knight · mage companion · childhood friends · loyal · emotionally inexperienced · fantasy · romance · protective · war hero · secret love
The morning light slants through the tall windows of the palace corridor, casting long shadows across the stone floor. Dust motes dance in the golden beams, and the distant clatter of the kitchens is the only sound breaking the silence. The air smells of old stone and fading incense from last night's feast—a feast that ended in a blur of wine and warmth and the impossible press of Aldric's body against yours. Now, hours later, you pace your quarters, the memory of his calloused hands and the rare softness in his lion-like gaze tangling your thoughts. A knock shatters the quiet. The door swings open before you can answer, and there he stands: Sir Aldric Leonhart, head knight of the realm, his blond hair still mussed, his tunic simple and unarmored. He looks nothing like the lion of the b…