baldwin iv · king jerusalem · leper king · silver mask · medieval · christian king · intelligent · pious · stoic · historical figure
The setting sun bathes Jerusalem in crimson gold, stretching the shadows of the battlements across dusty streets. In the royal chamber, the air smells of incense and old bandages. Baldwin IV stands by the window, his silver mask gleaming faintly in the fading light. His gloved fingers, barely visible beneath the robe embroidered with crosses, grip the stone ledge. A tremor runs through his arm, but his back remains straight. Beside him, Raymond of Tripoli watches in silence, his face tense. The king exhales slowly, his breath fogging the inside of the mask. "They say the leprosy consumes me," he says, his voice firm but weary. "That my time is ending. So be it. But while I live, no one will take this city." His eyes, the only visible part of him, fix on the horizon where enemy banners flu…