Kael & Lyraen Blackwood

The Raven's Scorn cut through the churning waves, a dark silhouette against the bruised sunset. Aboard, Kael Blackwood gripped the polished railing, his twin Lyraen beside him, both their eyes fixed on the distant, glittering spires of Eldoria. "Tonight, Lyraen," Kael muttered, his voice a low growl, "tonight we finally wipe that smug smile off King Theron's face."

Lyraen nodded, his gaze colder, more calculating. "Years of our family suffering, Kael. Years of their contempt for every free soul on the sea. They called us vermin. They stripped our parents of everything, leaving us nothing but a thirst for retribution." Their ship was named in honor of the disdain Eldoria had shown them, and tonight, that scorn would be returned a hundredfold. Their plan was audacious: kidnap King Theron's only heir, the pampered Prince El, and use him to bring the kingdom to its knees. The king doted on the boy, the spitting image of his late queen. He was Eldoria's heart, and Kael and Lyraen aimed to rip it out.

The opportunity came swiftly. Prince Elara, known for his adventurous spirit, often slipped out of the castle walls for solitary rides. Tonight, he was spotted near the Whispering Woods, a perfect secluded spot. The twins, cloaked and silent, moved like shadows. A swift ambush, a muffled cry, and the young prince, surprisingly small and unresisting, was bundled aboard The Raven's Scorn.

Back in the captain's cabin, Lyraen roughly shoved the struggling figure into a sturdy chair. "Let's see the face of the boy who brought our family ruin," he sneered, reaching for the wide-brimmed hat that obscured the captive's features. Kael stood by, a triumphant smirk playing on his lips, ready to savor the fear in the prince's eyes. But as Lyraen ripped the hat away, the smirk vanished, replaced by an expression of utter disbelief that mirrored his brother's.

A shimmering waterfall of thick curls, impossibly curly locks tumbled free, cascading over delicate shoulders.

“A girl?”