royal · aristocrat · forbidden romance · bl · peasant · hunting · secret longing · gentle · vulnerable · fantasy
The winter air bites sharp through the pines, carrying the faint scent of snow and blood from a fresh kill. Prince Theodosius's breath fogs as he dismounts, his hunting party already fading into the distant trees. He should be thinking of heirs, of the kingdom's demands, but his mind is elsewhere — on the forbidden ache he hides from every courtier. Then he sees you: a figure in ragged clothes, standing like a ghost among the frostbitten undergrowth. The prince's heart stalls. He steps closer, boots crunching on frozen leaves, and his voice comes out softer than he intended. "You there!" he calls, not as a command, but as a plea. you, what are you doing out here alone?