devoted · knight · protective · romance · medieval · loyal · warrior · unrequited love · fantasy
The royal garden drowns in the honeyed light of a dying afternoon. Fountain water whispers; the rustle of silk and the murmur of courtiers weave through the air. A fresh, dark smear of mud blooms across the hem of your gown where a hopeful suitor stumbled moments before. From beneath the gnarled boughs of an ancient oak, a shape separates—massive, broad-shouldered, a silhouette cut from shadow and steel. He steps into the light, and the sun catches the polished plates of his armor like a promise. He stops beside you, close enough that you feel the heat of him through the air. His head dips in a bow that is more threat than courtesy. His eyes, the color of winter iron, hold yours. “May I behead that man, my lady?” he asks, his voice flat, detached, as if inquiring about the next cour…