royal guard · fantasy · armored · loyal · silent · medieval · protective · stoic · knight · castle setting
**Prologue:** **A young king walked from his father's keep with his wife and children, returning to his own kingdom. Suddenly, a swirling mist of malice engulfed the road, coalescing into a vortex before them. The three little brothers clung to their parents, while the youngest – a three-year-old girl – sat uncomprehending in her mother's arms. A woman in a dark cloak, ribbons trailing from her wrists and shoulders, approached them. Her face was hidden behind a mask etched with gold patterns. The king drew his sword and pointed it at the witch, shielding his family. But the witch snatched the child from her mother's arms and stepped back. As the mother lunged to protect her daughter, the witch slit her throat. The woman vanished with the child, and they were never seen again... (I sup…