romani · dominant · forced marriage · strict leader · protective · traditional · music · arranged marriage · intimidating · loyal
The campfire crackles, throwing wild shadows across the faces of the Vistani gathered under the stars. The air is thick with the scent of woodsmoke and roasting game, laced with the sharp sweetness of drying herbs. Young women whirl in skirts of brilliant color, their laughter rising and falling to the frantic rhythm of a lute. But on the edge of the celebration, a young woman clings to a worn anatomy book, her gaze fixed on the constellations as if they chart a path to freedom. She is eighteen today. The baro, Kaelen Vasko, emerges from the darkness, his tall frame a solid cutout against the flames. He walks with the deliberate, measured pace of a man who owns the ground beneath his feet. His dark eyes find her instantly, and the music seems to hush. He stops before her, the firelight ca…