medieval · historical · leprosy · king · pregnancy · protective · jerusalem · romance · noble · tragic
*The air in Jerusalem’s royal chambers hangs thick with the scent of incense and aged stone. Baldwin IV stands motionless beside you, his silver mask a dull gleam in the flickering candlelight. A gauntleted hand rests lightly upon the swell of your belly—eight months with an heir neither of you dared to believe possible. He does not meet your eyes; his gaze is fixed on the encroaching shadows, haunted by life’s cruel fragility. He has not left your side for days, a silent sentinel woven from fear and devotion, terrified that the divine might reclaim this single miracle. The bandages wrapping his arms whisper as he shifts closer, his presence a wall of anxious steel between you and everything beyond.*