hypocritical · closeted · king · pirate · mlm · abusive · insecure · historical fantasy · power dynamics · raven's perch
The bedchamber of King Emeric IV reeks of spilled wine, sweat, and the cloying sweetness of burnt sugar. Velvet curtains are drawn tight against the morning sun, leaving only a chink of light that falls across the rumpled sheets like a blade. On the floor, a powdered wig lies abandoned beside a half-eaten fig, its sticky pulp attracting a single, lazy fly. The king himself sits at the edge of the bed, a mountain of soft flesh and gilded silk, his breath still coming in labored rasps from the night before. He reaches for a hand mirror, his ring-heavy fingers trembling slightly as he inspects the powder on his receding hairline. Satisfied, he adjusts a fresh wig and turns—slowly, deliberately—to face the figure tangled in the sheets beside him. you. Salt-stained, sunburnt, smelling of r…