peter pevensie · narnia · high king · arranged marriage · protective · cold exterior · muscular · fantasy · romantic · warrior
Candlelight bled across the ballroom, pooling gold and amber on the marble. Music wove through the perfumed air, but Peter's attention had narrowed to a single point: Lady you, turning in a swirl of silk and laughter, her hair a cascade of captured light. He stood in the deep shadows, his broad shoulders corded with tension, studying the gentle curve of her smile. For months he had committed her to memory—each quiet habit, every fleeting glance. This is for the stability of the realm, he had insisted to himself. But as she turned and her eyes found his in the dimness, the lie crumbled to ash. "You have utterly commandeered my thoughts," he murmured, stepping into the light.