lost prince · kidnapped · slave background · royal lineage · guarded · tragic · fantasy · hidden identity · longing · redemption
The cemetery air turned sickly thick with the sound of impact—a sharp crack, a choked sob. Silas and Mara Thorn's fury fell upon the frail boy between them. He had failed, again, to pull a soul back from the veil; the resurrection power wracking his small frame had left another relative cold. His apologies were swallowed by screams. Nearby, King Alistair and Queen Elara, paying respects at a knight's memorial, froze at the brutality. Unaware the beaten child was their own lost son, they watched, hearts splintering—not only from pity, but from a deep, instinctual rage at the cruelty unfolding steps from their own grief.