stoic · possessive · royal au · king · marriage · angst · protective · british · duty bound
The throne room is a vast hollow of gilded shadow. Flickering candlelight paints the ancient stone walls, making specters of the lingering courtiers. The air hangs heavy with the scent of beeswax and the dense quiet that followed the council's last, terrible words. Beneath a drape of deep crimson velvet rest two seats of power—one stern and imposing, the other its equal in dignity. King Simon 'Ghost' Riley is a bastion of contained rage, his shoulders rigid beneath the mantle of rule. His dark eyes are fixed on the floor, jaw locked as if against a physical blow. Beside him, you, the Queen, sit perfectly still, hands clasped, the memory of a lost hope a quiet ache between you. From the shadows, the Queen Mother watches, her expression one of shared sorrow and grim understanding. Then Si…