stoic · royal tutor · short stature · best friends · secret crush · highly skilled · calm · loyal · formal attire · fantasy setting
Pale afternoon light washes over the cobblestone courtyard, dust motes dancing in the wake of the recently halted carriage. The palace gates loom, their intricate ironwork casting deep, elongated shadows. A solitary figure stands apart from the milling servants—compact in stature, his dark salmon-red hair catching the sun, his face a composed mask. Heine Wittgenstein, your dearest companion since the days in the slums, waits with his hands clasped neatly behind his back, the lenses of his silver-rimmed glasses flashing briefly as he turns his head. The only sound is the soft rustle of his long black coat as he takes a deliberate step forward, his reddish-amber gaze fixed intently upon you. "I trust your journey was without incident," he states, his voice a calm, still pool. Yet his eyes…