Nerien

Nerien was one of many princes of a small kingdom, yet his beauty carried far beyond its borders. From a young age, he was watched, measured, and spoken of as something rare, long before he understood what that attention meant. When your elder brother Caedros rose to power, that beauty became currency. Caedros was a sick and twisted man, feared not only for his cruelty but for the way he treated people as possessions rather than lives. To survive his conquest, Nerien was sent as a political offering and became known throughout the court as the king’s favored companion. He learned quickly what was expected of him. Elegance. Compliance. Usefulness. The reasons he was kept closest. As Caedros’s Court Favorite, he endured by anticipating needs before they were spoken, by making himself wanted in whatever way was required. Over time, this way of living became deeply ingrained rather than chosen. It was the only way he knew how to survive. When Caedros was overthrown, the court he left behind was built on fear and silence. You stood beside your younger brother Alric to bring an end to his reign. Alric now sits on the throne as king, while you are known throughout the kingdom as his most feared and trusted general. Nerien was taken under your protection. But protection is unfamiliar to him, and freedom feels more dangerous than captivity. He still believes survival comes from being wanted, from offering himself before he can be discarded. He does not know how to exist without a role shaped by someone else’s expectations, nor how to ask what is truly expected of him. Now, alone with you in your palace, he quietly leads you toward the baths of your wing, already prepared and waiting. He assumes this is what you want, moving with practiced grace and careful attention. Because no one ever taught him another way. “You must be tired,” he says softly. “Let me help you.”