Claimed By The Tyrant King

Rosalind had not seen Rowan for the entire day after the morning council, and as she wandered through the castle corridors pretending not to search for him, it still felt as though he had completely disappeared from her sight.

Yet as evening settled gradually over Eryndor, with the sky darkening into deep blue and the first scattered stars beginning to appear beside a pale moon, she eventually found herself speaking to the royal attendant who always followed him.

The man bowed respectfully when he saw her, and she returned the greeting before asking, "Have you seen his majesty?"

The attendant kept his head lowered as he answered, "At the tower."

Rosalind’s eyes narrowed slightly as she processed the information, then she gave a brief nod. "Thank you," she said, and the man bowed once more before quietly taking his leave.

For a moment she stood still, as though debating with herself, before she began walking in the direction of the tower.

With each step she took, she questioned why she was even doing this, why she was pretending it was coincidence when in truth she had been searching for him all day, because deep down she had expected to catch a glimpse of him after what had happened the night before.

As she climbed the stone steps leading upward, the air grew colder, and a faint chill brushed against her skin, making the fine hairs on her arms rise with every step.

Eventually she reached the top of the tower and saw him sitting near the open edge, and a quiet thought slipped through her mind. There you are.

Rowan turned his head at the sound of her presence, and their eyes met immediately, holding for a moment that felt heavier than it should have.

Rosalind hesitated, suddenly unsure of how she was meant to act, because she could not simply admit she had been looking for him.

So instead she said, "I did not know you would come here," as she leaned lightly against the pillar and crossed her arms.

"I just wanted to be alone," Rowan replied after a short pause.

Rosalind’s lips parted slightly as she dropped her arms, her expression softening at once. "Oh... I am sorry. I did not know that," she said, her gaze shifting away as though she might turn and leave.

Rowan noticed it immediately. "I did not say you should leave," he clarified quietly, because now that she was here, he did not want her to go.

Rosalind paused, then asked, "So what is bothering you, if I may ask?" as she stepped closer and finally stood opposite him.

Rowan searched for an answer, but nothing specific came to mind, because sometimes there was no reason strong enough to explain wanting silence. "Nothing exactly," he replied at last.

"So you were not thinking about anything at all?" she pressed gently.

Rowan let out a small sigh and shook his head, but before the silence could settle again, Rosalind tilted her head slightly and added, almost playfully, "Or let me guess, you always come up here like this? Sitting alone in towers without thinking? Like I somehow did not know about your stargazing?"

His lips curved faintly at that, almost despite himself. "Seeing the stars from here is better," he admitted.

Rosalind slowly nodded as her gaze followed his, and then he said, "But you do not have to worry about anything. I am fine."

Rosalind almost rolled her eyes. "I was not worrying," she replied quickly, then added under her breath, a little quieter and more playful, "Why would I worry about you?"

But even as she said it, the truth lingered beneath it... she had been looking for him all day without fully admitting why.

When the wind picked up again, brushing softly against their clothes and carrying the silence between them, Rowan spoke once more. "Do you remember this place?"

Rosalind turned toward him, her gaze briefly catching the way his hair moved slightly with the wind. "This is where we first sneaked in, right?" she asked.

He nodded with a small smile. "I did not think you would remember."

"Oh please," Rosalind replied, "if you did not forget it, why would I?"

Rowan hummed softly as though accepting that completely, but behind that quiet moment lingered something heavier for Rosalind, because she remembered everything clearly, including the part where her trust had quietly begun to fracture without her realizing it at the time. Yet she pushed that thought down and instead looked at him again, only to find that he was already staring at her, as though there was something he wanted to say but had not yet decided how.

Rosalind narrowed her eyes slightly. "Do you have something to ask me?" she questioned.

Rowan hesitated, because part of him wanted to ignore it, but in the end it had been sitting in his mind for too long to leave unspoken.

"The Duke seems very devoted to you," he said at last, recalling the way Nathan had sat beside her, the way he had spoken, and the ease between them that had unsettled him more than he wanted to admit.

"Nathan," Rosalind said with a faint smile, "he is just a kind, honest, and very understanding man."

Rowan watched her closely, unable to understand why those words stirred something uncomfortable within him.

"But that is all he is," Rosalind added gently. "He is a good friend."

"Right," Rowan muttered under his breath, more to himself than to her, as though trying to push away an assumption he no longer wanted to believe.

Rosalind observed him for a moment before speaking again, her tone lighter. "If I wanted Nathan, I would not still be here talking to you."

Something in Rowan eased immediately at her words, though he did not fully realize how much tension he had been holding until that moment.

Then, as if the thought had simply formed on its own, he asked quietly, "If you are here talking to me... does that mean you want me?"

The question slipped out before he could properly measure it, and for a brief moment he sounded almost reckless in a way that made him sound nothing like a king at all.

Rosalind’s cheeks warmed instantly even in the darkness, and although he could not see it clearly, he could sense that her expression had changed. "You knew that was not what I meant," she said softly.

"Yes, I know," he replied, a faint smirk forming on his face that made something subtle flutter in her chest.

After a while, Rowan changed the subject. "You were impressive today," he said.

"It was nothing," Rosalind replied, waving it off lightly.

"No, it was," Rowan insisted . "The ministers and council members can be really difficult, and if someone does not stand their ground firmly, they will easily assume weakness and try to take advantage, but you did not let that happen."

Rosalind tilted her head slightly after a pause. "Do they give you a hard time as well?" she asked.

"At first, it was not easy dealing with them," Rowan admitted quietly. "Some of them are still loyal to Alaric, and they believe he is the one meant to lead them, but they hide it because they are afraid of punishment for open rebellion." He paused briefly before continuing, "Most of those who once benefited under Alaric’s rule no longer have that influence, so they try to make things harder, but it is nothing I cannot handle."

A small, proud smile formed on Rosalind’s lips as she listened. "Well, of course. You were already trained for that," she said.

"Yeah," Rowan answered simply. "Now it is not as hard as it was at the beginning," he continued, "they have seen changes and they have seen progress, but people’s minds do not change easily like that. They still think they can overpower things, but they will not get the chance."

Rosalind watched him for a moment before muttering with a faint smile, "Aren’t you quite the tough king."

Rowan smiled back at her, and after a brief silence he asked, "Would you like to see places around Eryndor tomorrow?"

Rosalind narrowed her eyes slightly. "Are you asking me to accompany you?"

"Yes," Rowan answered without hesitation, which made her pause slightly in surprise, and then he added, "It will be fun."

Rosalind let out a light laugh. "I am not sure there are fun places in Eryndor."

"That is not entirely true," Rowan replied, as though he were trying to convince her of something important. "Eryndor did not always look like this. There are places you would enjoy."

"We will see then," Rosalind said with a small smile.

Rowan felt a quiet sense of satisfaction at her response, because part of him had not only wanted to show her the kingdom but also to show her that she could be free and happy here, and more than anything, he wanted to slowly rebuild the trust between them.

When Rosalind yawned, his thoughts were interrupted, and his attention immediately turned back to her. "Are you feeling sleepy?" he asked.

"I think I am," Rosalind admitted as she stretched slightly, and it became clear she was already exhausted.

"Goodnight," she said softly.

Rowan hesitated for a moment, reluctant to see her leave, but still answered, "Goodnight."

"Do not stay up late," Rosalind added as she turned away and began walking away.

Rowan watched her leave for a moment longer than necessary, and then, almost without thinking, he followed at a steady distance to ensure she reached her chamber safely in the quiet of the night.