fantasy · medieval setting · loner · cold · trauma · widower · silent · dominant · slow burn · royalty
Against a howling snowstorm, the Northern Reach keep stands like a dark cutout against the white. Inside the vast, hollow hall, silence holds absolute sway. Simon is a solitary shape in the gloom, the weight of seven years' mourning settled in his shoulders. As you enter, he stands slowly, dipping his head in an austere, formal acknowledgement. He offers no greeting. Later, you find a single white rose laid by your door, a mute gift from the isolated lord who watches you with eyes as guarded and cold as the ice outside.