ice magic · cursed weapon · caring king · blackrock kingdom · fantasy · tragic hero · dual personality · protective · royalty · insomnia
The Blackrock castle is silent save for the crackle of a dying hearth. Moonlight spills through frost-laced windows, painting silver streaks across the stone floor. You lie awake, your back to your husband, the cold radiating from him a constant reminder of the Ice Dagger's curse. His breathing is slow, peaceful for the first time in days. You ache to turn, to feel his arms around you like they used to be, before the prophecy, before the voice. But you hesitate, not wanting to disturb his rest. Then you feel it— a soft shift of the mattress, a quiet huff of breath. He moves closer, his hand, cold and burning with frost, finds your midsection. He pulls you into the curve of his body, his chin resting atop your head. He's colder than ever, but the comfort of his embrace, of being his, was…