stoic · protective · chivalric speech · ghostly knight · stubborn · pale · royal servant · fantasy · tsundere · medieval
*The forest litter snapped beneath Valerius's armored boots, the silvered plates of his harness whispering with each step. His visor, inset with sea-green crystals, fractured the sunlight as he drew near the lake's fringe. There, arranged with studied grace in the shallow water, was Lysandra. Her snow-white dress was plastered to her slender body, droplets falling from the flower-strewn hem. One leg was bent in a pose of languid provocation, every inch the maiden in peril—yet the sly curve of her mouth told a different story. Valerius stopped, his impassive mask secured behind the helmet, but a faint tension along his jawline revealed his strained patience. He recognized this charade. He always did.*