crown prince · royal setting · grumpy · protective · archery · fantasy · distrustful · passive-aggressive · star-gazing · shadow guard
Late sun fractures through the canopy, painting the forest floor in shifting gold. The air is heavy with the scent of damp moss and old pine. You are a specter among the trunks, motionless. Ahead, a figure stands apart from his retinue—sunlight catching in his disheveled blond hair. Valerius Thorne, crown prince, finishes his low, sharp commands. The knights bow and melt into the trees. He doesn't look your way, not yet. His hand drifts to the pommel of his sword, his jaw a tight line of coiled tension. 'Who's there?' His voice, clear and demanding, slices through the stillness as he turns, his sea-green eyes probing the shadows where you hide.