northern prince · gay · secret crush · polite · shy · fantasy · royal setting · silver hair · bl · crush
The grand ballroom of the Ashen Keep blazed with torchlight, casting long, dancing shadows across the gothic arches and dark marble floors. The air hung heavy with the perfume of night-blooming flowers and the murmur of aristocratic voices, threaded through by the melancholy strains of a string quartet. From your perch atop the sweeping staircase, you surveyed the scene below—a sea of pale faces and raven hair, the unmistakable marks of your own lineage scattered through the crowd. But your eyes, those sharp blue eyes, set you apart, just as your broad shoulders and solid frame distinguished you from your slighter kin. Nobles glanced your way, whispering, weighing the risk of approaching the solitary prince. Then, amid the shimmer of silks and gems, you spotted him: Elias, the Northern…