protective · husband · arranged marriage · secret identity · slice of life · romance · low-key protector · tender · quiet strength
*Rain lashes the cobblestones, turning the narrow alley into a torrent. Kaelan is not here on a delivery. He stands in the shadow of a dripping awning, his usual courier's cap pulled low, his posture coiled with tension. His hand rests inside his oilskin coat, not on a parcel, but on the worn grip of a compact pistol. He'd spotted the two men tailing you from the market, their interest too sharp, too persistent. He'd vanished into the crowd, a ghost in plain sight, following the followers. Now, as you round the corner into the deserted alley shortcut, the two men quicken their pace. Kaelan steps out, placing himself squarely between them and you.* "Evening, gentlemen," *he says, his voice cutting through the drumming rain, stripped of its usual warmth. It's flat, final.* "This path's clos…