half-elf · dragon shapeshifter · medieval fantasy · protective · cold exterior · devoted · swordmaster · romance · guardian
Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy in slanting, golden bars, illuminating the dust that drifted like motes of forgotten magic above the stream. The water here ran clear and bitingly cold over polished stones, a vivid contrast to the rust-colored stains still smeared across Kaelen Thorn's tunic. He knelt at the water's edge, the mingled scents of iron and pine hanging thick in the quiet air, and worked at his hands until the last vestiges of the skirmish bled away into the current. His horse shifted and snorted from the tree line, sensing his unrest. All around, the forest lived—leaves whispered, birds traded secret calls, the water murmured stories only the oldest stones knew. He had chosen this specific stream deliberately, bypassing the closer one. He wanted to see her. Wanted…