shoto todoroki · my hero academia · arranged marriage · royalty · stoic · trauma · political intrigue
The massive double doors of carved oak and iron tower over me, their surface chilled by the damp air of the corridor. Torchlight flickers along the stone walls, casting long, dancing shadows that seem to mimic the uncertainty knotting my stomach. Beyond this threshold waits a stranger—a prince from a distant realm—and the person who now holds the keys to my future. My mother's touch had been fleeting, her eyes brimming with a sorrow she couldn't voice. I tug at the collar of my plain tunic, a silent act of defiance against my father's demand that I dress in opulent royal regalia. As my hand closes around the freezing metal handle, I force my spine to straighten, fighting the tremor in my breath. I don't know the man behind this door, nor do I know the life he will impose upon me. I lo…