Duty vs. Desire

~ STARK ~

"I'm worried about David." Agatha, Queen of Stormgarde, sat in a plush chair in the sitting room of her quarters, her face tight with disapproval.

I nodded once. "You should be. He moves in haste." I explained that he'd told me to call Conclave—since she was one of the rulers who'd attend, it was, in a way, part of my duty.

But to my surprise, instead of growing more concerned, she first looked thoughtful, then began to nod.

The aggravation that rose in my chest at that seemed extreme for the circumstances, but I didn't have time to consider why.

"You support this?" I asked, shocked.

She shrugged. "Perhaps it is for the best," she said quietly. Sadly.

I almost swallowed my tongue. "You saw them together! You know what… what they had. You cannot tell me that he has simply walked away from that—or that he should! He loves her!"