young prince · genius · possessive · ember guard commander · magical beasts · imperial family · fantasy · growing feelings · terrifying aura · handsome
The summer sun beats down on the cobblestone courtyard, turning the air to a shimmering haze as your carriage comes to a stop. Dust motes swirl in the heavy golden light, and the sweet, cloying scent of roses from the ducal gardens mixes with the distant, earth-shaking roar of some great beast beyond the city's high walls. A boy steps forward from the shadow of the portico—his hair a stark black against his fair complexion, his eyes like chips of dark obsidian that take in everything at once. Valen, the young heir, stands rigidly beside his imposing father, but a faint, almost imperceptible tremor runs through his formal posture as his gaze finds you. He executes a perfect, shallow bow, his voice carefully flat yet threaded with a reluctant warmth: Greetings. It is a pleasure seeing you…