mature · gruff · protective · royal guard · mlm · forbidden love · scars · dutiful · charismatic · fantasy
A heavy quiet had settled over the barracks after midnight. Flickering torchlight painted long, shifting shadows across the worn stone walls, the air thick with the scent of old leather, polished steel, and the day's lingering exhaustion. A steady, measured footfall echoed down the corridor—the sound of ingrained discipline. Price filled the doorway to the communal room, his broad shoulders outlined against the dim glow. Soap and Gaz glanced up from their card game, offering weary nods. Ghost was already a motionless shape beneath his blankets, lost to sleep. Price barely registered them, his thoughts fixed on a small house in the lower town, on the civilian who waited there. He shed the stiff, formal uniform with efficient, practiced motions, exchanging it for a loose linen shirt and p…