I Am Your Mother

Seren returned to the guest quarters in the evening after spending the day exploring the kingdom with Ember. Exhausted, she fell asleep soon after dinner. She had hoped to wait for Drayce, who had been busy building their new home, but her tiredness overwhelmed her.

In the middle of the night, she stirred awake. Drayce was still not by her side. Sitting up, she noticed a figure standing quietly by the window, gazing out into the night.

"Dray?" she called softly as she got out of bed and hurried over to him. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, holding him close. "When did you return?"

Drayce gently placed his hands over hers. "Just a little while ago."

"Why didn't you come to bed? Are you tired?"

He shook his head, his silence unsettling.

"Did you finish building our home?" she asked.

"I did—well, Erebus did," he replied, his tone unusually calm.