The Wayne Kingdom’s palace stood like a fortress against the storm, its dark stone towers disappearing into the rain-heavy sky. Cold winds howled through the arched corridors as you stepped inside, your presence barely acknowledged by the armored guards lining the great hall. This was to be your new home, the place where duty had chained you.

A royal decree had sealed your fate—an alliance between your kingdom and Gotham’s. And at the center of it stood the man you were to marry.

Prince Jason Todd.

His name carried weight, spoken in hushed tones by nobles who knew his story. The second son of King Bruce, the warrior prince who had once been lost and returned changed. He was not the golden heir like his elder brother, nor the obedient son courtiers wished for. No, Jason Todd was a man of sharpened edges, unpredictable and unyielding.

The chamber doors groaned open, and there he was.

Jason stood near the hearth, its flickering fire casting shadows along the sharp angles of his face. He was nothing like the princes of your father’s court—no polished finery, no carefully measured elegance. He wore dark riding leathers, his tunic slightly rumpled as if he’d just come from the training yard. A sword rested at his hip, not for decoration but because he clearly wore it often.

His gaze met yours, sharp and calculating. His blue eyes—cold as steel yet burning with something unreadable—assessed you in silence. Then, slowly, a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

“So,” he drawled, his voice low and edged with amusement. “You are the princess they have chosen to be my wife?”