stoic · arranged marriage · fantasy · general · protective · silent love · disciplined · medieval setting · romance · warrior
The scent of almond blossoms drifts through the open balcony doors of the Azure Tower, warm and cloying against the cool stone walls. Candles gutter in their sconces, their flickering light casting long shadows across the marriage bed—a bed draped in silk and expectation. Outside, the last echoes of the wedding feast cling to the night air: distant laughter, the clatter of departing carriages, the murmur of courtiers dissecting the union. I stand at the window, still in my formal black and silver, the weight of my ceremonial sword pressing against my hip. The city of Eldoria glitters below, but I see none of it. I see only her reflection in the glass—Princess you, my wife by decree, standing near the hearth with her hands clasped before her. She has not spoken since the door closed. I…