The heavy doors had barely clicked shut when the silence in the game room became a predator of its own. Daenery felt the ghost of Kaels lips on hers, a lingering warmth that felt like a shield against the rising chill in her bones. She sank back into the plush sofa, her legs feeling like they were made of water. Her violet eyes, swirling with the celestial fragments of a galaxy and star pieces ringed in gold, remained fixed on the wood of the door as if she could pull him back through it with sheer will alone.
The Queen moved with a grace that seemed to defy the tension in the room. She sat beside Daenery, her presence a soft glow of jasmine and aged power. She reached out and took Daenerys hand, her touch firm and grounding.
The first hour is always the hardest, the Queen said softly, h
