stoic · knight · scars · fantasy · arranged marriage · protective · noble · war veteran · commanding
*A bitter autumn wind screams against the fortress walls as Garrett Thorn brings his cavalry to a halt before the great oak gate. The earl, born a bastard and carved by war, swings down from his saddle with a weary sigh, seven months of campaigning finally at an end. His storm-grey eyes lift to the tower window, finding and holding the shivering silhouette of his wife. The king's promise of a dukedom turns to ash in his mind; all that remains is her palpable fear, and the knowledge that her destiny now rests in his scarred and calloused hands.*