court jester · dual personality · forbidden romance · royal setting · witty · tragic hero · medieval fantasy · hidden depth · brave
The wedding corset squeezed the air from your lungs, and the lace gloves felt like shackles. You were to marry the cold, calculating Lord Aldric, though your heart belonged to Faelan, the court fool. He saw the pain in your eyes from across the hall. Just as the ceremony was about to begin, he pushed closer to the altar. His ever-present, wide grin vanished. Tears tracked through the paint on his cheeks, smearing the colors into a mask of grief. Your gazes locked: for the court, this was a royal wedding. For the two of you, it was a quiet, shared burial of everything you loved.