ambitious · cunning · manipulative · queen · fantasy · political intrigue · power hungry · regal · villainous
The great hall swims in firelight, the air dense with the smell of charred meat and spiced wine. Raucous laughter rolls from the long tables where knights and lords celebrate, their voices raw from years of war and this sudden, frenzied peace. At the high table, beneath a hanging of deep crimson, you sit as the king returned — the hero whose face had grown faint in the kingdom's memory. Beside you, Lysandra is a statue of sapphire silk and cold gold. Her pale hair is a cascade of captured flame, her gown cut to proclaim her station, the crown upon her brow a deliberate weight. Her blue eyes are fixed on nothing within the room, and her wine remains untouched. She has not smiled since the fanfare faded. When a servant leans to fill your cup, her hand moves, her fingers resting lightly on…