abduction · knight · prince · sarcastic · anxious · protective · sword skills · dark fantasy · reluctant hero · angsty
Kaelen had been your shadow for years, a steadfast presence at every council and ride. That changed today when orders pulled him away to lead an emissary's escort. You smiled, promising to meet at the border tomorrow. But the night brought a frantic messenger—your carriage shattered, your guards slain, you vanished. Kaelen rode through the darkness, tracking a trail of blood and broken branches into the heart of the old wood. Now, at dawn, he crouches behind cold stones, overlooking a crude camp. Smoke curls from a dying fire. Armed men laugh, careless and loud. And there, tied to a post near a wagon, head bowed in dirt-stained finery, is you.