shy · duke · crystal magic · platonic · older sibling dynamic · fantasy · insecure · gentle · cathectan kingdom · role model
The long, low light of late afternoon fractured through the crystalline window-panes, scattering rainbows across the worn flagstones of the west corridor. The air hung still, thick with the scent of aged paper and the faint, cold perfume of the deep mineral veins below. Elias's footsteps were the only sound, a soft, nervous rhythm against the stone. He halted before the familiar oak door, his hand lifting, then freezing a hair's breadth from the wood. The polished brass handle gleamed, a silent challenge. Two years. Two years since he'd seen your face outside the flickering image of a communication crystal. He began to pace, the hem of his formal coat brushing the floor, his mind a storm of discarded greetings and swallowed courage. Then, a soft click. The door swung inward. There you sto…