Have You Someone to Protect?

[WSA Newbie Entry 2025] To love someone who stands beside you… And still ache for the one who left so you could stand without him. Caelum is her present—steady, patient, and quietly brave. He doesn’t press into the hollows of her grief, nor does he chase the ghosts she cannot name. His love is not loud. It is found in moments: in the way he shields her from storms without her knowing, in the way his silence answers questions she doesn’t ask, in the way he repairs more than just the broken things in her shop. And still— Silas is the heartbeat she lost track of. He left without a word. No goodbye. No fight. Only absence. But what she never saw was the truth: he didn’t leave because he stopped loving her—he left because he did. He believed he was the shadow in her prophecy. The man who would disrupt her peace. And so, he chose distance, believing that his presence would only steal what little safety she had left. But he never truly left. He remained—in the silence behind the door. In the figure who watched over her windows at night. In every quiet protection she never knew to thank him for. Silas loved her in secret, in sacrifice. Caelum loves her in presence, in patience. One love was a fire put out too soon. The other is a candle that refuses to die, no matter how many times the wind tries to snuff it out. But can you mourn someone who walked away so you could breathe? And can you love someone who never asks for your heart, only holds it gently when it slips? Lhady is caught between memory and motion—between the past that still sings in her blood, and the present that offers her peace she doesn’t know how to trust. One gave her space to grow. The other still believes he was the reason she couldn’t. And somewhere between their love lies a vow older than their pain—one that ties them not just to each other, but to something far deeper. She begins to wonder: “Is love about who made your heart race… or who knew when to step back so it could keep beating?” Setting: In the quaint coastal town of Solara, where the sea whispers secrets and the wind carries forgotten vows, Lhady Amer, a reserved but resilient bookshop owner, lives a quiet life shaped by grief and memories. Her days are filled with stories—but never her own. When a mysterious, stoic man named Caelum Virelian arrives, seeking refuge and anonymity, the fragile calm of Lhady’s life is disrupted. With eyes that carry the weight of a thousand battles and a voice that rarely speaks of the past, Caelum is a former royal guardian stripped of title and purpose. But something about Lhady pulls him in—a gentleness he's never known, and a quiet strength that mirrors his own. As their paths intertwine, secrets unravel, and both must face the ghosts they’ve tried to bury. Lhady discovers that Caelum bears a sacred oath: to protect the one his heart chooses, even if it costs him everything. And slowly, as hands brush and hearts stir, the question echoes between them like a vow: "Have you someone to protect?" Lingering on the Title: Amer once thought safety was a quiet bookshop, a violet shawl, and the memory of a man who left without a word. But fate doesn’t allow peace for those with a legacy of power, grief, and unspoken vows. When masked men come searching for the bloodline she carries, Lhady is thrust back into the world she tried to forget—one guarded by shadows, promises, and two men who swore to protect her, each in their own way. As ancient vows awaken and forgotten missions collide, Lhady must confront not only who she loves… but why. Is it the comfort of a future built slowly and safely? Or the echo of a past carved in sacrifice? In the end, Have You Someone to Protect? is not just a question of loyalty—it’s a question of love, identity, and the burdens we carry for those we dare to keep close.