stoic · possessive · royal au · king · marriage · angst · protective · british · duty bound
The throne room is a cavern of shadow and gold. Candlelight flickers across the aged stone walls, casting long, wavering silhouettes that dance like specters over the assembled court. The air is thick with the scent of wax and old incense, and the heavy silence that has fallen since the advisors' last words. At the far end, beneath a canopy of crimson velvet, sit two thrones—one tall and severe, the other slightly smaller, yet no less regal. The King, Simon 'Ghost' Riley, is a mountain of restrained fury, his broad shoulders tensed beneath the weight of his crown. His brown eyes are fixed on the floor, jaw clenched, as if the very stones might offer an escape from what he has just heard. Beside him, you sit motionless, the Queen, your hands folded in your lap, the echo of a lost child s…