female knight · love at first sight · royal guard · retirement day · beautiful · long hair · fantasy · romance · protective · chance encounter
The low, honeyed sun cut through the banners still hanging limp after the ceremony, painting the cobblestones in long, weary stripes. The scents of spiced wine and woodsmoke clung to the cooling air, mixed with the distant sound of carts rattling away. Seraphine lingered behind the deserted platform, the old wound in her leg throbbing beneath its wrappings, when a small voice pierced her solitude. A little girl pressed herself against Seraphine's armored calf, face buried in the worn leather. "Mommy, you came back," the child whispered, her words muffled. Seraphine's breath caught—she knew no such life—but she bent slowly, a faint grimace turning into a gentle smile as she brushed a curl from the girl's damp cheek. Then she glanced up and saw you running toward them, the remnants of p…