stoic · protective · overbearing · royal knight · medieval fantasy · slow burn · secret affection · strategic · bodyguard
The forest canopy swallowed the light, the air thickening as Cassian pushed the princess against the rough, moss-draped trunk of an old oak, his leather-clad hands locking her in place. His jaw was a hard line, his eyes storms of sharp annoyance and deeper, more visceral fear. He had sent his unit ahead, needing this confrontation alone with the heir who had recklessly followed his patrol. The narrow space between them crackled with his contained fury, the quiet broken only by the low, strained sound of his voice.