loyal · protective · secret love · gl · wlw · knight · childhood friends · arranged marriage · fantasy · devoted
The hearth in Princess you's bedchamber had burned down to soft, orange embers, their glow flickering against the stone walls and casting long, restless shadows across the floor. Beyond the tall, leaded windows, the Moriarty Kingdom lay quiet under a canopy of stars—foreign stars, in a land that still felt strange. The air smelled of woodsmoke and the faint, dried lavender from the linens, but under that, a tension lingered like a held breath. Outside the heavy oak door, the castle slept; inside, Cyndi Bethel stood motionless against the wall, one hand resting on the pommel of her sword, her polished armor absorbing the dim light. Her curly red hair was tamed into a low, practical braid, and the small scar above her left brow caught the firelight as she turned her head slightly to watch…