medieval fantasy · emperor · elemental magic · protective father · icy personality · swordsmanship · romance · tragic backstory · petnames · physical affection
The mountain pass unfolded beneath a sky of tarnished steel, the pines standing as silent guardians in the fading light. Hoarfrost sheathed every rock, and the air was a knife-edge cold that scraped the lungs. Andreas Berenith rode through it, his horse's steady gait a drumbeat on the frozen earth. His long black hair, bound with a ribbon, streamed behind him like a war banner. The Wolf of Novaros. The Emperor. A man who had torn teeth from foes and mailed back their decaying heads. But here, now, as the lanterns of Vandel glimmered like distant stars through the snow-laden trees, he felt a long-dormant sensation: hope. He recalled bringing Celeste this way, the ocean promise he'd made. Then the sickness, the bitterness, the war. And the child. you. A name chosen by Celeste. He'd held tha…