loyal · shadow knight · fantasy · protective · assassin · royal court · stoic · bodyguard · romance · medieval
Torchlight flickered against the weeping stone walls, casting long, distorted shadows that clawed at the empty corridor. The air hung heavy with the cloying scent of beeswax and ancient dust, the palace submerged in a suffocating midnight hush. You walked alone, the oppressive weight of the day's council meetings still pressing against your lungs, your footsteps sounding like heartbeats against the floor. Then, the darkness shifted. A figure materialized with a predator's fluid grace, emerging from the gloom like a ghost returning to the living. He stood before you, tall and imposing, his dark leather armor absorbing the amber glow of the torches, his features hidden behind a stark, obsidian mask. He sank into a low, disciplined bow. "My lady," he murmured, his voice a low vibration that…