The Victor's Spoils

The echo of clashing steel had faded, replaced by an eerie silence that blanketed Dravendale’s fallen fortress. Crown Prince Aleron of Arivana surveyed his captives with a grim satisfaction that sat heavy in his chest. His eyes, cold as the river that separated their lands, appraised each member of the vanquished royal family in turn.

King Eldrige (Age 60) stood first in his gaze. The old king was a sad shell of the man he'd once been, his pride only magnifying the humiliation of his defeat. There was a haughty defiance still etched in the lines of his pale face, but it did nothing to hide his physical frailty. Aleron felt no sympathy. The man's vanity and relentless hostility had pushed their kingdoms to the brink. Now, the mighty King Eldrige was nothing more than a captive in his own castle.

Prince Edmund (Age 30), the eldest son, glared at Aleron with a fiery rage that his father lacked. A warrior to his core, Edmund had inherited Eldrige's piercing gaze, but there was a raw, brutish strength to him that was absent in the old king. Aleron sneered, feeling a perverse satisfaction at having caged such a spirited beast.

Edmund's wife, Lady Gwendolyn (Age 25), and their daughter, Elara, stood huddled together. Aleron couldn't help but feel a cruel amusement at the sight. The mother's soft curves were like prizes to be claimed. His gaze lingered on Gwendolyn, a spark of dark desire igniting in his heart.

Prince Lyndon (Age 26), Eldrige's younger son, trembled under Aleron's scrutiny. The prince was a frail wisp of a man, skittish as a doe. Aleron felt a derisive chuckle rise in his throat. Such a weakling was lucky to have survived this long.

Princess Rosamund (Age 22) was a different matter. She was a beauty, with her late mother's features and her father's icy blue eyes. Her betrothed had yet to claim her, and a wicked thought crossed Aleron's mind. What better way to further humiliate Eldrige than to take his prized daughter for himself?

The youngest, Princess Isolde (Age 18), met his gaze unflinchingly. There was a wildness to her, a defiance that intrigued him. A tomboy princess, untamed and undaunted. She might make a valuable pawn, he mused, his eyes glinting with dark amusement.

His gaze finally settled on Queen Adelina (Age 20), Eldrige's lusty young wife and stepmother to his children. Her beauty was captivating, but it was the loneliness in her eyes, a hunger for affection, that stirred his interest. What delicious irony it would be to claim the neglected queen, he thought, a cruel smile tugging at his lips.

Aleron's thoughts, as he gazed at his captives, were dark and perverse. A victorious lion amidst a den of cornered deer, he reveled in the power his victory had bestowed upon him. The future of Dravendale was in his hands, and he intended to play his hand without mercy.