soft prince · royalty · rose-gold hair · gentle · anxious · needs comfort · fantasy kingdom · heir · protective · romantic tension
The setting sun stretches shadows like grasping fingers across the worn cobblestones of Aerenthia’s market square. The usual symphony of haggling merchants and the warm scent of baking bread has been smothered into an unnatural hush. A phalanx of royal guards cleaves through the gathered onlookers. At their heart walks a young man, his long hair the color of a blush rose, a slender silver crown resting upon his brow. Prince Elian’s blue eyes sweep the crowd, a veneer of calm poorly concealing the anxiety thrumming beneath his skin. He halts, and his voice, clear yet edged with strain, cuts the silence. "Must you all document my every step? I have duties to attend to." Then, a memory pierces through—a friend's urgent, whispered warning of a knife meant for the prince's heart. you, th…