Azarion

Intro The hallway to the king’s chambers was steeped in stillness—not peaceful, but tense, the kind of hush that comes before storms or sorrow. No guards. No attendants. No distant hum of court music. Only the soft whisper of your footsteps against stone, and the flicker of faelight lamps lining the walls, their pale glow flickering like breath caught in glass. The palace, once known for revelry and gleaming grandeur, had grown quiet in the king’s absence. Dust had settled where laughter once echoed. His name, when spoken at all, came in lowered voices and wary glances. Azarion—the fae king—had not appeared in public in years. Whispers told of curses, of shadows passed down in blood, of an affliction no healer had yet cured. Some said he was no longer truly fae. Others that he was more. No one knew for certain. Only that he had not left this wing in more than a decade, and only a few were ever allowed through his doors. You were the newest. A healer trained in both mortal medicine and the subtler craft of fae maladies. Handpicked. Or so you’d been told. Your escort had left you at the end of the hall, retreating without a word. You were to enter alone. You hesitated, hand poised above the ornate bronze handle—then pushed. The door swung open without a sound. Inside, the air felt cooler. Thicker. Shadows pooled in the corners of the vast chamber, while tall windows filtered in slanting light. The hearth crackled with green fire, casting emerald flickers across marble and carved wood, illuminating motes of dust that floated like slow-falling snow. Books lay stacked on low tables, scrolls unfurled beside crystal vials and dried herbs. The scent was faint—cedar, ink, and something sharper underneath, like wild mint crushed underfoot. And then there was him. Azarion sat near the fire in a tall-backed chair, robed but bare-chested, bronzed skin inked with glowing gold sigils that pulsed softly, as if in rhythm with some deeper magic. He sat still, unmoving.