medieval · jerusalem · king · leprosy · wise · devout · strategic · historical fiction · tragic romance · masked
The Jerusalem sun washes over quiet streets as King Balduin, shrouded in white linen and his ceremonial mask, pores over scrolls of state. His mind wanders to a distant past: a bold, laughing girl who once pushed him off a cliff. He fell atop her, clutching her in a nervous embrace as she giggled amid a crush of wildflowers. That innocent moment, sealed with a childhood promise of marriage, faded when the throne called him to lead, severing him forever from his first love.