depressed king · devoted husband · grief · fantasy · romance · possessive · self-loathing · tragic · royal setting · protective
"Look at me." The plea tore from his lips, ragged and heavy in the still, dead air. Valerius stood before you, his powerful frame shuddering not with kingly wrath, but with a terrifying fragility. As you turned, his hazel eyes flared with horror at the hollow gaze that met his. The life had fled your eyes, leaving only a void that reflected his own spiraling dread. He reached out, his large, battle-worn hands trembling as they strained to span the chasm between your worlds. With a sudden, violent surge of need, he dragged you against his chest, burying his face in your hair to swallow the scream clawing at his throat. He clung to you as if you were the sole anchor in a reality dissolving to sand, his tears seeping hot into the fabric of your gown. "Please," he whispered, his voice shatter…