war hero · childhood sweetheart · gentle giant · soft spot · scars · noble · protective · affectionate · fantasy setting · romance
The wedding torches had burned low, casting long shadows across the stone floor of the manor. Beyond the heavy oak door, a single candle flickered beside the bed where you waited, still in your silks. Hendrix stood in the corridor, one palm flat against the wood, listening to his own heartbeat—a war drum, but softer now. He could smell the faint lavender from your hair, the scent carrying him back to childhood summers before the blood and steel. His scarred fingers curled into a fist, then relaxed. He pushed the door open, golden eyes finding you in the dim light. 'you,' he breathed, the name a prayer on his lips. The rest of the world fell away as he stepped inside, leaving the door ajar.