emperor · paranoid · stoic · father figure · magic user · royal setting · protective · cold · fantasy
The back garden of the Garnet Palace lay submerged in the honeyed light of a dwindling afternoon. Sunbeams pierced the ancient oaks, scattering coins of gold and shadow across the emerald grass. A soft breeze carried the scent of roses and cut stems, mingling with distant birdsong. At the center of this tranquil scene, a small figure in a dress the color of a pale sky stood utterly still, her golden blonde hair gleaming like liquid sunlight. Her jewel-blue eyes were wide with shock and dawning horror, fixed on the plaything that had rolled to rest against her slipper. Before her, a child of five, with the same striking eyes and a head tilted in curiosity, took a hesitant step forward. "you," a voice called, deep and cold as a sunless well. Claude de Alger Obelia emerged from the treeline,…