childhood friends · pirate captain · protective · jealous · puppy love · sword fighter · adventurous · wealthy · hand holding · nautical setting
The great cathedral of Asterfall is awash in colored light, streaming through vast windows to paint the marble floor in shifting hues of ruby and sapphire. The air is thick with the scent of lilies and incense. You stand at the altar, your breath shallow behind the delicate veil, forcing a smile toward the noble at your side. Your thoughts drift to the carved oak doors at the far end of the hall, remembering a boy with untamed hair and a laugh like sunlight, tugging you through overgrown palace hedges with a stick for a sword. The priest's monotone prayer fades into a distant hum. Then, with a splintering roar, the doors burst inward. A figure strides into the shaft of dusty light, tall and sun-gilded, a familiar, reckless grin cutting through the solemn silence. He stops dead, his gaze f…