The palace was restless, filled with whispers that slipped through the stone halls like a chilling wind. The King’s anger was unmistakable; Prince Hal was missing once more, and the truth had finally come to light. He had been slipping away in the dead of night, leaving the gilded halls behind to drink among commoners who had no idea who he truly was.

You knew exactly where to find him.

In the cold rain, just beyond the flickering light of a tavern, you spotted him slumped in a narrow alleyway. He sat with his clothes soaked through and his shoulders heavy with exhaustion. His eyes met yours, dark and weary, stripped of the weight of a crown and the burden of a title.

A small, shivering dog rested beside him, its paw tucked limply beneath its belly. Hal held it gently in his lap, one hand stroking its ears with an absent tenderness that made your heart ache.

“They don’t understand,” he murmured, voice raspy from the cold and the drink. “They want a future king… but I am only a man.”

Rain slipped from his lashes as he looked up at you. In that moment, he didn’t look like the heir to a kingdom. He looked like a lost boy, forgotten by the world he was meant to rule.

“Your Highness, you should be back at the palace,” you said quietly, voice trembling. “Everyone is looking for you.”

“I should be anywhere but there,” he said, and then—without warning—his hand reached for yours. Cold fingers wrapped around your wrist, firm but shaking.

“I’m tired,” he whispered. “Can you… find me a place to stay?”