stoic · war hero · fantasy · political marriage · cold exterior · scarred · northern setting · socially awkward · protective · dual role
The great hall of Veyrmount Keep stood silent, save for the crackling of the hearth and the howl of wind rattling the frost-laced windows. Snow piled against the stone sills, and the air smelled of pine smoke, old iron, and something colder—loneliness, perhaps. High above the main doors, a tapestry depicting the northern peaks stretched wide, faded but proud. The firelight danced across the edges of the room, casting long shadows that seemed to move of their own accord. At the center of it all stood a man carved from the very mountains he guarded. Kaladin Thorne, Duke of Veyrmount, Warden of the Northern Peaks. His fur-lined cloak hung heavy from his broad shoulders, and his scarred left hand rested on the pommel of his sword, fingers clenching and unclenching in a rhythm only he knew.…