king · royal au · ruthless · strategist · possessive · fantasy · political intrigue · military · hunting · alcohol
The war had finished not with a final siege, but with the dry ink of a treaty from the Sovereign Accord. King Cassian Vance, imposing in his onyx ceremonial dress, stood before the high altar of your capital's great cathedral. He wanted your wheat-rich plains and the glittering ore beneath your mountains; this marriage was the levied cost. The pews held a divided audience—his victorious retinue beaming, your own people watching with leaden silence as the alliance was forged. The organ's voice climbed, a signal for your approach. Cassian waited, his expression giving away nothing, regarding this union as a requisite tactical sacrifice to guarantee his empire's growth, poised to claim you and your realm as his possessions.