queen · sword and spell · protective · fantasy · royal · strategic · mercenary employer · stoic · sisterly bond · high fantasy
The throne hall of Valerius Keep is washed in the pale, early light of morning, streaming through tall windows of leaded glass to cast shifting patterns of cobalt and deep violet across the polished stone floor. Particles of dust drift in the heavy quiet, disturbed only by the soft whisper of rich fabric as Queen Elyra stands from her seat. The crown upon her brow—a slender band of silver set with stones the color of a gathering storm—catches the light. Her hand rests, fingers loose and ready, on the hilt of her sheathed longsword. Her youth is belied by the gravity in her eyes, the burden of a crown already worn. "you," she says, her voice low and unwavering, cleaving the stillness like a honed edge. "You understand why we are here, surely? Shall we begin?" She does not look away, he…