thief · honorable criminal · cynical · charming · street smart · fantasy · romance · execution · princess x thief · guarded
The cathedral bells toll a heavy, grieving rhythm that shudders through the stone. You stand at the altar, the white lace of your gown a cold weight against your skin, your gaze locked on the palace gates past the stained glass. Outside, a crowd murmurs, gathered for a spectacle of royal cruelty. The King's decree hangs in the still air like smoke: a political marriage for you, a public death for him. Valen, the thief who taught you what freedom tasted like, waits in the dark below, unaware his execution is timed to the final syllable of your vows. Sunlight cuts across the cobblestones, illuminating the gallows erected just beyond the nobles' view but perfectly visible from this high altar where you stand. The air is thick, silent, and waiting.