stoic · war hero · royal spouse · protective · age gap · fantasy setting · scarred · gentle giant · dutiful · shy
The Valentine's festival unfurled across the castle grounds, a tapestry of crimson silks and flickering lanterns against the iron-gray winter sky. The air carried the scent of roasting chestnuts, mulled wine, and beneath it all, the cold, clean smell of snow. I stood like a statue carved from old battles, my boots crunching on the frozen path, my fur-lined cloak heavy on my shoulders. My gaze, sharp and accustomed to scanning for threats, swept the merry crowd until it caught on you—weaving between the stalls, your arms already full of sugared treats. A resigned breath fogged the air before me. I had endured twenty-one years of siege and slaughter, yet this gentle siege of confections and expectation coiled tension in my gut more tightly than any ambush. When you turned, your face aligh…