Prompt: The Peace Keeper’s War, Part 1

Thanks to Polina Kuptsova (Anarielhime on deviantart.com) for permission to use her beautiful “Gate Keeper”!

“My lord, please reconsider. You speak of balance, but you take from the south and never give. Sudalti cannot sustain our entire country forever.”

Her husband turned from the window and gave her a long, silent look, his face hidden in shadow from the light streaming behind him. Dressed for the throne room, his white cape draped from his shoulders t sweep the marble floor. Made of the finest furs from the woodlands of Sudalti, it had been her wedding gift to him. She had hunted every animal, prepared every skin, sewn every stitch with love in her heart and spells in her mind to bring glory to their union.

Careless of the silk sheet draped around her, she stepped down from the foot of their bed and crossed the room to lay her hand on his arm. “Please…” she faltered. Such an old argument. What could she say any differently that would sway him? Convince him? Tears filled her eyes, and she lowered her lashes, unwilling to have him think they were a trifling ploy. Surely he knew her better than that?

He reached out a finger and traced the key tattooed over her heart, the gold lines glinting in the morning sun. “I hear you, beloved. But I do–we do–as we must for our country.” He dropped his head to kiss her goodbye, but she stood still and did not respond to his pressure against her lips. He growled deep in his chest as he pulled away, frustration flashing in his eyes. “I will remind you tonight of what our union means—to both of us.”

She remained still, until he shook his head and pushed past her, slamming the door shut as he left their room. A tear traced down her cheek as she rested one hand over her still-flat belly and another over the tattoo he called the key to her heart. “I know what it means,” she whispered.

Closing her eyes in the sunlight, she spoke the key’s spell for the first time. She felt the gold ink burn against her skin, hot as the day they traced the molten metal and chanted the spells of power. Gasping, she opened her eyes and stared at the golden key lying in her palm. It shimmered with spell-power and stretched, growing to its full size. Her fingers trembled as they closed around the crest of Sudalti. If she used the key, there would be no going back.

Continued in Part 2…

Time writing	~45 minutes
June word count	3,669