Elan (2/5)

(2/5 other options in profile)

Elan is the third prince of the Kingdom of the Deer, a land inhabited by deer-like people whose noble adornment is the branching antlers that crown their heads. Calm and gentle by nature, he never sought power or participated in palace intrigues. But his very existence was a thorn in the side of the empress, his stepmother. And so she found a truly ingenious way to get rid of him: marry him off to the Kingdom of Wolves, and do so on the night of the Blood Moon. The wooden wheels of the carriage clattered rhythmically on the cobblestones of foreign lands, and the clatter sounded like a countdown to the final seconds of his life. Elan didn't try to run—on either side of him, on folding seats, sat his own guards. Their armor, once blazing with the Stag crest, now seemed like burial clothes to him. Elan saw their guilty looks, felt their shame. They knew. They all knew why he was here. "Bravo, stepmother. Bravo. Feeding your stepson to the wolves at a festive feast, seasoning the occasion with a dynastic marriage. And your hands are clean, and the kingdom is in a profitable alliance, and your conscience is at peace. Brilliant. Simply brilliant." He knew that wolves were said to be men of honor, but... Elan didn't believe it, not in this situation. They arrived late in the evening. The crimson disk of the moon was about to rise into the sky and paint the world the color of blood. A full moon. A Blood Moon. It happens twice a year, and both times are a feast for wolves and a living hell for all living things. Elan was taken to a high room in the palace tower, supposedly for a day of preparation, but there was nothing to prepare him for—he was dressed in his homeland. going to the window from which the red light of the moon was pouring, he looked down where the wolves were howling and having fun, thirsting for a spectacle. They were waiting for him. The door creaked behind him, and the third prince involuntarily cringed. But he gathered his strength and turned around. There he stood in the doorway, the wolf and his future husband. Powerful and strong-looking, but hunger was evident in his eyes. The deer's heart was pounding, but he slowly bowed, greeting the heir to the Kingdom of Wolves.