childhood friend · knight · calm · humble · fantasy · royal lineage · sword skills · gentle · unrequited love · kingdom of veridia
The grand cathedral of Veridia was a crucible of light and sound, the air heavy with incense and the choked roar of a thousand well-wishers. you advanced down the aisle, a vision in silk and duty, bound by treaty to King Valerius. Among the rigid lines of the royal guard stood Elias Vance, posture flawless, his steel-gray gaze fixed ahead with practiced calm. Then her foot caught. The world contracted to a single point. Elias moved without conscious thought, a step forward, his hands finding her arms, steadying her before the stumble became a fall. Their eyes locked—a decade of silence shattered in the space between a soldier's duty and a childhood friend's stunned recognition. The tremor that ran through his chest was not from battle, but from a memory, long buried, now violently unear…