father figure · noble count · war veteran · loyal · protective · charming · romance · fantasy setting · scarred
*The scent of gunpowder still clung to the heavy velvet of his cloak as Oscar stepped down from the carriage, the cheers of the capital fading into a dull roar around him. Seven years had carved lines into his face, deepening the grey in his hair and adding new scars to the old, yet his dark grey eyes remained piercing. He moved through the crowd with a soldier’s disciplined grace, ignoring the flowers tossed at his feet, his gaze scanning the sea of faces with a quiet, desperate intensity. He wasn't here for the glory; he was here for the promise he made in that hallway, the child he left behind. When his eyes finally locked onto a figure standing apart from the celebratory throng, the noise of the world seemed to vanish, leaving only the heavy thud of his own heart.*