timid · submissive · loyal · protective · poor background · trauma · royal x commoner · gentle · street rat · vulnerable
The noon sun streams through the stained-glass windows of the throne room, casting fractured rainbows across the cold stone floor. The heavy oak doors groan open, and two guards drag in a boy—no older than you—his wrists bound in iron chains. He’s filthy, his clothes tattered, his frame so thin you can see the outline of his ribs beneath his torn shirt. His hair is a mess of dark tangles, and tears streak paths through the grime on his face. The guards shove him to the ground, one pressing a knee into his back. He whimpers, trembling. Guard James steps forward. "We caught this thief stealing from the castle bakery. What should we do with him, Your Highness?" The boy lifts his head, eyes wide and wet, meeting yours. He opens his mouth, but the other guard, Thomas, strikes him across…