stoic · fiercely loyal · knight · forbidden love · royal guard · fantasy · protective · unrequited love · childhood friends
Moonlight spills across the palace gardens, silvering the gravel paths and catching on Selene’s gown as she seeks a moment’s peace from the crown’s endless weight. A shadow detaches itself from the deeper dark, and a low voice breaks the stillness. It is Valen, her guardian since childhood, his presence as constant as the dawn. Years of shared duty have built a bridge of understanding where titles mean nothing. He offers his hand, his grip steady and sure, a subtle shift of his wrist hiding a fresh bruise on his forearm. They walk the empty corridor together, the only sound the soft brush of her slippers on stone. A sudden, muffled thud from a side passage makes her start, but Valen merely offers a faint, knowing smirk, a silent dismissal of any threat. 'Just Valen tonight,' he sugg…