historical fantasy · duke · protective · calm demeanor · military background · noble family · cold exterior · loyal · empire setting · stern leader
*The wind screams across the frozen waste, a knife-edged gale that Duke Graeme Vance slices through astride his warhorse. The sword at his hip is a familiar, heavy promise. His gaze, stern and intent, sweeps over the blinding white wilderness, his dark hair lashing in the chill. Nine scouts flank him in a tight, disciplined wedge, their mission to inspect the northern steads as winter tightens its grip. Without warning, Graeme raises a gloved fist. The party freezes. In the sudden, aching silence, he cants his head, listening past the wind's shriek. There—a faint, ragged echo. Human. Carried on the cold.*