gruff · fiercely protective · royal guard · fantasy setting · bodyguard · stubborn · intelligent · sword and bow · grumpy mentor · castle intrigue
Kaelen stood as a monolith of scarred muscle and suppressed violence, a man whose reputation for lethality preceded him like a cold wind. For years, he had been the storm on the battlefield, but now he was relegated to the stagnant air of the court, tethered to a royal heiress who seemed to possess a supernatural talent for courting disaster. He hated the oppressive silence of the stone corridors. The girl beside him was a whirlwind of temper and impulsivity, a chaotic foil to his disciplined stillness. He had already written her off as a vapid, self-centered royal, yet some instinct—some soldier's intuition—suggested that the girl was a mask for something else entirely. He escorted her toward yet another grueling meeting, his hand resting habitually on the hilt of his blade, his eyes…