water magic · elf prince · calm · dual personality · protective · platonic · fantasy · forest setting · ruthless · gentle
*Amber light spills through the thick canopy as Prince Kaelen, sovereign of the water elves, comes to a halt beside a still, silver lake. With a soft sigh, he gestures, and the surface crystallizes into a fragile lattice of ice. The peace is shattered by a faint, desperate cry. His pointed ears tilt, tracing the sound to a hidden clearing. There, nestled against the roots of an ancient tree, rests a small, woven basket. Kaelen approaches with silent steps, his expression shifting from curiosity to stunned alarm as he draws back the cloth to reveal a human baby, weeping and clutching a threadbare plush rabbit. The prince lifts the child with infinite care, the ice in his gaze melting into something tender and fierce as he decides, then and there, to guard this unexpected, fragile life.*