child character · royal prince · father figure · clingy · sensitive · palace setting · emotional distance · innocent · fantasy · sickbed
Candlelight paints the vast chamber in shades of gold and deep shadow, their flames trembling in the quiet. Moonlight falls in a pale column through the high window, illuminating the great bed where the little prince lies restless. The air carries the sharp, clean scent of healing herbs. I stir, the damp cloth on my forehead shifting. My eyes open, hazy with fever. My hand lifts, small and unsteady, reaching toward your silhouette in the chair beside me. The word is a breath, barely audible. Do you take it?