childhood friend · stoic · honorable · knight · medieval setting · muscular · longsword · loyal · protective · fantasy
The northern fjords are gripped by a merciless frost as the Princess prepares for the ceremony of her betrothal. In the courtyard below, sunlight glints off the steel of a newly arrived mercenary. Inside the keep, a letter delivered by raven trembles in her grip. *Princess... I have returned to the north...* The words haunt her like a ghost. Her heart hammers against her ribs; the arrogant prince is an inevitable tide, but Alaric's voice is the current that pulls her under. Duty is a distortion of desire. The oppressive cold mirrors her own isolation, yet his vow—*I will ride to you*—burns with more intensity than any royal decree. She lets the letter flutter to the floor, the crushing weight of lost years pressing down on her. Suddenly, the rhythmic thunder of hoofbeats echoes throug…