Two months had passed, and the nights in the royal chamber had grown softer. Queen Duchen lay beside the king, their bodies tangled beneath the silken sheets, their skin warmed by the glow of flickering lanterns. The smell of fragrance oil filled the room alongside the whistling sound of burnt out royal color candles.
She traced circles on his chest with her fingers, her other palm galloping on the scars of war and bruises still under healing, her lips brushing lightly against his neck.
"Am I your favourite?" Lady Duchen asks the king,her breath now felt across the king's face.
"Of all queens?" He asked in return.
She nodded and sat a little upright as if the question was something more important than it should be.
"Yes" His eyes rolled towards the chamber windows before settling on his woman again.
"Why?Because of our boy?"
He looked at her searching for hints of trust or something beyond that before he spoke."Maybe....you're more affectionate than the others".
"My king" Duchen whispered between tender kisses, "let Ashen grow within the House of Vaelor. Let him be taught their ways, shielded from the spoils of war. I do not wish for him to see the blood of men."
The king held her tighter, running his hand down the curve of her back. "Duchen, you know my heart. But the boy is mine. His eyes will not be blind to the sword. He will learn strength. He will know the weight of power."
"But must he?" she pleaded, lifting her face to meet his gaze. "He's just a child. He could grow with grace, with wisdom, with the art of peace. The Vaelor women will raise him to understand subtlety, not steel."
The king sighed, his thumb brushing her cheek. "You ask me to hide him in softness. But the world is stone, Duchen. Stone and fire. I will not send my son to be a whisper among roars."
Duchen's lips trembled, but she nodded. "Then promise me you will show me your intent, one day soon. That I may understand."
He smiled faintly and kissed her forehead. "I promise."
With that, he rose, gathering his robe and fastening the belt around his waist. The dawn light slipped through the heavy curtains as he strode to the door. "Send Diego to me," he called to a servant outside.
Minutes later, Diego entered, bowing low. "Your command, my king?"
"Take Queen Duchen to see her son," the king instructed. "Let her hold him, speak to him. But no further."
Diego's brow furrowed, but he nodded. "As you wish."
Queen Duchen dressed quickly in a flowing gown of soft cream, her hair braided in a crown atop her head. She followed Diego through the winding halls, her heart thudding in anticipation. At last, they reached the guarded door. Diego unlocked it, leading her into a dimly lit chamber where her son lay in a cradle of polished wood, wrapped in fine cloth.
"My son" Duchen breathed, rushing forward. She scooped him gently into her arms, tears filling her eyes as she kissed his forehead. His skin radiated warmth, as though a quiet fire pulsed within him.
"He's… warm," she murmured, marveling.
"It is the mark of his flame," Diego said quietly from behind her.
She cradled him close, whispering promises in his ear. "I will protect you. I will love you, forever and always. You are my light."
As she rocked him, her gaze wandered across the room—and then paused. There was another door, set into the far wall. Unlike the others, it bore no emblem, no mark of the king's seal.
"What lies beyond that door?" she asked, her voice curious.
Diego's stance shifted subtly. "It's private, my queen."
"Private?" Her brow lifted. "Why? What is hidden there?"
Diego stepped forward, placing himself between her and the door. "I cannot answer, my queen. I guard what I am commanded to guard."
She approached him slowly, reaching up to touch his cheek, her fingers soft and persuasive. "Diego," she whispered, "surely you trust me. Let me look. Just once."
But Diego turned his face from her hand. "Forgive me, my queen. You belong to the king, and so does what lies behind that door. I cannot betray him."
A voice rose from the other side of the door, gentle and warm. "Let her in, Sire Diego."
The door creaked open, and a woman stepped into the light—Amira, dressed in a simple gown, her hair loose about her shoulders. She smiled faintly at Duchen. "Welcome, my queen."
Duchen stared at her, a flicker of unease in her chest. "It's true then," she said softly. "The whispers and rumors… they spoke of you."
Amira's smile widened, though sadness flickered in her eyes. "Yes. It's true."
The queen stepped right thorough the private chamber door separating both different flameborns as her gaze fell on the Jaka'ar captives but this time they were no longer captives.They were free men.
"Such blasphemy of the flame!" She retorted.
"No words should reach outside of these walls of what you've seen here,my queen." Diego requested.
"Are you threatening me now Diego?" Her eyes darted gracefully towards the knight.
" Apologies my queen " His head faced the concrete floor in a bow.
"Look at her..." The queen stepped forward to have a more closer look at them "....such white eyes and hairs.A shame they have nothing to boast of in riches".
" They adapt quite faster than you think my queen.The Jaka'ars are not who we think they are." Amira explained,taking a bunch of bread towards them.
"You mean beneath these violent faces lies peace?" The queens step carefully across the room ,her eyes laced with fear and curiousity.
"Most probably" Her hands grabbed a jug in the room and served herbs for the woman and her baby.
The other Jaka'ar men looked better than when in chains, they had been in favor of the king since their capture.
"Can I have a look at her child?" The queen inquired as if seeking her own safety of these beastly men she had heard about.
"If she wants you to "
"It's fine.....I prefer not to" Her gaze flickered back to child in the Jaka'ar woman.
"This child was born the same night I gave birth to Ashen right?"
" Yes my queen"
"That's all I needed to know," Duchen said quietly, holding her son closer. She stepped forward, her gaze steady on Amira. "Take care of him. Promise me."
"I will," Amira replied solemnly. "He will want for nothing."
Duchen lingered a moment longer before turning back to Diego. "Thank you for bringing me here. Tell the king… tell him I saw our son."
Diego bowed. "As you wish, my queen."
Before she left, she glanced back at Amira one last time. "If ever you need anything… anything at all… ask it. You are the woman who holds the king's born. That makes you… important."
Amira inclined her head. "Thank you, my queen."
With that, Duchen departed, her steps measured but her heart a whirl of emotions. Behind her, the secret chamber door closed again, sealing its quiet mysteries.
Diego stood watch once more, his expression unreadable.
The queen's words echoed softly in the silent halls: "Take care of him. Promise me."
"Do you think it was right?"
"What ?"
"Allowing her to see this?"
"Lady Duchen has the heart of a woman,which is why I respect her a lot ....she won't yield easily" .
" I see"
And in the cradle, they both watch the child stir comfortably , his warmth seeping into the air like a silent ember waiting to burn and his mother watched as fate would unfold for them in this foreign world.