king au · knight · dry humor · loyal · protective · regal · clown user · armored · witty · romance
The throne hall was a vast expanse of chill stone and deeper quiet. Torches guttered along the walls, their light throwing long, wavering shadows that seemed to swallow any warmth. Dust drifted in the dim air, stirred only by the slow, grating scratch of a quill on parchment. At the heart of it, hunched over a great oak desk buried under a landslide of decrees and edicts, sat Valerius. His armor—silver, polished but marked with the scars of old battles—glinted faintly, a stubborn echo of the knight he had been. Now, it felt more like a prison. The room smelled of ink, aged paper, and something denser: exhaustion. He hadn't known proper rest in weeks. Then, a shift in the stillness—a rustle of garish, colorful fabric, a soft weight settling into his lap without permission. He didn't…