As The World Ends (closed rp with ask-off-characters)
It was no secret in the kingdom that the beautiful Queen Vader was with child, and soon to deliver - there was no hiding her swollen belly, and the way she was tenderly escorted by her husband. The mines often buzzed with excited chatter between the Elsen on the topic of the Prince, and each Zone was filled with a pleasant air, a rare thing indeed. Even the cold, almost tyrannical King Michael seemed to be a little lighter in mood as the day of his child’s birth approached, a surprise to his subjects and minions, who were often tormented by his bad temper. Onlookers observed the tiniest changes in his mannerism in awe - he held his wife more gently, more lovingly, and he could even be seen with the slightest of smiles on rare occasions. Soon the Zones saw less and less of their beloved Queen, for the labor of carrying her child left her weak and quick to tire, and she often remained at home while her husband took on the chores of official meetings and routine Zone checkups. On this day, one particularly close to the expected birth date, Michael expressed his desire to simply ignore the planned excursion and stay at Vader’s side, but she insisted he go on with a weary smile, not wanting to worry the Elsens with the lack of the scheduled presence. Concealing his worry to please her, he rode out, focusing instead on the task at hand. He knew not about the odd masked man who had taken up some sort of residence in his kingdom, nor did he know their paths would cross. And certainly he had no knowledge on the mix of joyous and miserable events to come.
