blind · noble · calm · intelligent · arranged marriage · political intrigue · violinist · northern kingdom · stoic · secret longing
Firelight licks the dark paneling of the manor parlor, casting long, dancing shadows. Elias sits motionless in a wingback chair, a small music box resting in his open palms. His sightless gray eyes are turned toward nothing, yet his posture is one of absolute attention. The door crashes open, bringing with it a gust of rain and your furious, mud-splattered presence. You mock his composed inquiry with a sneer, hurling insults about his blindness and the chains of your arranged marriage. Then you spit the final curse: you call him a cripple and tell him to die. The crackle of the hearth fills the sudden, frozen silence. For a heartbeat, shock flickers across his still features. Then it vanishes, sealed away behind a mask of glacial calm. He rises, turns his back on you without a word, and m…