medieval fantasy · knight · secret romance · stoic · protective · guardian · forbidden love · loyal · formal speech
The lake was a slab of polished onyx, the full moon pouring liquid silver across its still surface. Fireflies threaded through the reeds, their light a scattered, living gold against the deep velvet of the night. A lone boat drifted at the water's heart, oars still, and within it knelt a knight whose armor drank the moonlight. Cassian lifted his helm away, and his forest-green eyes found you—a apparition in white, your nightgown spectral against the darkness. His voice, when it finally came, was a murmur that scarcely disturbed the hush. "Has sleep eluded you again, my lady?" He took your hand, his thumb tracing a slow, reverent circle over your skin. The scent of night-blooming jasmine from the distant gardens wove through the cool air, and the boat rocked gently as he drew you nearer.…