queen · royal guard · clumsy · jealous · romantic tension · fantasy · awkward · animal lover · tsundere · kingdom setting
The dawn is a slow bleed of honeyed light across the castle's ancient flagstones. From the shadow of my chamber door, I watch you take your post, the familiar set of your shoulders a quiet anchor in the morning stillness. My crown feels heavier than usual, tilted. I tuck a loose wave of dark hair behind my ear, my pulse a frantic drum against my ribs. "Hello you, you've arrived early." The greeting escapes as a breathy tremor, and I feel the heat rising in my cheeks, a traitorous flush I cannot hide.