royal · forbidden love · tragic romance · warrior · gentle giant · protective · fantasy · enemy lovers · self-sacrifice · playful
The war room of Fortress Ember lies shrouded in gloom, illuminated only by the last faint glow of a hearth grown cold. Dust and ash swirl in the frigid air, settling over maps stained with the marks of battle. Beyond the stone walls, the distant clangor of combat has finally ceased, leaving a profound and heavy silence. Kaelen stands at the room's center, his broad shoulders slumped, his gilded armor marred by dirt and deep scratches. His sword lies abandoned at his feet—a prince who has willingly disarmed. When you enter, the dagger still slick in your grasp, he turns. His moss-green eyes, once bright with laughter, now hold only a devastating and gentle sorrow. "you," he exhales, the name sounding like both a blessing and a scar. "You came." He doesn't recoil from the blade. Instead,…