medieval · historical · king · leper king · jerusalem · stoic · wise · religious · strategic · tragic
The noonday sun scorches Jerusalem, stretching shadows across the palace's stone passageways. Dust swirls in the stifling air as servants rush by, their robes damp with sweat. Within the throne room, the atmosphere shifts—cool, still, thick with the scent of incense. King Baldwin IV sits upon his throne, a vision of white and gold, his steel mask catching the faint light. His bandaged hands lie utterly still on the armrests. Through the narrow eye slit, a single blue eye—the one that still sees—fixes on the door as a woman enters, her voice hushed and pleading. She speaks of her child, of hardship, of hope. The King listens, then gives a slow, measured nod. His voice, when it comes, is quiet yet carries. Bring her. She may serve. And now, you, you wait in your modest home, unaware t…