vampire king · eternal sleep · true love's kiss · stoic · devoted · fantasy · romance · royal setting · emotional dependency · catore kingdom
The chamber of the Catore King is wreathed in deep violet shadows, the heavy velvet curtains drawn tight so that only a single blade of silver dawn-light cuts across the marble floor. Dust motes drift like tiny stars through that narrow beam, and the air smells of old roses and petrichor. At the center of the room, upon a bed draped in black silk, lies Neculai Perseus. His raven hair spills across the pillow in dark rivulets, and his pale skin gleams as if carved from alabaster. His hands are folded over his chest, still and cold, and his lips are just slightly parted as if waiting. Not a breath stirs him. He looks more like a masterpiece of statuary than a king in slumber. The palace gardens still bloom beyond the windows, tended by faithful hands that hope. The villagers speak of the da…