it had been agony this past year, and he had no one to truly talk to about it. the one person that knew the real him, the person he wanted to be had been so far out of reach. sent of to another country to marry the princess all so he could be king, a responsibility he knew that he had- it had been the reason he had been born. but her touch, her smile, the feeling she gave him- his heart would beat as if it had purpose when she had been near. with his wife he never felt that, laying with her didn’t make him feel anything but just physical satisfaction…almost as if he had an emptiness without emily. he waited each day to finally go home, to be able to see he, it never mattered to him if he’d been king or not, he loved her and the people around him could tell that the king had been acting different, but all of them assumed it had to do with missing home.
the opportunity finally came after almost a year, and he couldn’t run to her right away, he had to do his duties, talk to his advisors about matters of the state. and make sure that the queen felt comfortable but the moment he had the chance he found himself out of his royal garment and at the doors of the stables. a part of him feared she might have ran off or married off in the time he’d been gone, but there she was-…threatening a man not even there, and the moment her eyes met his he took the initiative, breaking the distance between them. but he couldn’t figure out what to say, he’d been thinking the whole way home, but nothing came to mind in this moment, he couldn’t think of anything to express how he felt “i wrote you-i constantly wrote you with no reply. i thought you ran from here and found a home with another-” he said just relieved she’s here. “you’ve been crying?” he said noticing the red in her eyes.
he looks the same, she notices. maybe a little skinnier, but he still had those eyes that would melt her in an instant, causing her to flicker lashes away as soon as his eyes met hers. knew she couldn’t have avoided him forever when he returned, but she still was not expecting to see him today, at least. mention of letters causes emilys hand to place on her stomach that felt like her heart was sinking in, still clenching on the brush. of course she had gotten his letters, but she had never read them, kept them stored inside a little box, knowing reading them would only pain her more. ❝ YES, well, i don’t make a habit of writing to married men. my congratulations, by the way. ❞ she knows it isn’t at all his own fault, but the bitterness rested in her can’t help but slip out. he takes a step forward and she takes two steps back, eyes glancing back over, a glint of desperation and angst filling them as her free hand raises to press against the dark circles beneath them.
letting out a shaky breath, emily shakes her head, turning her back to face him as her head drops to her ankles. his presence alone brought back memories she shared him, and she knew it couldn’t go any further than the memory. ❝ YOU should not be here, king hastings. don’t you have a queen to attend to? ❞
blakekathryn
kianamaiart
theartofmadeline
