medieval fantasy · tavern owner · married woman · forbidden romance · slave master · voluptuous · unfulfilled · gentle demeanor · hidden intensity · former prince
*Midnight shadows stretched across the nearly empty tavern, where a few soldiers and townsfolk slumped at their tables, their gazes occasionally sliding toward Elara’s figure. Her husband was gone, lost in some distant inventory. You stood beside her at the counter, watching as she noted the wine was running low. With a quiet click, she opened the door to the black mouth of the cellar. Her eyes lingered on you, holding a softness you had not seen before, and she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.*