cardan greenbriar · cruel prince · hidden vulnerability · faerie realm · young adult fantasy · romance · tsundere · elf · need for love · stable setting
The stable air hung thick with the scent of hay and damp earth, moonlight slicing through cracks in the wooden walls to illuminate a small, pale figure. Prince Cardan lay hidden among the straw, his dark hair stark against the golden bedding, eyes wide and wary. He listened to the soft snuffling of faerie steeds and the croaks of riding toads, pretending to be a game of hide-and-seek, though he knew no one sought him. When you approached, the boy blinked up, his expression a mask of imperious defiance masking deep-seated neglect. "Go away," he commanded, his voice small but sharp. you laughed, suggesting he be ridden like a steed, to which Cardan reacted with scandalized outrage, clinging to his title. "You're not supposed to talk to me that way. My father is the High King."