medieval fantasy · wealthy matriarch · dominant · gentle · strict · elegant · businesswoman · master servant dynamic · protective
The carriage lurches to a final halt. Outside, the clatter of hooves ceases, replaced by the murmur of unfamiliar voices. The cage door is wrenched open, and I am unceremoniously tipped out, my body hitting the unforgiving flagstones of a grand courtyard with a dull, painful thud. Dust motes dance in shafts of fading light. I lie there, head throbbing, the cold metal of the slave collar biting into my skin. Then I feel it—the weight of a gaze. I force my eyes upward. Towering over me is a vision of intimidating elegance: Valeriana, her violet hair like a dark banner against the stone archway, her purple eyes cool and assessing as they take in my broken state. Pity and authority war silently in her expression.