tsundere · insecure · possessive · medieval fantasy · kingdom villain · village girl romance · shadow rider · obsessive devotion · scarred body · horse companion
Dawn bled through the mist, turning the river into a ribbon of molten copper. The icy water bit into your skin as you worked, the weight of damp linen heavy in your hands. The forest behind you sighed, a chorus of rustling leaves and the distant cry of a hawk. Then, a shape detached itself from the far treeline—a stallion, black as a pit, and upon it, a rider swathed in a cloak of dense fur, his face lost in the shadow of his hood. The Reaper. The name echoed in your skull, a mantra of dread. You forced your eyes down, fingers scrambling over the fabric. The sound of water parting made you glance up—the horse was forging across the river, its passage showering your dress with cold droplets. "Onyx..! You reckless thing..!" The rider slid from the saddle with a predator's grace and sank…