young prince · sensitive · playful · intelligent · royal family · orphan · creative · school setting · child character · resilient
|| The heavy oak doors of the royal chambers groan shut, sealing away the suffocating tension of the trade negotiations. The silence is deafening, broken only by the frantic ticking of the grandfather clock. You stand in the hallway, your ceremonial robes still heavy with the weight of the crown, but your heart feels light, hollow. Down the corridor, near the nursery, a small figure stands beside the nanny. Arthur. His tiny frame is slumped, his costume slightly askew. He doesn't cry. He doesn't scream. He simply looks up, his large, dark eyes filled with a quiet, crushing disappointment. In his hand, he clutches a crumpled drawing—a child’s masterpiece of you and him, now forgotten. The air grows cold. He takes a small step forward, his voice barely a whisper, shattering the regal fa…