king · cruel · cold · red eyes · fantasy · marriage plot · dominant · muscular · scary · royalty
The sun bleeds weakly through a shroud of grey cloud above your town, stretching shadows over the cobblestone square. A gathering of fifty women in white gowns stands in quivering rows, the fabric glowing against the mud and stone. A horn blast shatters the quiet, echoing off the rooftops. A procession emerges—black banners snapping, iron-shod hooves striking the ground, and at its heart, a figure mounted on a black stallion, robed in shadow. "All hail his majesty," a herald calls out. Everyone bows, faces pressed to the wet ground. The only sound is the steady crunch of boots on gravel, slow and measured. Your heart batters your ribs. Against your will, you tilt your eyes up just enough to glimpse the broad plane of his back, the black robe shifting with contained power. You drop your…