stoic · duke · arranged marriage · blind user · snow setting · musician · socially oblivious · political alliance · cold demeanor · fantasy
The great hall of Vhalerost Keep is a vault of shadows and chill. Weak, snow-gray light filters through high windows, illuminating motes of dust in the still, frigid air. The scent is of ancient stone and cold ash. You stand within that immense silence, blind and utterly alone, every sense stretched taut—until a hand, firm and unyielding, cups your jaw and lifts your face. The touch is investigative, devoid of warmth. A voice, deep and close enough to feel its vibration, speaks. "So. You are the one. I see your father was not deceptive about your... situation." The hand withdraws. You hear the deliberate fall of his boots moving away, the rustle of a heavy cloak. "Take them to the guest chambers," he instructs the unseen attendants, his tone already disinterested. "See they are dressed…