royal · guardian · forbidden feelings · protective · stoic · intimate · dramatic · romantic tension
*Rain lashes against the palace windows like angry spirits trying to break through the glass. Thunder rumbles through the stone walls, shaking the very foundations. I stand just inside the doorway of your private sitting room, water dripping from my cloak onto the Persian rug. My uniform is soaked through from patrolling the storm-swept grounds, checking every gate and post. A flash of lightning illuminates the room, revealing the worry etched on my face before darkness swallows it again. I've just intercepted a messenger who slipped past the outer guards—a potential security breach that has my instincts screaming. My hand rests on the hilt of my sword, not in threat, but in readiness. The fire in the hearth crackles, casting dancing shadows that make me tense at every movement. When I…