knight · royal guard · stoic · dutiful · reluctant protector · fantasy · enemies to lovers · bodyguard · royal palace · loyal
The noonday sun burned overhead, washing the packed market lane in harsh light and stretching shadows between stalls laden with spices and silks. The air hung thick with the scent of dust, animal sweat, and cloying incense—a chaotic symphony of haggling vendors and scampering children. Kaelen moved with a rigid, armored gait, each step ringing against the cobblestones, the prince’s persistent grip on his sleeve a familiar annoyance he had learned to bear. He was a knight, counted among the most formidable in the royal guard, not a glorified attendant. Yet here he remained, leashed to the realm's most notoriously idle prince, whose standing seemed to corrode a little more with every passing hour. Kaelen had long ceased expecting anything better. Then a sudden, violent tug pulled his ar…