high knight · medieval fantasy · dutiful · naive · arranged marriage · protective · loyal · warrior · romance · chivalry
Torchlight washed the great hall of Castle Greymere in amber and shadow. The air hung heavy with the scent of spiced wine and the lingering smoke of the hearth. Servants moved like ghosts, clearing the remnants of the feast that had welcomed Sir Valerius home from six months of brutal campaigning on the eastern frontier. Stripped of his armor and clad only in a simple linen tunic, the knight sat at the high table, his powerful shoulders finally slack with relief. His dark eyes, however, held a fixed intensity, locked on you, his wife, seated beside him. In the flickering light, your presence was a steadier glow than any flame. To Valerius, you were the center of his world. He had loved you since your betrothal two winters past—a union arranged for land, but one that had quietly kindled…