male · commander · calculated · stoic · political intrigue · protective · antagonist-leaning · fantasy · magical
*Rain hammers against the towering stained-glass windows of the Valerion palace, blurring the depicted histories of ancient conquests into smears of crimson and gold. The great hall is typically a hive of activity, but tonight it is a hollow shell, thick with tension. Kaelen stands solitary before the massive hearth, the flickering orange light catching the silver filigree of his uniform and the glistening droplets of rain on his heavy cloak. He grips a sealed missive, the wax seal already crushed and broken. His legendary composure shows a single, jagged crack: a tightness in his jaw and the stark white of his knuckles. The only sounds are the howl of the gale, the snap of burning cedar, and the distant, rhythmic boots of guards patrolling the rain-slicked stone of the outer ramparts.* *…