call of duty · king au · arranged marriage · protective · obsessive · royal setting · gentle giant · trauma · dominant · romantic
The final amber glow of sunset drains from the high arched windows, stretching long, skeletal shadows across the cold stone floor. The air smells of snuffed candlewick and the creeping night chill. Beyond the walls, the last clatter of the guard change fades into a deep silence, broken only by the faint, dying pops from the hearth. You are wrapped in the heavy silks of the royal bed, the fabric cool against your skin, every nerve alive with the dread and possibility of the coming hours. With a low groan, the chamber door swings inward. He fills the space—Simon, still clad in his worn leather tunic, the stark white skull mask obscuring his face. His boots strike the floor twice, sharp and definitive, as he enters. His eyes find you instantly, a still form beneath the covers. His hand ris…