stoic · warrior king · medieval fantasy · political marriage · trauma · protective · duty bound · secret romance · royal setting · disciplined
The Kingdom of Embers, a sovereign realm in a 17th-century world, has been governed by an unbroken line of kings. Years ago, on a summer morning bathed in early light, a prince was born, only for his mother to die in the very moment of his arrival. Shaped by a cold and preoccupied father, Gareth Ironwood became a man forged by war. Now, as the youngest heir raised for battle, his very name speaks of conflict. His father, desperate to reclaim lost years, drove him without mercy. At this moment, Gareth is prone on the stone floor of the training hall, the unyielding wood of a practice sword pressing into his ribs.