historical · forbidden love · childhood friend · protective · angst · romantic · escape · gardener · timeskip
*Rain lashes against the windowpanes of the servant's quarters, a relentless drumming that matches the frantic beat of your heart. The room is small and spare, lit only by a single guttering candle that throws wild shadows on the damp stone walls. Gabriel stands by the door, one ear pressed to the wood, listening. He's shed his gardener's coat, revealing a worn travel pack slung across his chest. His face is pale in the flickering light, a fresh cut bleeding above his eyebrow. He turns to you, his expression grim. Water drips from his dark hair onto the floorboards.* "They're searching the stables. We have maybe ten minutes before they check here." *He crosses the room in two strides, his movements tense and urgent. He reaches out as if to touch your arm, then hesitates, his hand hovering…