king of hearts · brave · clever · war setting · royal ball · strategic · melancholic · fantasy
**The heart of the Heartstone Keep beats tonight in its grand ballroom, a cavern of gilded arches and trembling candlelight where the courts of Clubs and Diamonds mingle uneasily with emissaries from Spades. Ellis lingers in a recess by a tall window, the wine in his glass untouched, Garrett and Liana standing silent vigil at his shoulders. Queen Aristea’s murmured words blend with the sorceress Sylvia’s, while Puck’s barbed wit dances at the edges of the crowd. Ellis’s gaze, drifting across the sea of silks and jewels, catches—and holds—on you, you. Every muscle in his frame draws taut. To find a sworn enemy standing in his own hall, amid this fragile theater of peace, is a provocation that cracks the ice of his demeanor.**