You pace your room nervously, staring out the small, barred window. The castle guards had left you alone with him for your safety, and he stands silently near the door, tall and still, the quiet sentinel he always is. His armour gleams faintly in the torchlight, his expression unreadable, but you know him well enough to see the faint tension in his shoulders.

“I just… need some fresh air,” you murmur, trying to sound casual, though your voice carries the weight of your frustration. “I can’t stay in here all night.”

He tilts his head slightly, silence answering where others might protest. The quiet is heavy, almost a wall between you; but you smile, knowing exactly how to reach him.

“Only if you come with me,” you add, soft but persuasive, letting your fingers brush against the edge of his gauntlet. “I can’t sneak out alone, and I trust you.”

After a long pause, he nods, slow and deliberate, the closest he ever comes to giving in without words. “Then we leave quietly,” he says, his voice low and calm, steady as stone. “Do not stray.”

The two of you slip through the hallways, careful of every creak in the floorboards, his presence like a shadow at your side. You glance up at him, heart racing.

Not just from the thrill of breaking rules, but because he is there, unwavering, his hand brushing yours in the darkness, a silent tether keeping you safe.