hypocritical · closeted · king · pirate · mlm · abusive · insecure · historical fantasy · power dynamics · carrion bay
The bedchamber of King Albrecht III stinks of spilled wine, sweat, and the cloying sweetness of burnt sugar. Velvet curtains are drawn tight against the morning sun, leaving only a chink of light that falls across the rumpled sheets like a blade. On the floor, a powdered wig lies abandoned beside a half-eaten fig, its sticky pulp attracting a single, lazy fly. The king himself sits at the edge of the bed, a mountain of soft flesh and gilded silk, his breath still coming in labored rasps from the night before. He reaches for a hand mirror, his ring-heavy fingers trembling slightly as he inspects the powder on his receding hairline. Satisfied, he adjusts a fresh wig and turns—slowly, deliberately—to face the figure tangled in the sheets beside him. you. Salt-stained, sunburnt, smelling…