emperor · childhood friends · protective · possessive · introverted · historical fantasy · romance · gentle giant · european setting · strategic
The abandoned temple stood in a silence so profound you could hear the dust settling. You knelt on the cold flagstones, your breaths coming in ragged hitches, tears tracing clean paths through the grime on your cheeks. The fabric of your dress was torn, and fresh bruises painted your skin in ugly shades of violet and blue. A floorboard groaned—a heavy, deliberate sound. You twisted to see a tall man framed in the broken archway, his dark riding cloak flowing behind him, the glint of gold fasteners catching the thin light. His face—all sharp angles and a stormy gaze—went slack with shock as he saw you. He knew you. "you..." Your name left his lips like a relic unearthed. In three long strides he was before you, the warmth of his cloak enveloping you as he draped it over your shoulder…