The first light of dawn seeped through shattered windows, dust motes swirling like ghosts in the air. The throne room, once a place of gold and grandeur, was now scarred by battle—charred wood, crumbled stone, and the bitter scent of smoke. Outside, the war had begun in earnest. War cries echoed across the valleys, steel clashed, and lives were already lost before the sun had risen fully.
Cassian stood at the shattered balcony, eyes scanning the horizon. His fingers clenched the cold stone railing as if trying to hold back the inevitable. Every muscle in his body was taut with anticipation and dread.
Behind him, the soft rustle of fabric warned him of Riven's approach.
"Cassian," Riven said, voice rough but steady, stepping beside him. His armor bore fresh dents, a crimson streak staining his collarbone. "They've taken the southern passes. Our lines won't hold long."
Cassian's jaw clenched. "We'll hold them. We have to."
Riven's gaze flickered to Cassian's hands, scarred and trembling slightly. "You've been pushing yourself too hard."
"I don't have a choice."
Riven reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair from Cassian's face. His touch was gentle, a balm to the storm raging inside them both. "You always do."
A long silence stretched, filled only by the distant rumble of war.
Then Cassian turned, voice low and fierce. "I won't lose you—not again."
Riven stepped closer, lips hovering near Cassian's ear. "Then we fight. Together."
The clamor of armor and shouted orders grew louder, the war spilling through the open doors as soldiers scrambled to their positions. Cassian and Riven moved side by side, a fierce unity in the chaos.
Riven caught Cassian's arm, pulling him into a shadowed alcove where the smoke curled thick and heavy. His breath was hot against Cassian's neck, his fingers tracing bruises already forming on Cassian's skin — marks earned in battle, but also in their stolen moments.
"You're burning yourself out," Riven whispered, lips brushing the sensitive shell of Cassian's ear, the heat of it nearly unbearable.
Cassian's body shivered under the touch, every nerve alive. "I don't have time to rest."
"Then let me be your rest."
Without waiting, Riven pressed forward, lips crashing over Cassian's in a fierce, desperate kiss. Their bodies pressed close, hunger and need eclipsing everything but the moment — raw, urgent, desperate to claim something sacred amid the ruin.
Riven's hands roamed beneath the torn fabric of Cassian's tunic, rough with battle scars and calluses, memorizing every inch. Cassian's breath hitched, the tension in his muscles melting into molten desire.
Their lips parted only to trace fire along throats, jaws, and the hollow of shoulders. Clothes fell away piece by piece, forgotten weapons in the fury of need.
Riven's fingers tightened as he lowered Cassian onto the cold stone floor, their bodies tangled in heat and shadow. The room filled with whispered names, ragged breaths, and the steady drum of a war they both fought outside these walls — but here, it was only them.
Every touch was a promise. Every kiss a rebellion against the destruction that threatened to consume them. The war could break kingdoms, but it could never break this.
As the dawn bled into full light, Cassian and Riven clung to each other — fierce, broken, and unyielding.
---The first pale light of dawn seeped through the shattered window, casting fractured beams across the room where Cassian and Riven lay entwined. Their bodies, slick with sweat and tinged with bruises, bore the marks of the night's desperate union—each touch, each gasp, a silent vow amid chaos.
Cassian's fingers traced slow, aching patterns along Riven's spine, grounding them both. His voice was rough, barely a whisper. "This war... it's not just out there. It's in here too." He pressed his forehead to Riven's, eyes burning with a mixture of pain and fierce love.
Riven's lips curled into a tired, knowing smile. "Then let's fight it—together. No matter what comes."
Outside, the distant thunder of battle rumbled like a cruel reminder of the world waiting beyond these walls. But inside, wrapped in the fragile cocoon of their passion, Cassian and Riven found a moment's reprieve—a sanctuary built from fire and flesh, trust and scars.
Cassian kissed Riven's temple, a silent promise to hold on, to protect, to endure. The war might shatter kingdoms, but their bond—scarred, tested, and fierce—would remain unbroken.
As they rose to face the day, the ashes of yesterday still smoldering around them, they knew one thing with perfect clarity: no matter the cost, they would burn together—or not at all.
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