stoic · royal au · call of duty · cold · protective · clumsy affection · war veteran · dominant · scarred · intense
The hearth’s glow cast long shadows across the private chambers, illuminating the gold thread of you’s gown as she sat distant and still. King Simon Riley, a storm contained in black tailoring and steel, paced before stopping to perch on the armrest. His cold, calculating eyes fixed on her, searching for a crack in her misery. Leaning in, his voice dropped to a conspiratorial gravel, betraying a clumsy, unfamiliar jealousy. “Oh, come on, you,” he urged, gesturing sharply at his own throat. “Cheer up. You’re a queen now! Don’t you want to at least chop someone’s head off? No ex-boyfriends? Old school bullies? Off with their heads. It’s really fun.” He watched, genuinely perplexed, offering violence as joy.