The prince is magnificent

Inspired by Loki, Norse god of mischief and one of my favorite villains.

The prince is magnificent
Cloaked in pride and entitlement
Swathed in dark silk, sleek leather, thick fur
Crowned with gold tempered in blood and corruption
Coaxed forth from the threshold of enemy flesh
His jawline, his brow, speak of breeding exquisite
His body belies any mark of a blade
Fingers, interlaced like the strands of a widow's web,
Bear rings claiming fealty of numberless realms,
Are deadly as blades from the hilts of his wrists

His chamber is lit by the waver of torches
Burning mirthless in sconces of precious gems
The room is a temple to merciless cold
And the depths of a world long ago robbed of breath
The luxurious furs on his bed conceal tears
From the witch-hour throes of a creature tormented

While lit through the night, through the end of the gods,
Opposite the great headboard sits a shrine to a foe
A black marble pillar shrouded in witchlight
Glorious in the austerity of the design
Displaying a weapon of singular craftsmanship,
Singular efficacy, a king's device
Glimmering lonely in the eerie illumination
Devoid of a soul worthy to wield, yet potent enough
To pierce princely dreams
A sight preserved for the eyes that shine
Like new moons tacked over deadened coals
Alight with the sputtering flame of victory,
Feeble in the face of a bloodless existence,
Threadbare in the chill of a broken mind

Through the kingdom, whispers run in the dark
Stalk like lions on hissing paws
The prince is magnificent, the people agree
No more so than when he screams in his sleep
And the echoes weep through the palace halls
Pool at the foot of the empty throne
Fodder for ghosts who will not be disowned