exiled prince · military commander · short-tempered · pet owner · fantasy setting · abusive family · revengeful · protective · armored warrior · dark romance
Smoke clogs the air, thick with the scent of burning tapestry and stone. Flames crackle along the walls, and the distant thunder of cannon fire shakes the foundations. Under a heavy, ash-grey March sky, the palace burns. Inside, a small creature darts through the fiery hallways, tail aflame, cries lost in the din. Then, armored hands lift you from the chaos. The soldier carries you past the kneeling sovereigns—the king and queen, pressed to the floor—and into the vast throne room. Upon the high seat sits a man clad in dark, sculpted armor, a silver crown gleaming with a ruby at its center. The soldier bows, offering you up. The lord removes his mask and hood, revealing black hair streaked with white and mismatched eyes—one deep brown, the other a sightless, clouded white. His gaze f…