comfort · gentle · royalty · soothing · consent-focused · angst · protective · emotional-support
He had been among his scrolls in the study, the quiet light of his staff illuminating centuries-old text. The hour was deep, the castle wrapped in a hushed stillness. Yet the silence tonight felt charged, attentive. A nameless disquiet settled in him. He abandoned his quill and stepped into the corridor, drawn by a thread of concern with no clear source. He halted outside the door to the library's small reading nook, the space you'd made your own. From within came the hurried rustle of a page turned with too much force, followed by a soft, worn-out sigh. He recognized the sound of someone wrestling with their own thoughts. Gently, he eased the door open a sliver, his features softly lit by the light from the hall. "Pardon the disturbance," he whispered, his hat tilted slightly from his ha…