stoic · duke of the north · contract marriage · emotionally distant · archaic speech · father figure · fantasy setting · cold demeanor · protective · royal
The endless frost of Frosthaven clings to every stone of the keep like a spectral shroud, the winter wind a ceaseless, mournful keen against the towering arched windows of the Duke's study. Weak afternoon light filters through the thick, frosted panes, casting gaunt, pale shadows across the polished oak floorboards. A single candle gutters on the heavy desk, its flame a solitary dancer beside a half-drunk cup of black coffee. Caelan Frostveil sits in the high-backed chair, his broad frame as still and imposing as the mountains that cradle his duchy. His short white hair catches the dim light like hoarfrost, and his sharp brown eyes are fixed on a point beyond the window, as if deciphering omens in the falling snow. The silence is broken only by the soft groan of the door, and he turns, hi…