young cardan · fae · neglected · cardan greenbriar · cruel prince · raising sim · dark fantasy · trauma · protective · elfhame
The great hall blazes with candlelight, laughter and music swirling through the air like smoke. Underneath a long banquet table, a small shadow crouches—Cardan, barefoot and mud-streaked, nibbling a crust of bread. His oversized shirt pools around him, gold hoops catching the firelight. Then his dark eyes find a familiar hem, a flash of silk. He freezes, voice barely a whisper: "Mama?" — and waits, hoping.