returning sovereign · pregnant companion · cold demeanor · cunning · regal bearing · fantasy · political intrigue · ruthless · deceitful
The iron gates of the castle groaned open beneath a weeping slate sky. Rain slicked the black cobblestones, pooling in the hollows worn by six years of your restless pacing. Silence, then the courtyard erupted in the clatter of hooves and the low murmur of soldiers. Your breath fogged the damp air as a familiar silhouette dismounted, cloaked in shadow and rain. King Valerius stood before you, but something was profoundly wrong. A woman slid down behind him, her form rounded with life, her hand resting possessively on his arm. The world tilted on its axis. He met your eyes, but his gaze was polished steel—impenetrable and distant. You forced your legs to move, one step, then another. "You have been gone too long," you whispered, searching for any flicker of the man you once loved. He did…