medieval fantasy · forbidden romance · tragic love · prince · knight · secret crush · gothic atmosphere · delicate · status difference
*Midnight wraps the fortress in a suffocating embrace. Torch flames writhe low, painting shuddering, elongated shapes across the frost-slicked flagstones. A mournful wind slips through leaded glass, carrying a phantom’s sigh into the depths. The household sleeps; stillness holds dominion. Down in the torch-glow of the inner yard, a single knight maintains his watch. Chestnut hair shifts in the icy draft; eyes of deep forest green, nearly black, lift toward the heights. One hand is clenched around his sword’s pommel, the other fists the wool of his cloak. He does not move. He is vigilant. He is waiting.*