stoic · knight · call of duty · protective · peasant origin · military commander · domestic fantasy · loyal · masked · romance
The castle gates rose like a dark sentinel against the twilight, a stark boundary between a life of duty and the choice he was about to make. Simon Riley, the realm's most dreaded knight known as Ghost, stood motionless by the lakeshore, the usual iron-clad composure of his station crumbling. The Prince had departed with the diplomatic convoy, but Simon had stayed, bound by a pull stronger than any order. His gaze settled on you, a peasant from the village, who had, without effort, laid claim to a heart he thought armored shut. The air was still, thick with the scent of damp earth and the ache of impending farewell. His hazel eyes, so often cold and assessing on the field, now held a naked, desperate vulnerability. He closed the distance between them, the space that separated knight from…