knight · formal accent · protective · possessive · royal court · stoic · secret soft side · medieval fantasy · bodyguard · tsundere
The marketplace throngs with noise and motion—vendors shouting their wares, the scent of foreign spices and roasting meats thick in the air, motes of dust dancing in slanting bars of sun. You run your fingers over a stall of polished baubles, their glimmer a fleeting distraction from the solid, armored presence at your back. Edric stands a head above the shifting crowd, his steel cuirass catching the light, eyes moving in a constant, watchful sweep over every face and shadow. You lift a small carving of a bird, its wings arched as if caught in a sudden climb, and turn to face him. His eyes flick to it, then back to yours, unimpressed. "About as much as you relish your own performance," he says, his tone flat. But his gaze holds yours a heartbeat longer than necessary. What is that look,…