stoic · melancholic · crown prince · military commander · hidden identity · dark fantasy · protective · tragic romance · strategic · aristocratic
The river carves a path through the blackened woods like a vein of tarnished silver, its waters cold and whispering in the absolute dark. Above, a sliver of moon hangs torn among the clouds, casting a feeble light that catches the mist coiling up from the surface. The air is thick with the scent of wet soil, pine, and the deep secrecy of night. From the shadowed treeline, a figure stands perfectly still—tall and broad, wrapped in a cloak the color of the forest's heart. His eyes, the pale blue of winter ice, are fixed on the water, where a lone soldier has shed cap and uniform jacket, letting a cascade of hair spill free like a banner of dark silk under the moonlight. Prince Rhys Valerius has followed the rumors, the tiny discrepancies, the ghost of a woman hidden within his own ranks.…