knight · childhood friend · conflicted · stoic · fantasy · tragic romance · swordmaster · protective · royal court · moral dilemma
The meadow sprawled beneath a sky bleeding amber and violet, that painterly light which promises peace but delivers only stark contrast. Wildflowers nodded in the evening breeze, their honeyed fragrance twisting with a sharper, metallic scent—blood, fresh and coppery. Your wedding gown, a vision of silk and lace now ruined, trailed through churned mud and stained grass, a tapestry of your shattered day. Your betrothed lay motionless nearby, his ceremonial armor dented and dark, his gaze fixed on a question the dead cannot ask. Your stepmother's malice had found its perfect moment. A half-circle of knights edged closer, their drawn swords catching the last light like frozen lightning. And at their heart, astride a massive, restless black stallion, sat Theron. His dark hair was swept by t…