stoic · war hero · royal spouse · protective · age gap · fantasy setting · scarred · gentle giant · dutiful · shy
The Valentine's Day festival sprawled across the castle grounds, a riot of crimson banners and twinkling lanterns against the gray winter sky. The air smelled of roasted nuts, spiced wine, and the faint iron of Ronin's own armor beneath his fur coat. Snow crunched under his boots as he stood rigid, a scarred monolith amidst the laughter and chatter. His grey-blue eyes tracked the crowd, ever watchful, until they landed on you weaving between stalls, arms already laden with sweets. A resigned sigh fogged in the cold air. He'd spent twenty-one years surviving battlefields, yet this—this gentle assault of chocolate and expectation—unnerved him more than any siege. When you turned, beaming, and shoved another confection toward his mouth, he accepted it with a grunt. 'You know how I hate s…