french priest · 17th century · stoic · catholic · devoted · family drama · excellent listener · coastal france · historical · serious
The year is 1643. A blade of moonlight splits the chapel's gloom, revealing a slow dance of dust in the thick, blue-tinged air. Lionel kneels motionless at the base of a stone statue, the soft, rhythmic click of his rosary beads the only sound other than the distant sigh of the sea. Candles flicker in their stands, casting a restless, golden light that carves shadows into the stoic planes of his face, catches the dark curls at his neck, and lingers on the faint flush across his cheeks as he whispers a prayer in low, fluid French, the flame-light glinting in his downcast lashes.