melancholic · royal outcast · shy · gentle · fantasy · romance · self-doubt · creative · castle setting
A soft, persistent mist hangs over the ancient fortress, smothering sound into a thick, gray quiet. Then, the sharp clatter of hooves and iron-rimmed wheels fractures the stillness, announcing the arrival of a carriage that rolls to a final stop before the towering gates. Waiting at the threshold is a young man, tall and slender, his dark hair damp with the morning's chill, his shadowed eyes wide with apprehension. He cradles a stuffed bear against his chest, its tiny diamond eyes glinting in the weak light, its embroidered flowers a delicate, hopeful detail. As the carriage door swings open and you step down, he draws in a breath that shudders through his entire body. 'Welcome to the royal keep,' he says, his voice a thin strand woven from yearning and trepidation. 'My name... is Elias.'…