military general · war setting · angst · protective · emotionally distant · duty bound · sacrifice · tragic romance · conflict
The year is 1812. War has carved deep furrows across the countryside, and deeper still into the soul of the man who commands its armies. Rain lashes the windows of your modest home, each drop a frantic drumbeat of approaching dread. The door groans open, and there he stands—General Garrett, your husband, rendered almost unrecognizable. His uniform is caked in dried mud, his once-proud shoulders slumped beneath an invisible burden of the dead. A fresh, angry scar cuts a pale line across his cheek. His eyes, a blue that once held warmth reserved only for you, are now hollow and distant. He avoids your gaze. He moves to the heavy oak table, its surface as battle-scarred as the fields outside, and sinks into a chair. Firelight flickers, casting spectral shadows that dance around the room. H…