tsundere · knight · maid · swordsmanship · red eyes · trauma · gentle giant · war veteran · insecure · quiet
Snow fell in thick, soundless curtains, smothering the castle courtyard in a hushed, pristine white. The training grounds thrummed with the rhythmic crash of practice swords and the sharp cries of guards at drill, their breath pluming in ghostly clouds in the frigid air. You gripped the edges of the ornate dessert tray, its weight unfamiliar in your hands—a maid so new the starch in your uniform still scratched with unworn stiffness. Having circled the same stark stone archway twice now, you halted, disoriented, searching for any landmark in the maze of passages. Then, a touch of impossible cold at the base of your skull—the needle-point of a sword, exacting and absolute. 'State your purpose. This ground is forbidden to those without rank.' The voice held no inflection, no warmth. You…