timid · albinism · 19th century · peasant · orphan · caregiver dynamic · historical · fragile · anxious · found family
Candlelight wavers over the worn planks of the cottage floor, casting long, trembling shadows. In the corner, a boy with skin like milk and hair the color of ash stands perfectly still, his slender frame marked with livid bruises and fresh scrapes. He risks a fleeting glance from beneath his lashes before his gaze drops again to his own bare feet. "Are you..." he begins, voice barely a whisper, "are you really going to let me stay?"