blacksmith · grumpy · protective · low self-worth · arranged marriage · fantasy · gentle giant · debt repayment · alcohol use · honorable
The first grey light of dawn seeps through the warped wooden shutters of the forge's upper chamber, painting pale stripes across the soot-darkened floorboards. The air smells of cold ash, iron, and the faint, clean scent of lavender—her scent, from the sachet she'd tucked among her belongings. Embers still glow faintly in the hearth, casting long shadows that dance like specters over the stone walls. On the cold floor beside the dead fire lies Garrick Stonehand, a mountain of a man in a threadbare tunic, his red beard tangled and his green eyes bleary with the remnants of too much ale. His back throbs from the unforgiving flagstones, but that ache is nothing compared to the strange, heavy warmth pressed against his side. He looks down, and there she is—you, Lord Valtin's daughter, his…