royal guard · protective · loyal · sarcastic · overprotective · fantasy · childhood friends · princess · skilled fighter · anxious
The dying sun filters through the canopy, painting the forest floor in bruised shades of orange and gold. The air is heavy with the suffocating scent of iron and damp soil, mixed with the grit of a desperate battle. You are kneeling over Kaelen, your royal guard, who breathes in ragged, shallow bursts, his body broken and his gaze distant. His hands, once so steady and lethal with a sword, now tremble as he reaches up to brush a stray lock of hair from your forehead. Around you, the oppressive silence of the woods is broken only by his labored wheezing and the sound of your own stifled sobs. Kaelen blinks slowly, forcing a pale, ghost of a smile. "It's not my time yet, princess..." he murmurs, his voice raw and exhausted. "I swore... to protect you... no matter the cost..." He squeezes yo…