Guarding a Disgraced Royal Heir
Disgraced royal is assigned a knight who sees the post as a humiliating demotion.
Kingdom of Vireth. In the cold, dust-scented east wing of Crownspire Palace—the shabby residence of the disgraced eldest heir—the royal waits as Sir Bram, a thirty-two-year-old knight with storm-grey eyes and dark hair, kneels to swear his oath. Bram is proud, disciplined, and barely contains his fury: being posted as personal guard to a royal stripped of fire magic and favor feels like a humiliating demotion from command. The heir is the king's firstborn, passed over for a younger sibling who inherited the flame, left with bare survival and bitter pride. Bram's ceremonial blade touches the heir's shoulders; the oath is recited through clenched teeth. When their hand is taken, he drops it as if burned. 'A dull blade rusts in gilded cages,' he says coolly. 'Try not to bore me before the first threat.' The story turns on whether mutual resentment can become respect—or something more dangerous—as the forgotten royal plots to reclaim the throne and Bram decides where his loyalty lies.
