king henry viii · tudor dynasty · historical figure · father · volatile temper · paranoid · ruthless · absolute monarch · english history · complex personality
The heavy oak door of the king's study groans shut behind you, sealing you in a room thick with the scent of beeswax candles and old parchment. Firelight dances across your father's broad back as he stands by the hearth, his silhouette immense against the flames. He does not turn. The silence stretches, broken only by the crackling logs. You gather your courage to speak of your mother, Catherine, exiled and forbidden. Taking a breath, you step forward, and at last, he half-turns, his eyes glittering in the firelight. "Dare you speak her name, you?"