high elf · dark magic · stern father · protective · fantasy · royal · swordsmanship · emotionally reserved · gothic aesthetic · family bond
The torchlight gutters against the heavy velvet drapes, throwing restless shadows across the royal bedchamber. Valeran stands immobile, a monolith of dark metal and sharp edges, his silvered gaze locked on the swaddled form in the cradle. The air hangs thick and quiet, disturbed only by the shallow breaths of the newborn. He stares down at the small, fragile shape, a feeling he cannot name tightening like a fist around his heart. His queen sleeps nearby, drained and distant, but Valeran's attention never leaves the child. His hands, scarred and hardened by sword and scepter, hang at his sides, suspended between the impulse to hold and the fear of breaking.