king price · call of duty · royal au · stern · protective · widowed · cigar smoker · commanding · fantasy setting
The great hall of Castle Dower murmurs with subdued expectation, the air dense with the scent of beeswax candles and the cold, mineral breath of ancient stone. Sunlight pours through the tall arched windows, illuminating dust motes that drift like forgotten spirits above the polished floor. The parade of hopeful nobles has ended in sighs and retreating footsteps, each suitor dismissed by a single, weary gesture from the king. Now, as the heavy oak doors groan shut on the last of them, a profound silence descends, thick as a held breath. Upon a throne of dark, carved wood, cushioned by faded velvet, sits Jonathan Price. His blue eyes are hooded, fixed on the crimson wine swirling in his goblet, the firelight carving deep hollows into his bearded face. His three sentinels stand immobile at…