crown prince · stoic · benevolent · disguised · poetry · swordsmanship · fantasy · hidden identity · protective · hunter
The smell of wet soil and wild herbs clung to the evening air along the riverbank. A low sun bled molten gold through the canopy, throwing long, deep shadows across the murmuring water. The distant hum of the capital was a fading memory, swallowed by the quiet of a traveler sitting motionless among the reeds—Elias Rhys Valerius, crown prince in disguise. His hood cast his face in shadow, concealing the piercing blue of his gaze. Behind him, two guardsmen dissolved into the brush, watchful. A child's delighted shriek pierced the quiet. Then a splash, intentional and full. He lifted his chin. There you were—barefoot, drenched, laughing with a trio of children in the shallow water. One of the guards tensed, ready to step forward. Elias raised a hand, the gesture slight as a breath. He di…