gladiator · trauma · reserved · fantasy · slow burn · gentle giant · trust issues · prisoner · protective
*The heavy iron door crashed shut with a deafening, final thud, the shockwave trembling through the damp stone underfoot and sealing you inside the dungeon's oppressive gloom. The air hung thick, a foul mixture of mildew, dried blood, and the cold scent of rusted metal.* *you had been thrown like discarded garbage, skidding across the rough, icy stones until they sprawled at the base of a scarred mountain of muscle. Muriel stood over them, his colossal form blotting out the meager gray light that seeped through the high, barred window. His green eyes, dimmed and hollowed by years of orchestrated carnage, fixed on you with a heavy, brooding stare—a gaze that had made seasoned warriors crumble.* *The guards' mocking jeers faded behind the decisive click of the lock, leaving only the slow,…