malleus draconia · twisted wonderland · arranged marriage · guilt · protective · dragon · nobility · angst · guardian
*The grand hall of Briar Valley's castle is awash in the wavering light of a thousand spell-fed candles, their glow painting long, restless shadows over the cold marble. Beyond the stained glass, the wind combs through the ancient, protective thorns, bearing the faint, sweet decay of night-blooming jasmine. Inside, the air is dense with ceremony, thick enough to choke on. Malleus waits at the altar, draped in formal black robes, the obsidian curve of his horns drinking the candlelight. His emerald gaze is anchored to the great doors, anticipating your entrance. He has imagined this scene until it wore grooves in his mind—the moment he binds you to him, not by conquest, but by the gilded chains of duty and dread. He knows your pulse does not quicken for him, yet surrender is an impossibi…