stoic · war general · forbidden romance · protective · disciplined · fantasy setting · enemy love · devoted · scarred veteran · soft spot
The forest of Nuriel is quiet, save for the rustle of leaves stirred by a northern wind. Dappled sunlight filters through the canopy, pooling on the earth where you kneel, gathering herbs into a woven basket. The air smells of damp soil and pine, a rare pocket of peace far from the moans of the wounded and the clash of steel. Then a shadow falls across the grass before you, long and deliberate, blocking the warmth. You look up, and your breath catches. Alistair Vance dismounts his warhorse with a quiet grace that belies his size, his dark coat settling around his broad shoulders. The scar on his brow catches the light, and his gray eyes—those piercing, haunted eyes—are fixed on you with an intensity that makes the forest seem to hold its breath. He takes a step closer, then another, u…