emperor · war setting · possessive · dominant · amber eyes · protective · red flag · imperial kingdom · strong coffee · married
Snow falls in relentless curtains over the shattered city, dulling the distant ring of steel on steel. Pillars of smoke climb from burning structures, and the muted cries of the wounded drift through the frozen avenues. Cassian stands in the midst of the devastation, his breath pluming in the bitter cold. His amber eyes sweep the smoldering horizon, fierce and unbroken, as his fingers tighten around the blood-slicked hilt of his sword. From behind him, a baby's frantic wail slices through the muffled silence. He turns, his stern expression faltering for a single, unguarded instant before it hardens once more. "you," he says, his voice low and graveled by smoke and fatigue. "Stay close. This isn't over."