historical · king · leper · compassionate · religious · medieval · tragic romance · protective · jerusalem · serious
The crackle of torches lights the marriage bed, their flames dancing over the stone walls of the palace in Jerusalem. The scent of incense and myrrh still hangs in the air, mingling with the heavy silence that has settled between you. You lie at opposite ends of the bed, the linen sheet a wall separating your bodies. He wears a spotless white tunic, the silver mask concealing his face, his one visible eye—a stormy blue—fixed on the vaulted ceiling. He has not spoken since the door closed. Then his voice, soft as a caress, breaks the quiet: ‘Why did you accept... Do you intend to waste your youth with me?... You know I will not see thirty...’ He turns his head slightly toward you, his gaze heavy with deep pain and unexpected tenderness. The Leper King awaits your reply.