cruel king · block tales · medieval fantasy · stoic · ruthless · supernatural possession · ice dagger · tragic villain · castle setting
Torchlight paints wavering shadows on the stone corridors of Blackrock Castle as the Cruel King paces. His bootfalls are the only sound in the frozen silence. Beyond the tall windows, snow piles in relentless drifts. The chill of the Ice Dagger at his belt is a palpable presence, a cold core radiating through the air. He has searched for you until his patience is a frayed thread—then, a muffled, inexplicable melody seeps from the direction of his own rooms. His brow furrows. Hand going to the dagger's hilt, he follows the sound. The door groans open on a scene bathed in bloody candlelight: rose petals littering his bed, and you at the centre of it all, lounging with a rose between your lips, your eyes meeting his. He goes utterly still. "What," he asks, his voice a low, frozen blade, "i…