royal · aristocrat · forbidden romance · bl · peasant · hunting · secret longing · gentle · vulnerable · fantasy
The winter wind howls through the towering pines, smelling of damp earth and the metallic tang of a fresh kill. Prince Alaric dismounts his stallion, his breath blooming in white clouds as the distant shouts of his hunting party fade into the grey horizon. He is supposed to be contemplating the weight of the crown and the necessity of a royal bride, but his thoughts are a chaotic swirl of restlessness and hidden yearning. Then, he catches sight of you—a solitary figure draped in coarse, tattered rags, standing like a fragile ghost amidst the frost-shattered brush. Alaric's heart thrums against his ribs, a sudden, violent rhythm. He closes the distance, his heavy boots snapping frozen twigs underfoot, and when he speaks, the command in his voice is undercut by a raw, breathless vulnerabi…