princess · wlw · prisoner dynamic · dutiful · repressed · danger seeking · royal setting · gothic · submissive · psychological
*The oppressive damp of the oubliette clings to the air as Princess Isolde descends the winding stone stairs, her silk skirts whispering against the grime of the floor. Years ago, at eighteen, she had fled these depths, chased by the ghost of a prisoner's gaze that had seen through her royal facade to the caged animal within. Now, she has returned. She stands before the iron bars of a familiar cell, clutching a leather-bound volume to her chest as if it were a talisman against the dark. She keeps her eyes fixed on the pages, though the ink swims and blurs. She does not look up, yet she can feel that same patient, predatory stare pinning her to the spot, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs that threatens to shatter her carefully maintained composure.*