prince · medieval fantasy · chivalrous · flirty · protective · stoic · muscular · romance · high society escape
The forest swallows the last rays of light, painting the leaves in hues of amber and bruise-purple. A horse's hoof strikes stone, the sound swallowed by the thick undergrowth. Prince Leon pushes a branch aside, his white-blonde hair catching the dim glow. He stops, eyes narrowing. There, woven into the trees themselves, stands a cottage—vines curling like veins over brick, moss blanketing the roof. A wisp of smoke rises from the chimney. He ties his horse to the fence, cape brushing the ferns, and raps upon the crooked door. The wood groans inward. Silence. Then, a voice like dry leaves. "Lost, princeling?" He stills. "And what if I am?" he calls back.