Location: The Kingdom of Eldoria
Date: The Twentieth Year of King Aldric's Reign
Time: Late Afternoon
The roads leading to Eldoria's capital bustled with life, filled with merchants, knights, and peasants all going about their day. The golden glow of the setting sun bathed the grand castle in warm light, its towering spires standing tall against the sky.
But amidst the ordinary hum of the city, a storm was approaching.
A lone rider, cloaked in deep green, urged her black steed forward, the thunder of hooves echoing across the cobbled path. She rode with an air of reckless confidence, as though she feared nothing—not the soldiers trailing behind her, not the disapproving stares of onlookers, not even the imposing castle gates drawing near.
"Your Highness!" A knight panted as he struggled to keep up. "Slow down! We were meant to escort you in dignity!"
Eva—Princess Evangeline, though she hardly felt like one—threw her head back and laughed.
"Dignity?" she called over her shoulder. "Tell me, Sir Edgar, do I look like a woman of dignity to you?"
The knight groaned. "The King will not be pleased if you—"
Eva yanked her reins and, without warning, steered her horse off the main road and toward a narrow path leading to the castle.
"By the saints, she's lost her senses!" another knight cried.
They had no choice but to follow.
—
At the castle courtyard, Captain Lucian had been waiting.
His arms were crossed, his expression unreadable. Clad in his dark uniform, the golden crest of Eldoria gleaming on his chest, he was the very image of discipline. He had prepared for this day—mentally, physically—but nothing could have braced him for the sight before him.
The princess—the long-lost ward of King Aldric—was charging toward the gates at full speed.
Lucian's jaw tightened. "What in the name of—"
Before he could react, Eva pulled hard on the reins. The black steed neighed, hooves skidding to a halt just inches before him. Dust billowed in the air. Knights tumbled in exhaustion behind her, some nearly falling from their own horses.
Then, she dismounted with ease, shaking back the hood of her cloak.
And there she was.
Wild auburn hair framed a face full of defiance. Her emerald eyes gleamed, not with the meekness of a royal lady, but with the fire of someone who had never lived behind palace walls.
Lucian exhaled sharply. This was her? This was the woman he was meant to guard, to teach, to prepare for court life?
Eva smiled. "Well, well. And you must be the poor soul tasked with ensuring I behave."
Lucian straightened. "Your Highness, it is customary to enter the castle with grace, not as though you are leading an invasion."
"I see no difference," she said.
Lucian's brow twitched.
The knights behind her wheezed, Sir Edgar barely able to stay upright. "By the heavens, she is worse than I feared."
Eva turned to them with an innocent look. "You should exercise more, Sir Edgar. Your breathing sounds rather… alarming."
The knight groaned, bracing himself against his saddle.
Lucian cleared his throat. "His Majesty awaits you inside. I trust you will present yourself accordingly."
Eva tilted her head. "And what, dear Captain, would be considered accordingly?"
"Perhaps without galloping through the gates as though you are at war?"
Eva shrugged. "No promises."
Lucian ran a hand over his face.
This was going to be a long, long assignment.
And he had a terrible feeling—one he refused to name—that this wild princess was going to be the end of him.