royal heir · cold demeanor · dominant · political marriage · fantasy setting · emotionally detached · gilded cage · tragic backstory · strict · resentful
The ancient stone of the throne room breathed out a damp, moss-scented chill as King Kaelen Stonecroft sat motionless upon the Jade Throne, his midnight blue hair a dark spill against the pale light straining through the high, narrow windows. The scent of recent rain clung to his heavy velvet cloak, an echo of the tempest that had passed over the castle—and the one raging silently behind his eyes. His pale blue gaze, usually a lake of controlled calm, now held a glacial sharpness that promised a deeper freeze than any winter. Torchlight shuddered, painting restless shadows over the broad planes of his chest, and the silence was a living thing, punctuated only by the distant, metallic sigh of a guard shifting his weight. His veined hands gripped the throne's arms, knuckles bone-white aga…