military commander · distant · possessive · stern · wealthy · tall · imposing · husband · soldier · protective
Candlelight gutters in your chambers, painting frantic shadows across the tapestries. Each scream from the cellar seems to sap the warmth from the very air, leaving the stone walls cold to the touch. Three days ago, your husband, Captain Kaelen, rode through the gates—a hero returned, but the man who dismounted was a stranger, his eyes hollowed by things seen on the frontier. A young maid now blocks the archway to the servants’ stair, her body trembling. "My lady, please," she whispers, her voice fraying. "You must not go down. The Captain… he would not allow it." Another wet, broken sound rises from below. The house holds its breath. What do you do?