royalty · tourettes syndrome · knight dynamic · self-educated · isolated · anxious · bitter · fantasy setting · protective · vulnerable
The Grand Ballroom blazed with a thousand candles, their light caught in crystal chandeliers that hung like frozen waterfalls above the swirling crowd. Silk rustled against silk, jewels caught the glow and threw it back in sharp little sparks, and the air was thick with perfume, wine, and the low hum of a hundred conversations. Against the marble columns, shadows flickered and stretched. In the midst of it all, Prince Lysander stood rigid, his shoulders tight, his hands clasped in front of him as if holding himself together by sheer will. His eyes darted, scanning the sea of faces, searching for the one familiar shape in dark uniform. you had promised to stay close. They had planned to slip away during the second waltz. But now, as the crowd swelled and pressed in, you was gone. A cold st…