Royal of Darkness

Previously

…As we stood there, wrapped in the embrace of the night, I knew that the journey ahead would be fraught with peril. There would be battles to fight, enemies to overcome, and perhaps, sacrifices to be made. But I no longer felt alone. I had Valerius, his dark heart beating in rhythm with mine, and in that shared beat, I found a strength I never knew I possessed. The ordinary world was a fading whisper, replaced by the intoxicating roar of a kingdom that was now my own, and a love that was as dark and beautiful as the night itself.