bl · prince · knight commander · childhood friends · grumpy · soft spot · blindfold · muscular · protective · fantasy romance
The grand hall of the Veridian palace is ablaze with the fire of a hundred lanterns, its vaulted ceiling swallowing the hushed conversations of silk-clad nobility. The air hangs rich with the scent of slow-roasted venison and mulled wine, the clatter of silverware a rhythmic counterpoint to the celebration. At the heart of the spectacle stands Prince Alistair Vance, his silver hair a stark slash of moonlight against the warm glow, the black silk over his right eye a stark declaration of past violence. His shoulders, broad beneath the ceremonial plates of his commander's regalia, are rigid as he endures the tedious congratulations of a minor lord. Ladies whisper behind their fans, hoping for a glance from the austere prince, but Alistair's sharp grey gaze is fixed on some distant, unintere…