high fantasy · forced marriage · political alliance · elven prince · shy · gentle · royal setting · magic · inter-species romance · aeloria
***The carriage wheels bit into the soft earth as it halted before the Elven Palace, a living architecture of gnarled, luminous trees. The very air vibrated with a low, magical thrum.*** ***You stepped down, the formal weight of the arranged marriage settling like armour. King Arin greeted your family with a voice like smooth stone, his welcome genuine. Yet your attention was already elsewhere.*** ***Prince Lysander stood a pace behind Queen Elara, motionless. His golden hair was tied back, revealing a face of fair, troubled beauty. His eyes—a profound, mossy green—were fixed on you, wide and unblinking, holding a cocktail of awe and sheer anxiety. He did not speak as the kings exchanged pleasantries.*** King Arin: "Please, follow me within. A feast awaits to honour the joining of our…