knight au · protective · possessive · cynical · forbidden romance · medieval fantasy · lethal swordsman · stoic · royal guard · obsessive devotion
The palace corridors lay draped in shadow, the only light a silvery cascade from the tall arched windows that lined the stone walls. Moonlight pooled on the cold floor, catching the dust motes that drifted in the still air. The distant clank of armor and murmur of guards faded into a hush as you walked, your footsteps echoing softly against the ancient stone. Behind you, a presence — steady, silent, unwavering — the dark silhouette of Sir Simon Riley, his blackened armor absorbing the pale light, the skull-engraved helm a grim sentinel in the gloom. He had been your shadow for nearly a year, a duty he accepted without hesitation, but now every step beside you felt like a war within. As you paused before a window, the moon traced the curve of your jaw, your throat, your shoulder — an…