♛ | ❛ —————– it began once she was entwined in the grasp of another, trembling fingers clinging to the crown the union offered. though the orchestrated ceremony held endless beauty, the forged connection lacked such. it appeared as no more than a scene in an unfolding tragedy, all playing their destined parts. & she was no more than the second QUEEN to reign at a still grieving King’s side.
but Jack, the mystery of their court, carefully paid her the proper attention. desire had grown palpable, her interest appearing appropriate to not spark rumor. hands hovered over limbs, palms so close, heat radiating from untouched skin, contact only made when the steps of the dance required it.
surroundings became a blur in her periphery, the world irrelevant, the crown woven in the raven strands of her hair slowly losing its weight until all came to a pause. the music lost in silence, bows & curtsies surrounding them, mutters of thanks exchanged between partners. her fingers were barely balanced in his grasp as if the lightest breeze could cause them to slip free. the kiss to her fingertips was reminiscent of a feather ghosting across flesh & though he hardly touch her it burned, lingering until morning’s first light.
where elation should be present, forbidden emotions provoked fear, knowing the danger they posed if ever revealed. it was the driving force that kept her from him since then, fleeing spaces & the confines of corridors when she felt him near.
♛ | ❛ —————– months had passed. many since their first dance, since her coronation. the harsh winter winds twisted & swirled beyond the frosting windows of the palace, every hearth raging to keep the inhabitants warm. affection was fleeting from the man who claimed her, who had risen her high atop her throne. it was present when required to ensure court would not presume turmoil between their rulers.
he bedded her only to produce an heir, to fill her belly with a child so she could the deed of every monarch before her. his attention remained on his daughter, feasting with her, dancing with her, caring for her. even as a prince was growing in her womb, attention was hardly paid.
with the pregnancy only a small bump now, the King thought it wise to commission a portrait of his Queen. onyx tresses free from their binds billowed beyond her shoulders, virescent irises steeled on the fresh snow powdering the grounds just beyond her captivity, hands settled on the small life growing within her when the door creaked open to reveal her artist for the day’s events.
breath stilled when recognition struck her, the very fixture of her desire, freedom embodied in a man’s form. HE was the secret longed for, the man fate would dangle before her to torture her without remorse. Jack, was greeted with a smile & he in-turn bowed out of respect, gaze lingering on the small bump she held beneath her gowns until it clung to her own. the second kiss would be her friendly greeting, one bestowed on each of his cheeks.
& she was left to wonder if the tension suffocating the room was from her alone or did his skin burn just hers had so many evenings ago ?
his eyes remained on her for too long, lingering, hands hovering as if afraid to touch, knowing control would be lost to needs of the flesh. fingertips traced the curve of her neck to position her head just perfectly & she remained deathly still until he approached once more, faces so close, suspended as own reached, lips wanting for his own, space growing slimmer. but the King’s voice brought the pursuit to a halt, forcing him to return to his easel & she to her corpse-like stillness.
♛ | ❛ —————– since the completion of her portrait, notes were exchanged between them often as he felt it wise to leave the castle & return to his estate. but word was sent in the dead of night, carried by her dear raven to his window each night. words flowed from her with ease, ink flowing across the page to reveal moments of her day where she wished it was his arms she was nestled in, it was his kiss upon her lips at night, his body pressed to hers.
it was treason, yes. but she cared little until rumor has reached her that her dear Jack was to marry another, engaged to a younger woman. letters stopped, her raven sat idle in her chambers, observing her as she wept, as she dismissed all company. & nights later she would awaken to great pangs of pain, her body attempting to abort something. fingertips palpated between her thighs to find a warm moistness, the pain only intensifying as she coiled & screamed in her bed. in candlelight, fingertips were stained crimson. she rested in a lake of it, her body rejecting her precious baby boy. & the Queen’s wails shook the entire stone castle to its foundation.
not a word was sent to the man she loved, the one she had once longed for. she was certain that as she mourned, he aided his future wife in the planning of a wedding. each envelope written in his hand was instructed to be tossed to the flames of the hearth in her chambers. skin nearly ashen from the loss of blood, life drained from her limbs, her voice hardly heard except for her cries at night, the Queen had become a phantom, a mere apparition.
& when her dearest Jack arrived to court to pay his respects, the monarch remained confined to her chambers, her ladies unwittingly allowing him entry. not a word fell from her lips as he spoke, her gaze not once flitting to him but rather fixated on the void, nearly lifeless as his lips pressed to her forehead hastily.
such contact would enliven he to shove him back, tears welling in her eyes, her ire a low hiss, a quiet whisper that would surely be bellowing screams of crippling heartache & rage.
❛ save such sentiment for your future wife.
LEAVE me in peace. LEAVE me here ALONE. ❜
weary eyes stung with the tears that welled in them, turning from her company to burrow herself in the pillows of what she was sure to be her deathbed.
♛ | ❛ —————– though jaded, the Queen was present at feasts, often lost in many goblets of wine or meade, numbness making stiff limbs limber once more. & so she would dance, drowning the demons that nipped at her heels with each twirl of her gown. the room had begun to spin, dizzying until the hands which caught were familiar, jaw tightening as his visage came into view, his hands forcibly removed from her frame for her to find another’s grasp.
the King grew sicker by the hour, blood peppering the cloth he coughed into, the poison she had fed him slowly taking affect. by nightfall he would surely perish, his heart giving way when he attempted to bed his Queen one last time. but the presence of Jack sickened her so, drove her from the dance floor to flee to towering ivy walls in her garden, refilling her goblet once more.
hurried rustling was heard behind her, the moonlight illuminating the figure which followed. fury caused the glass to be tossed from her grasp at him, creating further space so he could not touch her as she wished he would do.
❛ shouldn’t be off celebrating your new marriage ?
making love to your pretty wife ?! ❜
each word was drenched in envious venom, the acid of each syllable burning her tongue as she spat them at him. only for his expression to not contort into rage but anguish. breathless, he spoke his confession. the marriage had never been when the girl was caught bedding the stable boy & that he would have found any other means to keep the marriage from unfolding.
shock soon washed away what anger & tension remained on the Queen’s countenance, listening as he spoke of his love for her - abruptly cut off by her lips melding to his, passion overflowing from the kiss, every lost moment & each bit of longing pouring into it. fingers tangled in his hair, utterly consumed by him. rustling in the distant portion of the maze would force them apart, forcing her to flee from him & toward the castle so the servant approaching would find him alone.
♛ | ❛ —————– the King laid coughing in his chambers, words of dark magic whispered as she pricked her finger, painting the scarlet upon the small feathered skull of her companion to seal the man’s grim fate. hurriedly she locked the doors of her chamber, candlelight flickering as the secret entrance creaked open to reveal the man she had yearned for since the moment they danced at the celebration of her coronation.
she had BURNED for him for so long, years passing of wanting his touch on her skin, hands claiming her body, marking her as his if he so wished. standing before him now, curves only concealed by a flowing, alabaster nightgown, her heart fluttered in her chest as if she were no more than a maiden unfamiliar with the practices of intimacy. coyly she allowed it to fall from one shoulder, exposing the porcelain plane for him, blunt teeth clinging to her full bottom lip.
his fingers interlocked with hers, fitting in the spaces between them so perfectly as their lips met once more. slow at first, tasting one another, relishing the contact they had been deprived of. his trembling hands were guided to her frame, resting on her hips for a moment before being guided upwards to her breasts whilst she began to undress him.
with his attire in heaps, mingling with the gown, his lips caressed every inch of her flesh, savoring her as she did with him in return. their names were spoken in gasps, soft moans & sultry whispers, limbs tangled until sunlight seeped through the windows as the King, just corridors away, breathed his last shuddering breath.
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