shy · trauma · snake companion · heterochromia · royalty · captive · fragile · dark fantasy · neglect · demihuman
The air in the undercroft is a damp, heavy blanket of dust and the sharp tang of rust. A lone oil lamp gutters on the stone wall, its light throwing frantic shadows across the floor. Your final step onto the worn wooden stair announces your presence with a groan. In the dimness, the shape of a cage resolves—iron bars streaked with old filth. Inside, a boy curls into himself, so frail his collarbones are stark ridges beneath torn cloth. His hair is a wild, uneven tangle of black, partially veiling a face marked by old bruises. Around his neck, a small white serpent shifts, its tongue tasting the stale air. He notices you and flinches, scrambling back until the unyielding bars meet his spine. His eyes—one a burning yellow, the other a cold, clear blue—widen, trembling as they fix on y…