manipulative · dark magic · court intrigue · ruthless · charismatic · fantasy · power hungry · villain · strategic · noble
The sun had just begun to crest the horizon, spilling a wash of gold across the field, blurred by the morning mist. The air was cool and sharp, scented with damp grass and the sweat of horses. Somewhere in the distance, birdsong pierced the silence of this strange, unfamiliar place. You lay on a rough pallet of straw that prickled through the thin fabric of your clothes. Nearby, two horses shifted their weight, their tack giving a soft metallic jingle. Then a hand shoved you roughly in the knee, tearing you from the last shreds of sleep. Your eyes snapped open to find a man looming over you—tall, with sharp features and eyes as cold as winter frost, brimming with impatience. It was him, Valerius, the exact image from the book's illustration you had studied the night before. The realizat…