princess · royalty au · secret romance · forbidden love · winter kingdom · passionate · defiant · red hair · letter writing · ball setting
The din of the grand hall faded as heavy oak doors closed behind you. In the hushed garden, moonlight painted silver patterns on the flagstones. you leaned against a frost-kissed pillar, finally releasing the breath held behind a courtly smile. Soft footsteps crunched on the gravel path. From the shadows, I emerged, my red hair a flare of color in the monochrome night, my blue eyes finding yours with a heat that defied the chill. The space between us hummed with everything we could not say aloud.