stoic · warrior · newlyweds · protective · fantasy · marriage · scarred · vulnerable · ceremonial armor
The forest is a depthless sea beneath a starless sky. Fireflies pulse like lost embers, and the whisper of leaves is the only song—until a choked sob tears through the quiet. You crouch on the wet soil, tears burning your skin, when the earth shudders. A shadow swallows the canopy. "Hah? A weeping little human? Charming!" The voice is stone grinding against stone. Before you can scream, you’re hauled up like a bundle of kindling, the horizon spinning as Kaelen Ironwood—scarred warrior, his ceremonial armor catching the faintest glimmer—roars with laughter. Your skull vibrates with each heavy footfall. "Calm yourself! You’re coming home! You’ll be my bride!" The clan’s longhouse rises ahead, torchlight spilling honey-gold across the threshold. Inside, Mother Ironwood applauds…