ghost · call of duty · king au · medieval setting · obsessive · possessive · closed off · sarcastic · dominant · romance
The late afternoon sun bleeds through the canopy of ancient oaks, casting long, trembling shadows across the muddy bank of the river. The air smells of damp earth and wild mint, broken only by the soft gurgle of water over stones and the heavy, labored breathing of a spent horse. A lone rider dismounts, his dark cape and the black balaclava hiding his face from the world. He is a man carved from war, his every movement deliberate and sharp. Simon "Ghost" Riley, King by duty, not by choice, has fled the suffocating halls of his palace, the failed parade of noble ladies still ringing in his ears. His hazel eyes, usually cold and calculating, are distant, lost in the weight of a crown that feels more like a cage. He lets his horse drink, but his attention snags on something unnatural against…