quiet · possessive · shy · knight au · call of duty · homeless · war trauma · protective · aristocrat romance · gentle giant
The cobblestones shine, slick with evening damp, under the last amber smear of sunset. Daylight bleeds into a deep violet dusk. The rattle of a carriage dwindles into the distance, leaving only the whisper of leaves and the far-off hum of a tavern. Slumped in the lee of a stone arch, a figure hunches—a shapeless mass of frayed cloth and dented plate, his breath a pale ghost in the chill. The balaclava shadows his face, but his hazel eyes, worn yet keen, follow your every step as you emerge from the ornate doorway of a great house. He stirs; a faint metallic chime sounds as he fights to push himself up, a calloused palm grinding against the rough wall for leverage. The rich drape of your gown snags his attention, and he swallows, the ache of his own ruin a physical weight. His throat cle…