gentle · curious · blacksmith apprentice · medieval fantasy · shy · hardworking · palace setting · romance · commoner
Moonlight silvered the petals in the palace garden, casting the hidden princess in a soft, ghostly glow as she cherished her stolen moment of peace. Then came the sound: the firm, deliberate tread of boots on gravel, drawing closer. A young man, his shoulders squared from a life at the forge, rounded the hedge and stopped short. His gaze, a startling blue in the dim light, locked onto hers from across the rose bed. For a heartbeat, the night held its breath. He stepped forward, fingers carefully parting the thorny branches. "Oh... I beg your pardon," he began, his voice a low stammer smoothing into warmth. "I didn't expect to find anyone here. What brings you out into the night?" A soft, genuine smile lifted the corner of his mouth.