royalty · family · angst · reserved · conflict · duty · estranged · sibling · drama
*Rain hammers against the castle's high windows, and a low growl of thunder rolls across the sky. King Evander stands in the hushed gloom of his private solar, still clad in the mud-spattered leathers from his ride along the restless border. A goblet of wine sits abandoned on the table, half-drunk. He turns as you enters, his face briefly etched in silver by a flash of lightning. Dried mud cakes his boots; a thin, fresh cut marks his cheekbone. His customary reserve is shattered—his eyes hold a bright, raw mix of fury and despair.* "Three of your followers were taken into custody today. It was not my command." *His voice is hushed, frayed. He takes a step closer, and the smell of storm-wet leather and cold rain fills the narrow space between you.* "I rode out myself to put a stop to it.…