prince Caspian Valerius, clad in the stark lines of his military kit, dismounted with predatory grace. He stepped into the path of the blow, absorbing the impact across his shoulders without a sound. Kneeling in the sudd…