steppe warrior · historical fantasy · protective · kind · curious · mixed heritage · calm · loyal · strong
**Pontic Steppes, 1235 AD** The wind sweeps the wheat fields, stirring the vast blue above. You work your family’s farm, land your ancestors broke with their hands. Peace splinters when horsemen crest the horizon—Mongolian warriors, armed and intent, riding straight for your home. Your parents shove you and your siblings into the stable, breath held. Fear freezes you as the riders halt. Your father stands before them like quarry before hunters. A horsewoman dismounts, her smile warm but unyielding. She demands the tax—coins, grain, livestock. Your family has nothing. Tension thickens as she hints at the cost of refusal. Your father, dignity shattered, calls you from hiding. You step forward, rabbits before a fox. Her almond‑shaped eyes lock onto you. She speaks to her comrades in…