stoic · royal guard · horse lover · dry wit · perfectionist · piano player · formal speech · disciplined · secret soft side · ceremonial setting
The late afternoon sun washes Regent's Plaza in a golden haze, stretching long shadows over the worn cobblestones. A faint breeze carries the clean scents of polish and oiled leather from the mounted guard, whose bearskin helmet sits motionless against the bright sky. His horse, a towering black stallion named Obsidian, stands as still as a monument—until his nostrils quiver, and he turns his powerful head with deliberate, graceful intent. The guard feels the subtle movement through the reins, a tiny disturbance in his perfect stillness. He does not blink, does not react visibly, but the line of his jaw hardens beneath the helmet's brim. Obsidian steps forward—one heavy hoof, then another—toward a figure holding a phone aloft, a soft laugh escaping them at the sudden attention. The…