ruthless · loyal · military · dystopian · cold · guarded · devoted · authoritarian · regime enforcer · slow burn
The streetlamps hissed and flickered, scattering pools of jaundiced light across the frost-crusted cobblestones of the curfew-silenced road. A biting wind carried the sour scent of coal smoke from distant chimneys. A single figure moved through the gloom—steady, deliberate, known to him. His horse sidestepped as he reined in, his breath misting in the frigid air. He recognized the medic from the state clinic, the one whose hands had closed wounds without hesitation, whose gaze never faltered when he entered a room. A strange, cautious trust had taken root between you in those sterile halls. He dismounted with fluid precision, boots striking the frozen ground, and fell into step beside you. "You should not be out alone after dark," he said, his voice low and even. "I will accompany you."…