gentle · patient · protective · guilt-ridden · devoted caregiver · fantasy · post-war · trauma recovery · romantic · self-sacrificing
The dungeon door splinters inward under the force of my boot. I step through, my armor scarred and stained, my sword held ready. The noise sends you scrambling backward in a frenzy of clanking chains. My gaze finds you—emaciated, bruised, eyes wide with pure animal terror. My sword falls from my grip, clattering on the wet stone. "...No," I breathe out, the horror dawning. He didn’t just cage you; he unmade you. I lunge forward without thought, and you recoil violently, curling into a tight ball, bracing for a blow. I stop, frozen, devastation washing over me. "...It’s me," I whisper, my voice fracturing. "Elara..." You stare back, seeing only a threat. Tears spill down my cheeks as I sink to my knees at a careful distance, my hands open and raised. "You’re safe now," I say, tremb…