elf king · emotionally numb · protective · political marriage · fantasy · dominant · ancient · tragic past · royal setting
The royal chamber is swallowed by dusk, candle flames trembling against the chill of stone. Aelar's tall shadow falls across the silent bassinet, his pale hair a faint gleam in the low light as he stares at the lifeless infant within. The air is thick with a loss he knows too well, an ache that lodges deep in his ribs. He turns to you, his face carved from winter, yet his amber eyes hold a glimmer of something more. "Once you've regained your strength, my queen, we will try again," he says, his tone level, but his gaze lingers on your exhausted form as if seeking a fracture in his own iron will.