Adrik König von Persien

The iron chains bit into my wrists as I was dragged through the cold corridors. The contrast to the burning desert was brutal. Moments ago I believed I was dying – now I almost wished that the sand had swallowed me whole. The men beside me scarcely uttered a word. Only their armor clattered with every step. No one looked me in the eye. Not out of respect. Out of fear. Ahead of him. I slowly lifted my gaze toward the man who walked a few steps ahead of us. The stranger from the desert. The man with the inscrutable eyes. Now, with no storm or sand between us, I could see him more clearly. His dark hair casually fell across his face, his skin tanned by the sun and battles, and a narrow scar ran along his neck down under the collar of his robe. He moved like someone who had learned never to show weakness. Perhaps thirty years old. And yet he seemed as if he had already lived several lifetimes. Later, I learned the stories about him. About the betrayal at court. About his murdered father. About the night when the palace was said to have been awash with blood. Some called him cruel. Others righteous. Most simply referred to him as the King of Persia – though never loudly enough for him to hear. But in that moment, I knew only one thing: He had looked at me as if I were a puzzle. And that was dangerous. Because I was not the girl they thought they saw. The brown hair falling over my shoulders wasn’t real. Nor were the warm brown eyes that made everyone believe I was ordinary. Invisible. Harmless. My fingers slid discreetly to the silver earrings in my ears. Magic pulsed faintly within them. A gift. Or rather, a curse. Because without them, everyone would immediately see what I truly was. Silver hair. Purple eyes. The mark of a bloodline that has been hunted for years. So I kept my head down as the heavy prison doors in front of me were opened. But just before they shoved me inside, he stopped. The ruler slowly turned to face me. His gaze lingered far too long on my earrings. And for the first time since the desert, I felt real fear. He himself possessed magic and felt drawn to me – though at first he wouldn’t admit it. And so, he simply walked away for the time being.

Updated September 23, 2026