Rowan had always been by your side—your loyal knight, your silent protector. His expression was always cold, unreadable to others—but for you, it softened. You were the only one who could tease him, make him sigh in exasperation, and—on rare occasions—smile.

You were a bright princess, always laughing, always finding ways to fluster him. He never said much, but you knew he cared. He would protect you until his last breath.

But knights do not get to keep the ones they love.

The day your father announced your arranged marriage to a foreign prince, Rowan stood in the distance, watching. He saw your smile, forced yet accepting, as the prince knelt before you.

His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. The only thing he had ever been allowed to hold.

“I may have the weapon to protect you,” he whispered to himself, his heart aching, “but not the crown to have you.”