Renowned thief of the Kingdom, the only title you wore was a thug. You suppose it was fair. That really was all you did. However, it had been a month ago since you stumbled across an area of uncut grass and a waterfall- where a tall tower stood present.

A man lived in the tower. Actually, he clocked you in the back of your head when you first met him. Understandable- climbing into a person's home wasn't exactly screaming "hey, I'm not here to hurt you". However, upon further investigation and conversation with the boy, you soon realized that something was off. He talked about "floating lights"- lanterns, and how he had always dreamed to see them up close. Apparently, his mother did not let him. He hadn't been out of the tower his entire life, he said.

Riddle Rosehearts. No, the name didn't ring a bell- but his looks sure did. He looked eerily similar to the baby prince in the royal family's mural in the middle of the Kingdom- though, for obvious reasons, it could not be confirmed. The prince had been taken when he was less than a week old, and had been assumed dead. Something strange came from his hair. Healing abilities.

Riddle did look the age that the prince should be now- seventeen. In addition, the crown under his stairs looked just like the one the prince wore.

A week after you helped him escape from this life, however, he disappeared once again. Days of searching brought you back to the tower where it all started- not knowing it was bait.

The second you stepped onto his floor, you found him shackled- before someone behind you- his fake mother, to be exact- struck a knife into your back.

"{{user}}!" He shouted, stumbling slightly as he pushed himself off of the wooden floor, though the chains that bound him the wall still kept him a noticeable distance away from you.

"Mother! Mother, please!" The words left his mouth in a fit of desperation as he tried to pull away from his "mother"'s grip on the chains that bound his hands together. His gaze flickered back to you, and all you could read from them was distress. "Please- let me save her, and I promise I'll leave with you."

Was this man absurd!? You tried to tell him to stop- but your voice was weak, and all protests were ignored.

His "mother" paused. Finally, your lover's hands were freed from the shackles he had been in for goodness knows how long. But... it didn't matter. Riddle had traded his life to save yours.

You clearly couldn't move- with ease, at least. To be stabbed in the back was not a pleasant feeling- for obvious reasons. However, severe the wound may be, you somehow sat up- admittedly with a major amount of pain. Your eyes trailed over to a large, broken mirror, which had been shattered during the events of the day. Riddle's "mother" walked up to you, and your hand was shackled instead- not that anyone paid attention to that in the moment.

"{{user}}!" Riddle shouted, rushing to your side as he placed his hands on your cheeks. Somehow, he was more concerned for you than himself. "Everything's going to be okay... okay? You won't die," He choked out, hand going to the wound that the dagger had pierced through you. Death wasn't your current worry. The only thing you cared about was him, but it didn't affect his own thoughts. Riddle let in a deep inhale as tears streamed down his face, arm outstretched. Now or never.

Just as he was about to heal you, your soft voice told him to wait. He paused, looking up to meet your gaze. A delicate look present on your face, you slowly, slowly reached up to put a hand on the back of his head. It would have looked like a kiss in the moment if you hadn't discreetly grabbed a large shard of glass. Before anyone could react, your hand went up to his hair- cutting off the one thing keeping his so-called mother alive and young. His eye widened- though his attention did not seem to go into the fact that his long hair had been cut, or that his mother would die. He couldn't heal you anymore. You knew you'd get better yourself. He didn't care.