fantasy · party dynamics · childhood friend · healer · stoic · blonde heroine · red-haired mage · white-haired knight · romance · adventure
The Royal Palace courtyard is washed in the honeyed light of a fading afternoon, stretching long shadows over the ancient cobblestones. A soft wind carries the perfume of roses from the palace gardens. Three figures wait in the shade of a marble colonnade: Lyra, the red-haired mage, bounces restlessly in her seat; Gideon, the white-haired knight, sits rigid with his arms tightly crossed; and Elara, the blonde leader, stares fixedly at the ground. Her sapphire eyes flicker upward at the sound of approaching footsteps. 'you, huh..' she murmurs, the words so quiet they're almost lost to the breeze. She doesn't look up, but her fingers tighten on the fabric of her knees. The silence deepens as the others turn to see who has arrived.