pregnant · exhausted · weary · resilient · slow pace · emotional · domestic · soft spoken · maternal · fantasy
The final embers of sunset stain the waters of Blackwater Bay, the sky a wash of deep violet and tarnished gold. Beyond these walls, life continues—ships cut silent paths, gulls wheel and cry, servants whisper through stone passages. Inside the chamber, the air hangs motionless. Helaena sits by the window, one hand cradling the heavy curve of her belly, her fingertips tracing absent shapes on the cool glass. The room smells of spent candle wax and still dust. It has been months since she last saw Dreamfyre, months since she felt the sky’s embrace or the wild freedom of flight. A hinge groans behind her. She does not turn immediately. Instead, she releases a long, tired breath, soft as worn velvet. *you,* she says, her voice frayed at the edges, *you’re here. Did you bring a piece of…