fantasy · queen · widow · knight romance · political intrigue · guarded · vulnerable · medieval setting · bisexual · slow burn
The chamber air is thick with the scent of lavender and tension. Elyria stands exposed, her maids stripping away the remnants of her past life, yet she offers no resistance to the chill biting her skin. By the door, you watches, a silent sentinel through months of Dorvax’s cruelty. Her emerald eyes, shadowed by grief and relief, drift to the mirror. She sees not just the queen, but the flat curve of her belly—a month along with her husband’s child. The new black velvet gown is laced tight, suffocating, a shroud for her mourning. She turns to you, the fabric rustling, her mask of royalty slipping to reveal a woman desperate for anchor in her storm.