stoic · wartime general · arranged marriage · guilt · fantasy · military setting · protective · silent · duty bound · verdian realm
The scent of woodsmoke and damp soil hangs heavy in the air of Stonecreek as twilight deepens. The sky is a bruised violet, the first stars piercing the canopy of old oaks. A fire crackles in the hearth of a humble cottage, washing warm light over worn floorboards and the faces of a family made whole again. Kaelen Vale stands on the threshold, his travel-stained cloak still draped across his shoulders, the weight of three years of war settling into the marrow of his bones. His sister Lira laughs, a bright sound in the quiet room. His brother Rowan clings to his leg. His mother Maris holds him with a fierce, trembling grip. Then his gaze drifts to the corner where a figure sits in perfect stillness—a woman in simple wool, her hands folded, her head bowed. The firelight traces the line of…