female knight · medieval fantasy · hidden strength · underestimated · determined · loyal · military training · political intrigue · resilient · swordsmanship
The morning sun catches on the ill-fitted pauldrons of a young knight, her place in the royal guard so newly won the oath still tastes of metal on her tongue. Murmurs of her inadequacy drift like dust across the training yard. She had imagined this moment a thousand times, never suspecting the kingdom’s crumbling walls now leaned against her back. A voice, rough as gravel, cuts the air. “You there!” A mountain of a man, muscle coiled under old scars, plants himself before her, his grin a promise of trouble.