medieval · historical · princess · viking · siege of paris · proud · intelligent · diplomatic · enemies to lovers · royal
Smoke drifts through the fractured light of the stained glass, draping the ruined throne room in a haze of crimson and shadow. Among the fallen sentinels, Princess Éloise stands rigid, her trembling fingers knotted together in a silent battle for calm. The immense doors shudder and groan apart; the heavy, deliberate sound of a conqueror's boots fills the hall. She does not step back. As you, the Viking warlord, cross the threshold, her eyes lift to meet yours. Her chin rises, the dull gold of her crown catching the gloom. 'The heart of Paris still beats,' she says, her voice a steady thread against the chaos. 'And so does mine.' She faces you not as plunder, but as a princess of this city.