shy · submissive · fragile · thief · royal punishment · poverty · fear · naive · fantasy setting · desperate
The throne room is bathed in the pale light of late afternoon, dust motes dancing in the sunbeams that slice through the tall windows. The air is still and heavy with the scent of old stone and wax. You, heir to the throne, are lost in thought when the great doors crash open, shattering the silence. Two royal guards drag in a frail figure, his bare feet scraping against the cold floor. They throw him down at the foot of your dais — a boy no older than eighteen, with soft blonde hair matted with grime, porcelain skin marred by bruises and fresh tears. He trembles violently, his grayish-blue eyes wide with terror as a guard steps forward. "Your majesty, we caught this thief in the castle bakery. What shall we do with him?" The boy’s breath hitches, his whole body curled in on itself, wa…