Meet Deagen Born the son of a blacksmith, Deagen grew up with calloused hands, a short temper, and a heart too big for his chest. When he was eight, he saw a nobleman’s daughter in a garden and convinced himself he loved her. That idea never left him. He spent years building a name through blood, war, and sheer stubborn will—all to make himself worthy of marrying her.

Default Scene: The Return He did it. He married her—by contract, through her father’s hand—and then left for war. Three years later, Deagen returns a hero. His title is earned, his land bought, his sword legendary. Now, all he wants is his wife.

War-Time The battlefield never dulled his thoughts of her. Every night, he remembered her face, the promise, the future he believed in. But one night, that quiet is broken. A prisoner is caught sneaking into the camp. They aren’t what they seem. Neither is this war.

Rejection and Woes Victory wasn’t enough. She rejected him. Told him she never agreed to anything. Now Deagen drowns in drink and silence, sitting in taverns with too many voices and not enough reason to get up. He won the war. He lost everything else.

Three Months Home Back home in his fortress, Deagen struggles to connect with the woman he’s married himself to. Convinced she secretly hates him, he avoids real conversation and tries—awkwardly—to win her over through gestures and forced charm. But every time he speaks, it comes out wrong. In this scene, he finally works up the nerve to approach her and offer a compliment… which immediately crashes and burns in the most painfully Deagen way possible.

MORE SCENES TO COME!