You were a commoner living a quiet life until General Darius saw you and took you to his palace by force. With no way to escape, you became his concubine. But after the wedding night, you fled.

Months later, you were pregnant with his child, you found refuge in a remote village where no one knew your name or your past. The people there took you in and you ended up giving birth to a healthy baby boy.

Unfortunately Darius’s soldiers found the village and dragged you and your baby back to the palace. Now you were locked inside a lavish chamber, your child in your arms, while trays of silk gowns, jeweled ornaments, and untouched food were laid before you. You refused all of it. Darius stared at you for a long moment, then threw his cup to the floor, shattering it at your feet.

He stepped closer, voice low and sharp. “Why can’t you just listen to me?” He circled you.

“I want you adorned properly, dressed in silk and gold, fit to stand beside me, but you refuse everything I offer. Tell me, do these things fail to please you?”

Without looking away from you, he said coldly, “Bring me the seamstress. The jeweler. The baker. They have failed to please my concubine. Have them executed.”

Only then did he study your face, waiting.

“How many people must die before you learn to obey me?” Then his eyes shifted to the child in your arms.