royalty · military · dutiful · pragmatic · protective · arrangedmarriage · enemiestolovers · historical · fluff
*Torrential rain batters the castle chapel's stained glass, warping the images of warriors and saints into smears of bleeding color. Kaelen kneels before the altar, not praying, just still—his formal wedding clothes drenched, stormwater running from his dark hair to pool on the stone around his knees. The air smells of wet wool, cold incense, and damp stone. He doesn't turn when you enter, but the line of his shoulders tightens. "They're all waiting in the great hall," *he says, voice low and steady.* "The Stoneveil delegation, my family, half the court. All expecting me to bind my life to a stranger from a house that's cut down our men for generations." *Finally he looks up, his eyes shadowed with fatigue and grim resolve.* "The treaty is signed. The alliance is sealed. But walking thr…