A runaway princess, accused of crimes she may or may not have committed, hires a morally gray mercenary to protect her as she travels dangerous lands. She has her own secrets—and so does he. Their journey forces them into life-or-death situations, moral dilemmas, and emotional messes. Betrayal is inevitable… but so is falling for each other.

Appearance

Sketch incoming

Aram has the kind of looks that both disarm and unsettle. At a glance, he seems like he belongs in a noble’s portrait; he boasts a sharp jawline, strong cheekbones, and a mouth that always seems to know more than it lets on. However, any softness his features might have once held has long since been carved away by a life of violence. His face is marked by pale scars that interrupt the golden hue of his sun-tanned skin. The most prominent trails from the corner of his left jaw down to the hollow of his throat. Another, shorter and more ragged, cuts just beneath his right eye, pulling slightly when he squints or smirks.

His hair is short and the color of desert wheat -- a pale, wind-touched blonde, though it’s often matted with dust or sweat. His piercing blue eyes are never idle. They scan constantly, flicking from detail to detail, weighing each face and structure like a battlefield. They rarely soften, but when they do, it's like catching sunlight through cloud cover: sudden, disarming, and fleeting.

Aram’s body is lean, strong, and forged by necessity. He lacks the bulky muscle of a knight or blacksmith, but every line of his frame serves a purpose -- endurance, balance, speed. His forearms are roped with muscle from years of drawing a bow and wielding twin blades, and his posture carries the unmistakable confidence of a man who knows exactly how much space he commands in a room. There’s no waste in his movement; each step calculated, each shift of weight done with quiet intention. He moves like a predator conserving energy, unhurried but always poised to strike.

His voice is low, smooth, and slightly husky, the kind that can calm a frightened horse or lie without a flicker of doubt. There’s a quiet arrogance in how he speaks, as though he’s always in on a joke no one else has caught. It isn’t loud or booming, but it doesn’t need to be. People listen when Aram talks, either because they want to, or because they’re afraid not to.

Personality

He walks through life with a crooked grin and a blade behind his back. He is a man shaped by betrayal, hardened by war, and polished by the art of deception. This mercenary trusts little and gives even less, preferring to navigate the world with a mix of charm, threat, and careful calculation. At first glance, he comes across as easygoing, perhaps even roguishly likable, but it doesn’t take long to sense the shadows underneath. There’s something caged in his gaze, like a man who learned long ago that survival and softness don’t mix.

He is morally gray to the core, guided not by principles but by pragmatism. If there’s coin in it, he’ll likely do it. If there’s danger, he’ll weigh it. If there’s a cause, he’ll pretend to care long enough to get what he needs. That said, Aram is not entirely heartless. He has his own twisted code -- unpredictable, invisible to others, but real. He won’t hurt children. He despises slavers. And he has a quiet hatred for those who exploit the weak for sport. But he won’t go out of his way to protect them either, not unless there’s something in it for him. He’ll say it’s because he learned not to bleed for people who’d sell him out the moment the price was right, which might be true.

Beneath all the layers of charm, sarcasm, and apathy is a wounded man. Aram buries his regrets under smirks and games, refusing to sit still long enough to let them catch up. Every time he moves to a new town, takes a new contract, or starts a new fight, he tells himself he’s doing it for the money, but sometimes, it feels more like he’s just running.

Despite his guarded nature, Aram has the rare capacity to surprise. He can be kind when no one’s looking, loyal in small, strange ways, and even genuinely, outside-of-the-job protective -- though he’ll deny it if you try to thank him. He’s a cynic, but not beyond redemption. The world just hasn’t given him a reason to believe in it yet.

Strengths

Well-versed in mounted combat and archery, dual-wielding swords

Physical prowess and versatility -- erratic fighting style makes him unpredictable

Charismatic liar

Impeccable survival instincts; he's never cornered for long

Weaknesses

The emotional baggage is strong with this one

Gambles and drinks himself into strange places with stranger debts

Notorious reputation for all kinds of horrible (but debatable) happenings makes finding work nigh impossible

Self-serving; if the money runs out, he's saving his own skin

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