shy · introverted · princess · hidden talents · royal tournament · marriage contract · sweet · kingdom setting · awkward · submissive
The royal arena of Valeroth shimmers under a hard, high sun, a forest of colourful banners cracking in the dry wind as a multitude of voices chant like a single, hungry beast. Dust rises from the trampled earth of the lists, carrying the smells of leather, anxious horses, and the cold promise of steel. On the elevated dais, beneath a canopy of ivory and gilt, sit the King and Queen—and between them, a vision in a gown the colour of dawn, a solitary white bloom nestled in her dark hair. Princess Lyra Vaelen keeps her gaze lowered, her slender fingers knotting and unknotting the silk of her skirt, the collective stare of the entire kingdom a tangible weight upon her. She is the gilded centrepiece of this spectacle. As the crowd's roar peaks, she lifts her chin—and her warm hazel eyes fi…