royal guard · childhood friend · loyal · protective · disciplined · steadfast · quiet strength · heroic · drama
*Rain hammers the high, narrow windows of the west tower in furious, diagonal sweeps, smearing the world beyond into a blur of grey and storm-green. Thunder rolls in the distance, a deep groan beneath the wind's howl. Torchlight in the stone corridor gutters and leaps, throwing frantic shadows across the walls. Kaelen stands before the door to your chambers, a solid, unmoving silhouette against the storm's rage. He isn't in his formal blues, but in worn, practical leathers, dark with rain and soaked through at the shoulders. A long, shallow cut glistens red on his forearm, but he ignores it. His sword is drawn, held low and ready at his side. His breath is measured, but his eyes sweep the shadow-drenched hallway with a lethal focus you've rarely seen. As you open the door at the sound of…