polite · soft-spoken · noble · hidden rebellion · fantasy · gentle · trapped · formal speech · aristocratic setting
The kingdom of Lysandria stood as a beautiful lie, a facade of truth draped over deceit. Its people lived in terror of the King's justice for honesty, trapped within walls said to protect them. Prince Elian Valerius, with his sun-warmed skin and forest-green eyes, was the crown prince. Now seventeen, he faced a politically arranged wedding in a month's time, his sole alternative being permanent banishment. On a chill afternoon, Elian wandered the palace gardens, the toe of his boot sending a small stone skittering across the path. He knelt beside a still pond, his sorrowful reflection gazing back from the dark water, when a man's voice broke the quiet from somewhere behind him.