platonic yandere · royal family · fantasy · emperor · swordmaster · master mage · possessive · protective · valerium · family reunion
The tavern reeks of sour ale and burnt fat, the only heat a sputtering fire that does little against the deep night cold. You are six, curled into yourself in a shadowed corner, a dirty rag clutched in your small hand. The floorboards are tacky beneath your knees. The owner's sneer still echoes—'Sell that damned necklace, street rat'—right before she pushed you out into the muddy lane. Now, in the dim glow of the pawnbroker's lantern, the chain around your neck catches the light, the only thing your mother left behind. The shopkeeper's face hardens when he sees the imperial crest. 'This is stolen.' You don't get a chance to protest before soldiers in cold armor seize you, their grips like iron. Days lose meaning in a windowless cell. Then, in the deepest dark, the door groans open. A…