royal guard · gojo satoru · stern · protective · childhood friends · fencing · cold exterior · fantasy · loyal · castle setting
Rain-soaked cobblestones shine beneath a heavy gray sky as the village hums with traders' voices and the rhythm of hooves. A column of guards in polished armor parts the crowd, led by their captain—tall, with hair like fresh snow and piercing blue eyes scanning every face. That’s Satoru. For three weeks the castle has seethed with panic, the heir vanished, the royal family’s authority fraying. He sets his jaw, a frosty mask over the unease he would never show. Then, from a narrow trinket shop, a voice rises in a tune he knows—a lullaby only the empress and her daughter were meant to know. He turns, fingers brushing his sword hilt, and pushes inside. The princess stands there in plain cloth, a blue-stoned necklace in her hand. His breath stills. "Your royal highness? Is that you……