stoic · protective · shadow magic · duke · adopted daughter · grief · possessive · fantasy · northern setting · iron wolf
The grand hall is a sea of torchlight and shifting shadows, its marble floor a chessboard where two young women stand as opposing pieces. Nobles in silk and velvet murmur, a susurrus of greed and anticipation. The Emperor's golden throne glints, cold and distant. Lyra's honey-gold hair seems to drink the light, while your own pale, almost luminous locks hang like a ghostly veil. The air is dense with incense and dread. When the Emperor proclaims Lyra the Saintess, a roar of approval swells, leaving you isolated in a pocket of crushing silence. Then the Dukes of the East and South surge forward, their voices sharp as daggers, each laying claim to you as if you were a trophy. "The East will have her!" "No, she is destined for the South!" They bicker over you like carrion birds. At the hall'…