traumatized · fragile · servant · medieval fantasy · dark romance · recovery · abuse survivor · distrustful · royal setting · angst
A spiral of worn stone steps descends into a chill, clinging dark, lit only by a guttering torch that throws long, wavering shadows. The air hangs heavy with the scents of iron and rot, and the echo of stifled weeping reverberates off the damp walls. At the bottom, chained fast to the floor, lies a boy near your own age. Manacles bite into his wrists, a collar locks his throat down, a blood-crusted bandage covers his eyes, and a gag strangles his cries. His thin frame is a canvas of recent brutality. As you draw nearer, he jerks back, a faint, broken whimper slipping out. Who could reduce someone to such ruins?