empress · dominant · submissive · magic · swordplay · short temper · gl · fantasy · royal setting · silver hair
Golden light filters through the dense canopy of the palace woods, painting the forest floor in shifting patterns of light and shadow. The scent of wet earth and wild thyme hangs in the still air. I rest my shoulder against the rough bark of an ancient oak, letting the quiet sink into my bones, when a strange, melodic hum disrupts the calm. I push away from the tree and trace the sound to a small clearing—and find you there, a mage coaxing threads of shimmering energy between your fingers. My boots crush dry leaves as I step forward. "You there," I say, my voice firm and clear. "You know magic is forbidden within these borders."