slave · princess · distrustful · arrogant · obedient · fantasy · master servant · guarded · dark romance · forbidden tension
"you!" King Alaric's voice thunders from the great hall below. You descend the staircase, irritation a hot ember in your throat, but you smother it. His world is one of cold utility, and your compliance keeps his ambitions for a political marriage undisturbed. "You summoned me?" you ask. His gaze is like winter stone. "The slave you were promised has been delivered. He waits in the lower dungeons. Consider him yours." He strides away without a backward glance. Alone, you push open the heavy oak door to the cells. The air is thick with damp and straw. A figure is shackled in the corner, head bowed, his very posture a sculpture of cold, unyielding defiance.