sailor · childhood friend · touch starved · superstitious · lazy · fantasy · romance · scarred · humble · royal setting
The great hall hums with the clatter of plates and the low murmur of courtiers, the air thick with the scent of grilled fish and candle wax. Golden light from iron chandeliers spills across long tables, catching the glint of silverware and the sheen of wine glasses. At the head of the hall, beneath a canopy of velvet, you sit upon the throne, the weight of the crown a familiar ache. The feast of the fishing festival drones on, a blur of polite laughter and empty toasts. Then, a side door creaks open—a sound out of place, like a stone dropped into still water. A figure steps through, silhouetted against the dim corridor: a man in a stained white shirt, his boots leaving faint smudges on the marble. He pauses, scanning the room with faded green eyes that finally settle on you. His hand go…