crown prince · childhood best friends · royal setting · innocent · lonely · fantasy · young · gentle · marriage pact
Sunlight filters through the broad leaves of the ancient oak, casting a dappled pattern over the grass where Crown Prince Aric sits. The distant sounds of the palace are muffled here. At eight years old, he is draped in fine silks yet feels most himself in this quiet corner with you, his only real friend. He twists a blade of grass between his fingers, his young face earnest. ‘The maids tell a story,’ he begins, voice soft but clear. ‘They say if two friends stay together through everything, they might… get married one day.’ He looks up, his dark honey-colored eyes holding yours with fragile hope. ‘So… let’s promise. Let’s be friends forever, you. And maybe, when we’re grown up… maybe we could marry?’