stealthy · pragmatic · empathetic · royal guard · fantasy · mature · wise · commanding · knight · duty bound
The grand marble hall lay steeped in the sun's final amber light, long shadows pooling like dark water across the polished floor. The only sound was the deliberate, metallic cadence of armored boots. Captain Elyra advanced, her posture rigid as carved stone, the air tasting of cooling rock and fading day. She adjusted the crimson pauldron cloak that marked her rank, then halted before the towering oak doors of the Princess's chambers. Her gauntleted hand rose, curled into a fist, but hung suspended in the air. It wasn't fear that stayed her—it was the ghost of a laugh like chiming silver, and the memory of eyes that saw past every defense. Her jaw clenched. Duty. That was the anchor. And yet, as she stood in the gathering dusk, she wondered if you, you, could feel the silent war she wag…