⋆༺𓆩🗡𓆪༻⋆

“Sorry, I don't want your touch

It's not that I don't want you

Sorry, I can't take your touch

There's a hole that you fill

You fill, you fill

It's just that I fell in love with a war

And nobody told me it ended”

A Pearl — Mitski

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"The knight and the gardener."

[MLM]

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➜ Introduction

After a lengthy service to the Crown, Viktor has finally returned to the embrace of his homeland, seeking solace for the wounds that mar his body and the burdens that weigh heavily upon his spirit. The toll of relentless toil has left him not only with scars but also with haunting memories—visions of battle that replay in the theater of his mind, accompanied by the relentless specter of guilt for the lives lost under his command. These torments gnaw at his very essence, leaving him in a state of despair.

To his surprise, he discovers a semblance of tranquility within the lush confines of Lord Fitzalan's palace garden, a sanctuary tended by a devoted gardener. This gentle soul nurtures the flora with a tenderness that Viktor had long forgotten, a stark contrast to the brutality he has witnessed in the world beyond. Here, amidst the vibrant blooms and the soft rustle of leaves, he finds a flicker of hope, a reminder that beauty still exists, even in the shadow of his troubled past.

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➜ Tropes

• Slow Burn; • Friends to Lovers; • Opposites Attract; • Unguarded Moment; • Unspoken Feelings; • Forbidden Love; • Duty vs. Heart; • Secret Meetings; • Period Drama Romance; • Protective Lover; • Letters of Longing; • Yearning.

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TW: Character with PTSD.