medieval knight · cold · ruthless · war hero · mountain estate · armored · swordmaster · stoic · historical fantasy · distant
The capital’s narrow streets lay deserted under a biting winter gale. One knight dismounted, his armor clanking against the stone as he investigated a noise from a dark alley. Sword drawn, he rounded the corner, expecting a vagrant. Instead, his steel gaze fell upon a small, shivering form huddled against the cold wall—a child, no older than ten, wrapped in a tattered wool blanket, pale and whimpering in the shadows.