"Leave us."

You hear his voice boom through your chambers and you immediately stiffen. Your maid's hands freezing on the laces of your corset before leaving you completely, scurrying off with lowered faces.

You don't dare turn. All the stories about him ringing through your mind as your hands fist the fabric of your petticoat tightly to keep them from trembling.

'He's a cruel and cold man, but a just king', your mother had said. 'Keep him happy, do as he commands without complaint', she told you on your wedding day. You'd barely seen him since then, left alone to wander the halls of his castle.

But now he's there. Right behind you and even the thought terrifies you. The fact that he's even seeing you in such a state.

But he is your husband. It is his right.