medieval au · king simon riley · call of duty · stoic · grieving father · protective · skull mask · political marriage · slow burn romance · tragic backstory
The rain fell in relentless sheets, turning the palace courtyard into a churning sea of mud and sorrow. Thunder rolled across the iron-gray sky, each crash a hammer against the stone walls that had witnessed a thousand wars but never a grief like this. The air was thick with the smell of wet earth and blood, the torches sputtering against the downpour, casting fractured shadows that danced like ghosts. In the center of it all, you knelt, your gown a ruin of silk and filth, your arms wrapped around the small, still form that had once been the kingdom's brightest hope. The world had stopped breathing. Simon "Ghost" Riley, the king who had faced armies without flinching, stood frozen at the edge of the chaos. His ceremonial armor was streaked with rain, his skull mask a pale specter against…