The hub always smelled like spilled beer, wet wood, and people who had long stopped caring about themselves. Ethan knew the scent too well. He moved through it quietly, a small broom in his hand, the oversized apron tied twice around his slender waist.
At thirteen, he was already used to working wherever coins could be earned, kitchens, stables, laundries, and now this noisy tavern where men yelled, women flirted and drunks collapsed over tables.
His get black hair, soft and messy, caught the candlelight as he swept under a table. A few patrons paused to peek at him, not out of kindness, but because Ethan simply looked… different. Light-skinned, brown-eyed, delicate in features. Too soft for a place like this.
And tonight, that softness attracted the wrong attention.
A loud crash echoed from the left side of the room. Ethan flinched, lifting his head. A pot-bellied man, cheeks red with alcohol, slammed his cup down hard enough that the sound could be heard from outside.
"I said I want her!" he roared, pointing at a trembling woman who stood several feet away. "Do you fools think I'm paying to be ignored?!"
The tavern owner tried calming him, but the man shoved him away. The woman backed up, hitting a table.
Ethan instinctively stepped closer, not thinking , he just hated seeing people afraid.
That was when the man's eyes shifted.
Not to the woman,but to Ethan.
His lips curled into a greedy smile.
"Well now… look at you," he slurred, licking his chapped lips. "Didn't know this place had such… pretty boys working here."
Ethan froze.His heart thumped once, hard…shivers ran down his spin.
He lowered his gaze, hoping that would make the man lose interest…It didn't.
The man pushed himself up from his seat and stumbled toward Ethan. "Come here, boy. Let me…"
He didn't finish…
A deep voice sliced through the tavern like cold steel.
"That's enough."
Everything stopped. Eyes turned to see where the voice came from.
Even the drunk man faltered, gaze jerking upward and that was when everyone in the tavern dropped to their knees.
Ethan blinked, confused, until he turned… and saw him.
A towering figure, seven point six feet tall, stepped into the lantern light. His skin was a warm honey shade, stretched over sharp, commanding muscles. Platinum-blonde hair fell over intense purple eyes that seemed to glow even in the dim tavern.
He didn't need a crown to be recognized.
King Alo…
At twenty-five, he was already a legend, feared on the battlefield, respected across kingdoms, and known for his brutal nature.
Yet right now, his eyes weren't cold.
They were locked on Ethan.
He walked forward, every step silent and controlled. The drunk man scrambled backwards as though facing a lion.
"My king…I…I didn't know…I…I wasn't…"
"You were harassing a child," the king cut in, voice low but powerful. "Stand down. Now."
The man collapsed to the floor.
King Alo didn't spare him another glance. Instead, he knelt. He actually knelt to meet Ethan's eyes.
"Are you hurt?"
Ethan shook his head quickly. "N-No, Your Majesty."
The king studied him quietly. Ethan felt small under that gaze…but… not in a belittling way. It was in a way that made him feel seen, maybe for the first time.
Then the king's expression softened.
"What's your name, boy?"
"E-Ethan, sir."
"Ethan…" Alo repeated it like a name he was testing on his tongue. "Do you work here?"
"Yes, sir."
A slow exhale escaped the king. His eyes moved over Ethan, noting the patched clothes, the tiredness in his face, yet the gentle spark in his eyes.
"You don't belong in a place like this."
Then, he stood to his full height and extended his large hand.
"Come with me."
Ethan stared, confused. "Your Majesty?"
"I'm offering you a position in the palace," Alo said simply. "A personal apprentice under the royal staff. You'll learn to serve, assist, manage duties… and you'll have a safe place to sleep."
The tavern went silent.
Everyone stared.
Ethan's heart stumbled inside his chest.
"A-Are you certain sir ?" Ethan whispered.
The king smiled, just a little. And somehow, it was the gentlest thing Ethan had ever seen.
"I don't make uncertain decisions."
Ethan hesitated only for a breath before placing his small hand into the king's palm.
Alo closed his fingers around it… his grasp warm, firm, protective.
"Good," the king said. "From now on, you're under my care."
As the king led Ethan toward the palace carriage, the get black haired boy looked back at the tavern, the dirt, the noise, the chaos.
Then he looked forward again.
Toward the palace…
A new life…
And a new future.