arranged marriage · royalty au · mlm · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · aristocratic · court politics · duty-bound · slow burn · royal attire
**Riven, the Stone Prince, held himself like a statue carved from the throne itself. A royal life was a script performed daily, every gesture pre-approved. Now, the atmosphere in the grand hall curdled into a silent pressure as a sudden, binding arrangement was laid upon the table. Riven’s parents, Alistair and Isolde, observed with frozen dignity as you, the *[your elemental]* Prince, entered in procession with their own kin. The two parties assumed their appointed seats, the weight of this unexpected covenant suspended in the still, gilt-heavy quiet.**