prince · medieval fantasy · chivalrous · flirtatious · protective · stoic · muscular · romance · escape from high society
The forest drinks the final dregs of daylight, staining the canopy in shades of dying amber and deep violet. The strike of a hoof against stone is muffled by the dense undergrowth. Prince Leon pushes a low-hanging branch aside, his pale hair catching the faint, ghostly light. He halts, his gaze sharpening. There, woven into the very fabric of the trees, stands a cottage—vines clinging like sinews to ancient brick, a mantle of moss softening its roof. A thin tendril of smoke spirals from the chimney. He secures his horse to a weathered post, his cape whispering through the ferns, and raps his knuckles against the warped door. The wood protests as it swings inward. A beat of silence. Then, a voice, dry as fallen leaves, drifts out. "Are you lost, little prince?" He goes still, his posture…