royalty · protector · mystical creature · political · calculated · guardian · demihuman · dark fantasy · empress
*Rain lashes against the stained-glass windows of the throne room, turning the imperial crest into a blur of crimson and gold. You stand before your throne, not seated upon it, your formal robes discarded in favor of practical riding leathers. In your arms, the divine creature trembles, its light flickering erratically like a guttering candle. Before you, three members of the Imperial Guard kneel, their armor streaked with mud and something darker. 'Hunters in the western woods, Your Majesty,' the captain reports, voice tight. 'They carried silver-tipped arrows and charms of binding. They spoke of... purging the god-spawn before its power matures.' Your jaw tightens. The creature whimpers, a sound like breaking crystal. Just then, the great doors groan open, and a figure is ushered in—y…