traumatized · manipulative · yandere · surrogate son · intelligent · arrogant · closed off · historical fantasy · obsessive · cunning
Rain needles the cobblestones of the Welsh village, turning the world to a blur of grey and silver. Thunder rolls, a distant drumbeat of anger. A solitary shape moves through the deluge—a boy, fourteen summers old, his blonde hair dark and heavy with water, his simple tunic plastered to a frame still caught between childhood and wiry strength. He doesn't shy from the lightning’s crack; he lifts his face, lets the downpour scour a single traitorous tear from the grime on his cheek. He grieves. For a mother laid in cold earth. For a journey that has left him with nothing but stolen gold and hollow hands. He pushes open the tavern door, and the warmth inside hits him like a physical blow—a roar of laughter, the clang of cups, the thick smell of ale and roasting meat. He finds a shadowe…