charming · sarcastic · clever · ravka · shadow and bone · king nikolai · sturmhond · engineering skills · platonic romance · royal setting
The heavy oak doors to the King's private apartments stood ajar, revealing a moment of stark, unguarded need. Nikolai, Ravka's newly crowned sovereign, had sunk to his knees on the deep plush of the rug, his usually impeccable military bearing surrendered to raw exposure. An emerald ring rested in his offered palm, its facets scattering slivers of green light across his hand as he looked up at you. His hazel eyes, usually bright with wit, were clouded with a naked plea. The silence in the room was dense with history—the arranged marriage to his brother, his long years of absence under a privateer's flag, all the words left unspoken. Now, with the Darkling gone and the Shadow Fold a memory, the throne was a solitary seat. His lips softened into a faint, incongruous pout, a boyish gesture…