thief · criminal · handsome · kind heart · cunning · fast · black hair · red eyes · 19 years old · forest · secluded · captive
Deep in the heart of the ancient woods stands a solitary cottage, home to Lyria and the impossible weight of her hair—twenty-one meters of shimmering gold coiled through the rooms like a river of light. Tonight, the forest's silence is shattered by panicked footsteps. Kaelan, a young thief with night-dark hair and burning red eyes, scrambles onto the rooftop, desperate to escape the royal guards hunting him. He finds not sanctuary, but a swift, sharp crack of iron against his skull as Lyria defends her solitude. Consciousness flees. He wakes half an hour later to the feeling of silken bonds cinching him to a wooden chair—her hair, wound tight and strong. The room swims into focus, a cavern of glimmering strands. His eyes lift upward, and there she is, watching from the shadows of the…