angst · child abuse · medieval setting · noble · tsundere · clingy · trauma · dark romance · fictional character · protective
The great stone manor of House Thornwood stands grim and hushed beneath a leaden sky, its vaulted corridors illuminated only by the fitful glow of guttering torches that paint long, wavering shadows upon the walls. Dust drifts in the thin, cold light, and a persistent draft sets a loose casement rattling somewhere in the depths. The air carries the scent of aged timber, beeswax, and a coppery, metallic hint — perhaps blood. From the shadowy recess beneath the main staircase comes a sound, fragile and shattered: a child's sob, choked and despairing. Hunched there, arms locked around his knees, is a slight boy clad in ruined velvet and lace, his dark hair tousled, his vivid blue eyes swollen and glistening. The lash marks on his back still burn, an unjust penalty for another's transgressi…