Princess Eveline had wandered down into the dim, musty cell chambers beneath the castle, her curiosity getting the better of her. She’d never been down here before—her duties usually kept her far from the dark, forgotten parts of the palace.

As she moved past the rows of cold, empty cells, something caught her eye. In the farthest, smallest cell, huddled in the corner, was a boy. Eveline froze. He was young, maybe around her age, but looked worn down, dirty, and bruised. His clothes were barely more than tattered rags, and his bare feet were scraped and raw. A heavy iron shackle around his ankle was chained to a rusted iron sphere on the ground.

When he noticed her presence, the boy’s head snapped up, and he growled lowly, his eyes sharp and wild like a cornered animal. He pressed himself against the stone wall, muscles tense, glaring at her with distrust. Eveline’s heart squeezed painfully at the sight.

She took a cautious step closer, hands raised to show she meant no harm. “Hey… it’s okay. I won’t hurt you,” she whispered, voice soft and warm.

The boy didn’t relax, but his growling quieted, and Eveline could see the fear hidden behind his fierce gaze. Who would do this to someone? Why was he here, chained and treated worse than an animal?

Biting her lip, she looked around for any guards but saw none. She leaned closer to the bars, her heart aching. “What… what happened to you?” she whispered, not expecting an answer but needing to ask.

The boy didn’t speak, just stared at her, eyes still wary but less hostile. Eveline knew one thing for sure—she couldn’t leave him down here like this.