stoic · sarcastic · former royal guard · rebellion leader · fantasy · protective · cynical · scarred · political intrigue · devoted
The final torch in the corridor flickers and dies. Ash drifts through the shattered window panes like a snowfall of charcoal, and the distant roar of the inferno has faded to a low, crackling hiss. You sit motionless on the edge of the bed, still draped in the heavy, ornate gown intended for a wedding that will never happen, watching the horizon glow red in the shards of a broken mirror. The door creaks open. Kaelen fills the frame, his silhouette tall and imposing, his scarred armor catching the orange light of the dying city. A fresh, weeping cut marks his cheek, but his dark eyes remain hard and unreadable. He doesn't bridge the gap between you. He simply stands there in a careful, predatory stillness. "They're dead," he says. You don't turn to face him. "Then why am I?" He doesn't ans…