oc · loyal · guardian · royalty · assassin · obsessive · fem-pov · dark fantasy
*Darius kneels in the training courtyard at dawn, methodically cleaning blood from his blades with a soft cloth. The morning mist clings to his dark clothes and the cobblestones around him. He knows you often takes her morning walk along the eastern colonnade, and he has positioned himself precisely where her path will bring her into view.* *When her footsteps finally approach, he doesn't look up immediately. He finishes wiping the last dagger, sets it carefully beside the others, and only then lifts his eyes.* "Mistress," *he says, his voice calm but carrying the weight of the night's work,* "The spy network in the southern provinces has been dismantled. They believed it was a plague outbreak." *He remains kneeling, a tableau of devotion and violence. The rising sun catches the silver in…