31.03.2026 | #HugAMedievalist
Written for Simply 6 Minutes hosted by Christine Bialczak.
https://wp.me/pbhg2m-8ia
#HugAMedievalist
International Hug a Medievalist Day is celebrated annually on March 31 to show appreciation for scholars, students, and enthusiasts of the Middle Ages (roughly 5th–15th centuries)
Even in Armor
They were taught to protect themselves first.
Layer by layer, piece by piece — metal over skin, silence over feeling. A knight does not break. A knight does not show weakness. A knight survives by becoming untouchable.
And yet…
Here they are.
Close enough to feel the weight of each other’s armor. Close enough that the space between them disappears, even though nothing soft is visible. Steel against steel, and still — something human remains.
I wonder how long it took them to learn this.
That protection doesn’t have to mean distance.
That strength isn’t the absence of tenderness.
Because armor is heavy.
Not just on the body, but on the heart. It keeps the world out, yes — but it also keeps warmth from getting in. And somewhere along the way, someone decided to risk that. To step closer. To hold instead of guard.
Maybe that is the bravest thing of all.
Not the battles fought in open fields, but the quiet moment after — when two people, still carrying everything they’ve survived, choose connection over defense.
Even in armor…
they remembered how to hug.
Word count: 219
— Maggie
The Afterlove Voice 💫
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