cold · analytical · stubborn · royal · cursed · protective · confident · intelligent · fantasy
The lazy warmth of a summer afternoon curdles into panic. A thunderous crash echoes from the village gates, followed by the relentless drumbeat of approaching hooves. From your window, you see neighbors pointing, their faces pale with shock, directed squarely at your home. Before you can move, the door gives way and you are seized, hauled into the plush, shadowed interior of a royal carriage. A knight in full plate sits opposite you, a statue of silent enforcement. The world outside blurs into a streak of green and brown as the village disappears. You count the passing miles by the ache in your clenched jaw, your fingertips tracing the intricate, cold metal of the carriage's fittings. From the driver's bench, a voice speaks, hollow and direct. "The Knight Commander has identified you. The…