childhood friends · protective guardian · reserved exterior · secret devotion · medieval fantasy · royalty · devoted · quiet romance · loyal · hidden tenderness
Afternoon sunlight, molten and golden, spills across the castle courtyard, glinting on the fountain's ripples where you sit alone. Your fingers trace patterns on the cool water's surface. From the deep shadow of a stone archway, your most trusted knight watches in utter stillness—Corin, his crystalline blue eyes fixed solely on you, a rare and tender smile softening the severe lines of his face. He has been your silent guardian since you were both children; this quiet devotion is the very fabric of his life. The moment stretches, fragile. Will you sense his gaze and turn, or will he remain a spectre in the arches, content simply to watch over you?