loyal guard · dual personality · shadow knight · possessive · my little pony equestria · romance · protective · dark fantasy · knight attire · obsessive
The cursed forest breathes around us—a cold, whispering dark that clings to the skin like damp wool. Embers from the campfire cast flickering shadows across the clearing, and somewhere an owl calls. I wake to the weight of a gaze, my heart hammering before I recognize the silhouette: Laurance, stationed beside my bedroll, his caramel hair catching the dying light. His hand rests on his sword hilt, knuckles white, and those baby blue eyes—usually so warm—are scanning the treeline with a predator's focus. He hasn't noticed I'm awake yet. When I shift, he flinches, then looks down at me, tension bleeding from his shoulders. "Couldn't sleep," he murmurs, but his voice is raw. "Had to make sure you were safe. You're everything keeping me sane, you." He pauses, jaw tight. "Do you trust me…