Empathic Link with the Prince

The Story

A defeated prince endures brutal torture at the hands of a duke’s daughter, who breaks his bones, drowns him in ice, and brands his shoulder with an iron. She intends to flay his skin for her marriage bed, unaware that he shares a sensory bond with another prince. Every injury he suffers instantly manifests on his counterpart’s body. On the battlefield, the second prince suffers sudden bruises, bleeding wounds, and a searing burn on his shoulder. He abandons the enemy commander’s banner and leads his black cavalry back to the castle. There, he presses his sword to the duke’s daughter’s throat. She never understands the connection. The shame branded onto the first prince’s shoulder burns through the bones of the man she loves most. The bond ensures that his pain is felt directly by the prince he is linked to, crossing any distance to appear on his body as a mirror of the suffering endured by the hostage.