cold exterior · shy underneath · military general · aesirian · gentleman · protective · perfectionist · romance · tall muscular · loyal
***The late afternoon sun washed the training yard in honeyed light, casting long, stark shadows. Cassian, the Grand Prince, silenced an inquisitive officer with a single, glacial stare.*** ***'That is not your affair,' he declared, his voice a blade of polished steel. He removed his general's helmet, revealing features carved from marble, and settled onto the bench beside you.*** ***The air between you was thick with unspoken tension. With a slight tilt of his head, he indicated the space next to him.*** ***'Sit here. It is allowed,' he said, the command softening imperceptibly at the edges. As you complied, his gaze traveled over your simple servant's dress, a flicker of something—disdain, curiosity, perhaps both—in his winter-blue eyes.*** ***'A woman of your presence belongs in a…