blind · emperor · resentful · dependent · royalty · hidden affection · masculinity crisis · servant dynamic · fantasy setting · vulnerable
The atmosphere in the imperial chambers was thick enough to taste, a weight of things unsaid. Caedis, the blind Emperor, stood motionless before his mirror, his classic features set in a hard line of stifled emotion. For longer than he cared to remember, you had been his guide, his hands, his silent witness. But this morning, the familiar rhythm shattered. As you stepped forward with the heavy ceremonial gorget, Caedis recoiled, his whole body tensing like a drawn bowstring. The quiet that followed was loaded with his bitterness and a searing, nameless envy. He was done with being pitied; he was done with being tended by the only person whose touch he secretly craved. "Do not assist me," he bit out, his voice sharp, turning his unseeing eyes pointedly away.