The next morning while having breakfast alone, Lyanna heard voices in the corridor outside. Azrael and Sienna were returning from wherever they had been.
"It reminds of that winter campaign in the Frost Reaches." Sienna was saying. "Rember how you insisted on going to Northern Pass despite the blizzard? I told you it was suicidal, but you went anyway."
"And nearly froze to death." Azrael replied. "You had to wrap in every blanket we had and force blood wine down my throat for three hours."
"You are stubborn to the point of stupidity when you commit to sothing."
Their voices faded as they walked past towards the war room. Clara entered to clear the breakfast dishes and found Lyanna staring into space.
"Your Majesty, are you okay?"
"Tell honestly." Lyanna said. "When you see my husband and Lady Sienna together, what do you observe?"
Clara hesitated, looking uncomfortable.
"Your Majesty, I don’t think..."
"Please. I need soone to be honest with ."
Clara put down the dishes and sat.
"They’re comfortable together because they’re old friends. I don’t think anything inappropriate is happening. But Your Majesty, the comfort between them is because they have known each other for decades. You and His Majesty barely have a year together and fought most of the ti."
"That’s why I’m trying to build a future with my husband. But he seems more interested in reliving the past with soone who already knows him, doesn’t challenge him, and makes everything easy."
"You make him better." Clara replied. "You make him more compassionate. Lady Sienna might make him comfortable, but you make him better. You’re changing him for good."
"Change is painful." Lyanna replied. "Comfort is easy. And right now, I think he’s choosing the latter."
Lyanna returned to her chambers and took out Roland’s letter. She read it again, then sat at her desk and began to write an answer.
Ambassador Roland,
Thank you for your kind letter and generous offer. You’re right that there are tensions at Thornfield, though I assure you we are managing them well.
I won’t pretend everything is perfect. The relationship between my husband and I is complicated right now because of soone from his past who...
She stopped and crumpled the paper.
What am I doing? Complaining to another man about my marriage?
It felt like a betrayal, even if nothing was wrong. She started writing again.
Ambassador Roland,
Thank you for your concern. While I appreciate your offer of refuge, I’m committed to my role here at Thornfield and to my marriage. The rumours you’ve heard are exaggerated; court gossip always is.
However, I would like to keep in touch with you as a friend. Your perspective from outside Thornfield’s imdiate tensions might provide valuable insight.
With appreciation,
Queen Lyanna Thornfield
She sealed the letter and gave it to Clara to send.
"Your Majesty." Clara said hesitantly. "Are you sure about keeping in touch with Ambassador Roland? If His Majesty finds out..."
"I’m not doing anything wrong." Lyanna said. "Roland is just a friend. If my husband has a problem with having friends outside this castle, he should express his concern by talking to ."
She imdiately regretted the bitterness in her voice, but Clara understood her pain.
That evening, Azrael returned to their chambers around midnight. He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes despite being a vampire.
"Long day?" Lyanna asked, reading a book on the bed.
"Very." He replied, sitting down to took out his boots. "We’ve been working on coordinated response plans for multiple simultaneous Crimson Cross attacks. If they attack three territories at once, we need to..." He stopped. "Sorry. You probably don’t want to hear about strategy all night."
"I don’t mind hearing about it." Lyanna replied. "I mind that you worked all day without and then ca back to give a summary, like I’m a child being told a bedti story."
He turned to look at her.
"You’ve been pulling away from strategic planning. I thought you wanted space."
"I wanted you to actually want to include ." Lyanna said. "But now, I don’t. Because fighting for basic respect in my own marriage is exhausting, Azrael. So I’ve redirected my energy to things where I’m actually valued."
"You are valued..."
"By you or by Sienna?" Lyanna put down her book. "Azrael, be honest. When you work with Sienna, do you feel like you’re working with an equal? Soone who contributes at your level?"
He hesitated.
"And when you work with ?" She asked. "Do you feel the sa way, or do you feel like you’re teaching, explaining, or accommodating soone?"
"Lyanna, you’ve been a vampire for less than a year..."
"That’s not an answer to my question."
"It’s different with Sienna. We have decades of experience. Yes, working with her is easier because we speak the sa language, we’ve fought together, and we know each other’s thinking. But that doesn’t an..."
"It ans you prefer working with her." Lyanna cut him off. "You’d rather spend your ti with soone who makes everything easy than with your wife, who challenges you and requires effort."
"That’s not..."
"You spend every day with her. You laugh with her, share mories, and work in perfect synchronization. But with , everything is tense and difficult. We barely talk anymore except about work or relationship problems. When was the last ti we had fun together?"
A knock at the door interrupted them. They both stared at it, knowing who it would be before the voice ca through.
"Your Majesty?" It was Sienna. "I apologize for the late hour, but Victor just received urgent intelligence from the eastern border. He is requesting imdiate consultation."
Lyanna and Azrael looked at each other.
Would he go to another late-night intelligence briefing with Sienna like always, or would he stay and finish the conversation with his wife?
"Tell Victor I’ll be there in ten minutes." Azrael replied. "Lyanna, I’m sorry. You can co with ."
"So I can sit there while you and Sienna analyze intelligence in a language I don’t understand, making feel stupid and out of place? No, thank you.
Go work with your preferred partner. I’ll stay here and think about whether I want to keep fighting for a marriage where I’m constantly the second choice."
"You’re not second choice..."
"Then stay here. Finish this conversation. Actually prioritize your marriage for once."
He looked at the door, then back at her, clearly hesitating over the decision. And that hesitation told Lyanna everything she needed to know.
"Go." Lyanna said. "I’m tired of asking you to choose . If you can’t do it without begging, then what’s the point?"
"I love you." He said. "Whatever else is happening, whatever difficulties we’re facing, I love you."
"Love isn’t enough." Lyanna replied. "Not when you keep choosing everything else over ."
Azrael didn’t reply. He just left. Lyanna sat in the empty room and realized she was done.
She pulled out paper and wrote another letter.
Ambassador Roland,
I may need that refuge sooner than I thought.
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