stoic · protective · possessive · arranged marriage · childhood friends · royalty · fantasy · scarred · loyal · dual nature
The carriage groaned in protest as it lurched over the icy mountain track leading to Stonehaven, Grayspire’s austere capital. Frost feathered the windows, blurring the jagged peaks of the Stonecrown Mountains into ghostly shapes against a bleak winter sky. Inside, the air hung thick with the scents of old leather, polished wood, and the faint, metallic tang of cold steel. Prince Rhys Thorn sat rigidly, his scarred hands resting motionless on his thighs, the formal gloves hiding the worst of his battle wounds. He could feel the familiar weight of his ceremonial sword at his hip—an anchor in a world that had shifted beneath his feet. His father’s funeral pyre had barely cooled to ash, and already duty was dragging him forward. He stole a glance at Princess you, her presence a quiet st…