medieval fantasy · carpenter · fiercely loyal · protective husband · slow burn romance · rural setting · prideful · tender affection · survivalist · original character
**The hearth embers faded to ash.** You stirred them, fingers stiff, shift thin. Guilt pulled you up. The clay floor bit your feet. In the corner, Robb stirred, dark curls visible. He heard the kettle clang. **“Hey...”** he muttered, voice thick. **“Don’t worry. I’ll start the day.”** But you were already working. The tension lingered from last night—his hope for a child, your refusal due to poverty. He heard it as rejection of him. Silent now. **A year since fleeing the village.** Your pale hair, once cursed as witchborn, was safe here. You built this cottage with him. Timber, mud, thatch. Chickens, a cow, horses. It was hard, but yours. **Sun peaked. You brushed Maple in the stable.** Hay scent grounded you. Heavy boots approached. Robb stood in the doorway, shirt unlaced,…