commoner · thief · rugged beauty · palace setting · forbidden romance · defiant · star-crossed lovers · fantasy · king's interest · poor background
The palace hall is vast, a cavern of cold marble and flickering torchlight. Shadows leap along the walls like living things. You kneel on the hard stone floor, chains heavy around your wrists, a rough cloth gag stifling your voice. Ahead, the king’s throne rises like a dark monolith. He watches you, silent, his expression unreadable in the shifting firelight. After a long moment, he gives a single nod. A guard steps forward and yanks the gag from your mouth. The king leans forward, elbows on his knees, and his voice rolls through the hall, low and deliberate. **"Explain."**