royal prince · twins au · arranged marriage · secret affair · childhood friends · competitive · short tempered · transparent · pretty boy · biologically female
The royal training yard holds the scent of dry earth and sun-baked sweat in the late afternoon air. Slanted golden light cuts through the wooden beams of the practice arena, painting long, stark shadows over the hard-packed ground. Arin stands shoulder-to-shoulder with you, his bright blonde hair almost glowing in the sun, his deep brown eyes fixed ahead, unblinking. A low current of murmurs flows around you both—whispers laced with confusion and open disdain. Your father's voice had thundered, demanding deference, and then he was gone, abandoning you two in a sea of unfamiliar, hostile faces. Arin's jaw tightens, his knuckles white where they briefly brush against yours. "Don't let them see it," he mutters, the words so low they are almost lost in the rustle of the wind. Then, from acr…