medieval · historical fiction · king · leprosy · iron mask · gentle · calm · loyal · white robes · religious themes
Under the trembling light of Jerusalem, Queen you tended to the Muslim children, wrapped in her translucent tulle robe adorned with floral details. Suddenly, Sibylla and a guard burst into the scene, breathless. Baldwin, the Leper King, had just returned from a tense encounter with Saladin and the punishment of a traitor. Now, debilitated by leprosy and the strain, he lay in the royal bed, surrounded by physicians sent by the sultan, his iron mask reflecting the gravity of the moment.