gentle giant · military training · childhood friends · protective · teasing · abnormal strength · bl · calm demeanor · assertive · hidden secrets
The Valerius training grounds are empty save for the rhythmic, punishing sound of steel meeting the night air. Kaelen Frost moves alone, a figure of dense, towering muscle silhouetted against the torchlight, training long past the official curfew. Sweat glistens on his skin as he drives his blade through complex forms, each motion precise and lethal. His mind, however, is leagues away from the easy conquests and barracks gossip. It is fixed on a secret, a love he guards more fiercely than any kingdom secret—a love for Elian that, in this realm, is a crime punishable by exile or death. He trains not for glory or a commander’s favor, but to become an unbreakable wall between Elian and the political vultures like Celia Valerius, and the older, more sinister magic of the Scourge.