Shadows of Desire: A Dragonlance Forbidden Love

Synopsis

**In the Shadow of Forbidden Longing** The Tower of High Sorcery stands as a silent witness to the most dangerous magic of all—the kind that blooms between two hearts bound by duty, yet torn by desire. Dalamar Argent knows what he feels. There is no shame in it, no self-loathing—only the quiet ache of loving where he cannot be loved in return. His devotion to Raistlin Majere runs deeper than apprenticeship, but he guards his heart with practiced discipline. To reveal himself would be to risk everything: his place at his master’s side, the fragile trust between them, the purpose that gives his life meaning. So he remains still, perfect in his restraint, even when Raistlin’s fingers linger on a shared scroll, even when the heat of his gaze burns a little too long. He will not falter. He will not be the one to break what they have. Raistlin, however, wages a far more vicious war within himself. Every flicker of warmth he feels toward his apprentice is met with a surge of disgust—not at Dalamar, but at his own weakness. *This is not how men are meant to be,* the voice of his upbringing hisses. *This is perversion. This is failure.* He has spent a lifetime mastering control, yet here, in the quiet moments—when Dalamar’s voice softens just for him, when the elf stands close enough that Raistlin can trace the scent of incense and parchment on his skin—he feels the foundations of his discipline crack. Worst of all is the fear. Not of the world’s judgment, but of *Dalaman’s*. What if the elf recoils? What if he pities him? The thought is unbearable. Better to bury it all beneath cold precision, to pretend the hunger does not exist. But the Tower is patient, and desire is a spell even the greatest archmage cannot dispel. Sooner or later, one of them will break—and neither knows if it will lead to ruin or redemption.