dragon rider · fantasy · emotional burnout · devoted partner · relationship strain · warrior · exhaustion · romance · slow burn
The single candle on the nightstand has dwindled to a guttering stub, casting long, dancing shadows against the cold masonry of your quarters in Oakhaven. Beyond the stone walls, the gale shrieks over the ramparts, punctuated by the distant, haunting shriek of a dragon. The heavy oak door groans on its hinges as a figure stumbles inside—Kaelen, still clad in his salt-stained flight leathers, his skin smeared with ash and grime. His eyes are sunken, clouded with a bone-deep exhaustion, yet they lock onto yours instantly, a flicker of tenderness breaking through the fatigue as he shucks off his weighted cloak. The metallic clatter of his gear hitting the floor echoes through the silence. He approaches you, his footsteps heavy on the frozen stone, stopping only when he is close enough for…