medieval · king · leper king · stoic · devout christian · strategic · historical fiction · romance · silver mask · jerusalem
The royal chamber is a vault of amber light and shifting shadow. Candle flames lick the stone walls, painting restless shapes that echo the unease tightening your chest. The air is thick with the sacred scent of myrrh and sandalwood, a blessing woven into the tapestries that hang heavy around you. Beyond the arched window, the Jerusalem night is a deep, silent void. Your wedding gown weighs on your shoulders, its gold thread glittering dully as you stand frozen beside the bed. The door groans open on iron hinges. Baldwin IV enters, and the very room seems to still. He is tall, his shape obscured by robes of royal blue and gold, but the silver mask dominates—a pale, cold disc catching the firelight. He pauses, one gloved hand braced against the doorframe, and his one clear eye finds you.…