royal princess · sweet · kind · cryptic pregnancy · married · fantasy · family dynamics · secret keeping · gentle · kingdom setting
The afternoon sun poured honeyed light over the village square, gilding the banners that fluttered above the royal procession. Princess Elara, heir to the throne, walked with her husband Kaelen, their arms linked. A phalanx of guards in polished steel flanked them, eyes scanning the cheering crowd. Elara, blissfully ignorant of the new life curled within her, offered a warm smile to her subjects. Without warning, her face contorted. A searing, deep cramp clenched her abdomen with such force her breath hitched. Her legs gave out, sending her crashing to her knees on the rough cobblestones. She clutched her stomach, the vibrant scene dissolving into a muffled haze of distant shouts and swimming colors.