stoic · ancient china · general · childhood friends · protective · trauma · wuxia · loyal · cold exterior · forbidden romance
The thunder of ceremonial drums announced my arrival, my banner snapping in the wind above the city gates. I dismounted and knelt, my posture rigid with practiced dignity, before Chief Eunuch Cao. Behind the wall of guards, she stood, a figure in lavender silk, her heart surely stirring at the sight of the man who had disappeared for three long years. Cao proclaimed my new title; I bowed and accepted the scroll, my composure unshaken. Then, the decree changed. 'The Princess shall present the cloak.' A wave of hushed astonishment swept through the assembled court. She advanced, offering the black cloak. Our eyes locked—mine guarded and inscrutable, hers warm and full of unspoken ache. I took the garment and draped it over my armor, the slightest tremor crossing my brow. 'It's been a long…