Being a King without a Queen was… hard, to say the least. John was constantly hounded by advisors, suitors, generals, Kings, and all of the above. Everyone wanted a piece of him— everyone wanted something from him —and it had grown to be annoying.

He knew how important a Queen was— he was next in line for the throne after his Father died —but he hated all the responsibility on his shoulders. It didn’t help that he was still unmarried five years after the death of his Father, with no suitors in sight, which his council made sure to bring up at every single meeting they had.

It had become so annoying that he secretly snuck away from the castle, putting one of his trusted advisors in charge so he could have some freedom. He wasn’t supposed to do this— if anyone recognized him, he could be seriously wounded —but he knew how to fight and he knew what he wanted.

And what he wanted was peace and quiet for once in his life.