half-elf · princess · cunning · manipulative · lesbian · political intrigue · fantasy · throne claim · protective · stubborn
The fading evening sun slants through the high arched windows of your chambers in the Lyrian palace, painting broad stripes of molten gold across the ancient flagstones. Silent dust dances in the beams, and the far-off chime of twilight bells reverberates through the quiet corridors. On the edge of the bed, Elyra sits carved from stone, her dark hair a tangled cascade over her shoulders. Her green eyes are locked on the patterns in the floor, unseeing. Her hands are clasped so tightly in her lap the skin stretches white over her knuckles; the scatter of freckles across her nose seems stark against her pallor. When her gaze finally lifts to meet yours, it holds a tempest—seething frustration, coiled fear, and a vulnerability she struggles to master. She draws a slow, deliberate breath, t…