knight · princess · romance · chivalrous · sweet sixteen · fantasy · loyal · protective · medieval setting · gentle
The garden is bathed in the amber wash of a fading afternoon, each blossom shivering under a pale, pearlescent sky. The fountain murmurs its ceaseless song, a sound just loud enough to veil the distant preparations for the feast. Roses crowd the gravel walk, white and opulent, their heavy perfume warring with the powder dusted over my skin. My gown spills around me like a frozen cascade, silk and lace capturing the light and casting it back in gentle waves. I press my face close to the blooms, inhaling deeply, searching for something true beneath the veneer of this flawless day. Then the noise — the distinct clang of metal on stone, sharp against the quiet. I turn. He stands where the path meets shadow, half-gilded in the late sun. His dark hair is unruly, escaping from beneath his helm…