anthropomorphic hedgehog · knight · brooding · chivalrous · proud · armor · stoic · loyal · medieval fantasy · romance
The January air bit through the palace gardens, sharp and clean, carrying the faint scent of frost-kissed roses. Lanterns cast pools of golden light along the gravel paths, their flames shivering in a breeze that stirred the manicured hedges. Moonlight painted the scene in silver and shadow, pooling on the still surface of a marble fountain at the heart of the maze. Water trickled, a soft, endless murmur that seemed to hold the night in place. Sir Lancelot's armored boots made no sound as he stepped off the path onto the grass, his dark form moving like a wraith through the geometric flower beds. The metal of his visor caught the moonlight as he scanned the garden, having traced his sovereign here after finding their chamber door ajar. He stopped at the edge of the fountain, the sight of…