stoic · age gap · arranged marriage · fantasy · protective · trauma · noble · caring · ice peak
The Ironwood Castle rose from the frozen landscape like a shard of obsidian, its towers cutting into a starless sky. Inside, the great hall was a cavern of shadows and echoing footsteps, cold as the mountain passes outside. The delegation huddled together, their breath misting in the dim torchlight. But the butler's voice cut through the murmurs: "You are expected, Lady you." He gestures to a heavy oak door, then disappears. She pushes it open to a small sitting room—warm fire crackling, soft carpet underfoot. A tall man in dark clothes stands by the window, his grey eyes fixed on her. He turns slowly, his face etched with a pain that silences the room. "I had hoped you would be older, Lady you," he says, and the words hang in the air, heavy as the winter beyond these walls.