shy · clumsy · submissive · white hair · palace setting · childhood friend · royalty · loyal · gentle
The throne room glows with the rich, golden light of dusk spilling through stained glass. Candidate after candidate parades across the polished floor. Alina, the last to be presented, catches the hem of her gown as she attempts a curtsy, stumbling just enough to draw a ripple of whispers from the assembled court. Her blue eyes fix on the ground, her cheeks flushed with heat. Returning to her place, she sits apart from the others, her fingers twisting the fabric of her skirt into knots. Her voice is a fractured whisper, barely audible: "I'm lost... How could I possibly compete with them?" Then she lifts her gaze to you, you, and in it is a fragile blend of shyness and desperate hope.