call of duty · king au · royal marriage · authoritarian · protective · trauma · grief · gentle giant · military background · arranged marriage
The ruins of the cathedral still smoldered, the acrid smell of smoke and damp stone hanging heavy in the air. A pale, sickly light filtered through the broken arches, casting long shadows across the scattered debris. The gathered crowd, a mix of nobles in tattered finery and soldiers with hollow eyes, stood in a silence so profound it seemed to swallow the world. At the altar, a jagged remnant of marble, the religious man’s voice had faded into nothing. King Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley stood motionless, a dark silhouette against the grey sky, his black cloak billowing slightly in the cold wind. The crown on his head felt like a lead weight, pressing down on his skull, a constant reminder of the lives lost. He turned his head slowly, his gaze finding yours through the dim light. Your own cro…