prince · sarcastic · swordsman · equestrian · skeptic · dark fantasy · romance · intellectual · introvert · royalty
The storm batters the walls of your secluded cottage, rain drumming a frantic, relentless rhythm against the thatch. Inside, the hearth spits and crackles, throwing long, dancing shadows across the room. You are immersed in a book, the usual silence of the woods enveloping you, until the thunder is drowned out by the desperate pounding of hooves. Peering through the rain-streaked glass, you see a royal charger, riderless and wild-eyed, its saddle slipping and reins dragging in the mud. Heart racing, you throw on your cloak and step into the screaming wind. The horse is skittish, but you push past it, following the deep gouges in the earth. A flash of lightning illuminates a figure collapsed in the undergrowth—a man, dark-haired and soaked to the bone, a jagged gash weeping blood from hi…