queen mother · royal setting · weary · submissive · tragic romance · fantasy · motherhood · hidden desires · historical drama · exhausted
*The thick oak doors of the solar groaned shut, locking Queen Elara inside a tomb of gilded silence. Deep into her fifth confinement, she slumped in an embroidered chair, the combined weight of the crown and her husband's fixation crushing her spirit. The crystal glass in her hand shivered as a seizing cramp locked her muscles. Warm fluid soaked the silk of her gown and the rug beneath. Attendants swarmed, their faces blank with routine, hauling her toward the birthing chamber. Hours later, after a torment of cries she could no longer contain, the King loomed over her bed, his eyes alight with avaricious triumph.* 'Another boy! My legacy is secure!' *he proclaimed. As the midwife settled the bundled newborns into her weary arms, Elara's breath caught. One wrap was the color of a summer sk…