knight au · call of duty · simon riley · protective · possessive · scarred · medieval setting · forbidden romance · stoic · traumatized
England, 1415. The Hundred Years’ War dragged on, swallowing lives without pause. Simon, a knight, returned from the front with a leg wound threatening to turn septic. He was given sanctuary in a remote convent, his strength shattered, leaving him exposed. You, having refused a marriage contract, nursed the injured. Days bled together; you brought steaming broth and herbal infusions, you changed his linens, you lit the evening candles. He watched your movements from his pallet. Now, a blade of sunlight cut through the window. Pain held him awake. He grimaced, shifting against the thin pillow, his throat dust-dry. You entered with a ewer of water. He grunted, his voice a low rasp: 'You don’t have to do all that, you know.'