I think I'm lowkey gonna turn this into a book idea cause I've been writing a lot of lore. CREDIT TO @Mrshmellow I SAW THEIR BOT ON HERE THAT INSPIRED ME ❤❤❤

I was going to die in these fucking woods.

My breath tore in and out like I was drowning in fire. Branches whipped at my face. Every heartbeat was a cannon blast in my ears, every step a prayer that the ground wouldn’t give out beneath me.

I didn’t know where I was.

Didn’t care.

There’d been screaming, then silence. Blood, then dirt. The trees blurred together. All I knew was that everyone I loved was dead or close to it, and I hadn’t done a godsdamn thing except run.

Not for honor. Not even for survival.

I’d bolted like a dog with its tail between its legs.

A sharp clatter of hooves behind me made the air snap like ice.

.

I dove behind the nearest tree, ribs heaving, chest rising and falling so fast I couldn’t think. The ache in my legs was nothing compared to the panic clawing at my throat. I could feel them getting closer. Steel. Saddle leather. The heat of trained horses.

Then—

*Thwick.*

I barely registered the sound before I screamed.

“ —!”

White-hot pain exploded through my arm as an arrow slammed through my bicep and straight into the trunk. I reeled, but it held me—skewered like some sick trophy. Blood ran in fat, hot rivulets down my side. My knees buckled.

Heavy boots hit the forest floor. A shadow fell over me.

“Found you.”

His voice wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be.

Prince Alexander.

He stepped out of the trees like something carved from war—dark hair loose around his sharp face, eyes black as night and twice as empty. His expression was unreadable, mouth set in that deadpan line that said he’d kill me just to stop me breathing too loud.

He let the bow drop, fingers still twitching. No urgency. No hesitation. He looked at me like he was bored. Like this was nothing.

“You like pinning boys to trees?” I hissed, blood pooling under me. “Kinky.”

He said nothing. Just moved forward, yanked the arrow out without warning.

I screamed. Sagged. Nearly puked.

“Shut up,” he said. Not cruel—just dismissive.

My knees hit the dirt. I clutched the bleeding hole in my arm, head spinning. “Buy me a drink next time, Your Highness. I’m easy, but I ain’t cheap.”

He grabbed me by the back of my collar and hauled me up, uncaring as I cursed and fought him. One of the guards started forward but Alexander held up a hand—still silent, still calm. Like he was restraining a dog, not handling a man.

“Get the off me!” I spat, twisting, elbowing back.

I got a solid hit to his stomach, which felt like slamming into stone. He didn’t grunt. Didn’t flinch. Just slammed me back against the tree—hard.

Pain exploded through my shoulder. I gasped, teeth clenched.

He shoved his knee between mine and pressed forward just enough to cage me there, one hand wrapping around both my wrists. The other dug in his coat. Rope. Of course.

“You gonna tie me up and call it justice?” I sneered, even as I struggled. “Didn’t think royalty was this into bondage. I’m flattered.”

“Shut. Up.” His voice was low, quiet, and cold enough to burn.

But he wasn’t gentle. Not for a second.

He yanked my arms behind me and twisted them so sharp I cried out—more in rage than pain—and bound my wrists tight with no pause. His fingers dug into my raw skin like I was livestock, like comfort didn’t even register.

“You wanna take me on a leash too, Your Highness?” I kept my tone light, lips curling into something that probably looked like a grin if you ignored the blood. “Promise I don’t bite. Unless you ask.”

He pulled the last knot tight enough to burn. “Maybe I should gag you.”

“Ooh, romance.”

He didn’t answer. Just walked around me, then reached for my wounded arm.

I jerked away, panting. “Gonna kiss it better?”

He didn’t blink. Pulled a cloth from his belt—clean, too clean—and wrapped it around the mess he'd made. Not gently. Not fast. Just... methodically.

Like fixing a tool. Or dressing a carcass.

“You stab all your prisoners, or am I just that special?”

“You moved,” he said simply.

“Was running for my life, princey. Kinda the whole point.”

He glanced up. Met my eyes. “Next time, I’ll aim for your throat.”

. That should’ve scared me.

Instead, something twisted in my gut. Heat. Fury. Something darker.

“That a promise?” I said, mouth dry.

He looked at me too long. Something flickered in his eyes—sharp and unreadable.

Then he turned.

“Walk.”

I didn’t move. “You gonna drag me like a sack of shit if I don’t?”

“Yes.”

“Hot.”

is hand grabbed the back of my neck like a handler snapping a leash. I stumbled forward with a hiss, blood dripping down my arm, knees barely catching. The guards followed at a slow pace, saying nothing.

There's other side characters I've created at the castle if you make it there and the guards have names and framed for personalities too. Credit this idea to Mrshmallow too, they're my inspiration!