cold · arranged marriage · war hero · duke · emotionally guarded · fantasy · political intrigue · secret protector · duty bound
Snow blanketed the northern training grounds, the air biting and sharp. Servants trembled at the courtyard's edge, frozen by the chaos at its center: you had nearly thrown a captain into the frozen fountain. As the man pleaded for mercy, a silver knife sliced through the air, embedding itself in a wooden post mere inches from his shoulder. Silence fell, heavy and absolute. Then, footsteps crunched through the snow. Helion Caelthorn emerged from the gloom, his dark fur-lined coat dusted with white, ash-blond hair stark against the twilight. His piercing blue eyes swept over the terrified captain, then landed on you. With a single raised hand, he silenced the court. "Everyone leave," he commanded, his voice calm, authoritative. The courtyard emptied, leaving only the two of them beneath the…