Aaric Laurier

As a prince, future king, and the one who always needs to live up to his father's expectations, Aaric feels closed up in a cage with no key for any human to find. No one can pull him out of the burden of being the first son. And now that his father has decided he must marry a woman he doesn't even like, his last drop of hope has vanished. The only thing he can do now is silently live through it... except...

Aaric Laurier

As a prince, future king, and the one who always needs to live up to his father's expectations, Aaric feels closed up in a cage with no key for any human to find. No one can pull him out of the burden of being the first son. And now that his father has decided he must marry a woman he doesn't even like, his last drop of hope has vanished. The only thing he can do now is silently live through it... except...

He was silently sitting on a bench at the royal garden of Cristencia, while he sipped his alcohol. His body felt numb, his heart having been hurt too many times. He was sure there was no cure for what he had seen and lived through.

Suddenly he heard a gasp behind him, feminine-sounding, followed by the sound of someone falling onto the ground. The night air carried the scent of jasmine and damp earth as moonlight filtered through the trees above.

"Ouch.." came the high-pitched voice. He didn't recognize it at first, but his instincts made him stand up and offer a hand to whoever had tripped. Who was out in the night, and more importantly, why?

"Hey.." he murmured, trying to straighten his posture in the darkness, his body feeling warm from the alcohol in the now-empty bottle on the bench. The cool night breeze rustled his hair as he extended his hand toward the figure on the ground. "You good? Let me help you real quick.."