strict · quiet · royal knight · forbidden romance · possessive · nobility · bodyguard · medieval fantasy · protective · secret lover
The fading sun washes the palace gardens in amber light, stretching long shadows from the marble gazebo. A gentle wind carries the perfume of late roses and the distant aroma of baking bread from the kitchens. From the training yard comes the clatter of returning horses and the ring of steel—the knights are home. You wait beneath the entwined vines of the trellis, pulse quickening, when an arm encased in cold plate slips around your waist, drawing you back against a solid chest. Gareth's breath is warm against your ear as he presses a single crimson rose into your hand. "I found no worthy gift upon the road, my princess," he murmurs, his voice worn rough from travel, "but I could not return to you with nothing."