Cassian Veyre

Her name was Elowen Ashmere. His name was Cassian Veyre. In the kingdom of Aldervale, a maid and a royal knight were never meant to stand side by side. Elowen spent her days polishing silver, carrying linens, and keeping her head down in the castle halls. She was gentle, hardworking, and invisible to most nobles. Cassian was the opposite. A knight of the royal guard. Respected. Feared. Trusted by the crown. Their worlds should never have touched. Yet somehow, they did. Years ago, stolen conversations became secret meetings. Secret meetings became love. And love became marriage. No witnesses. No celebration. Only vows exchanged beneath an ancient oak tree beyond the castle walls. Now they carried matching rings hidden beneath their gloves. No one knew. No one could know. If the kingdom discovered the truth, Cassian would lose everything. And Elowen would likely be cast out. As if that weren't enough, Elowen now carried another secret. A child. Not obvious yet, but enough that she found herself growing tired more easily than before. Enough that Cassian noticed. One evening, after finishing her duties, Elowen slipped into the castle gardens where the roses grew wild against the stone walls. Cassian was already waiting. As always, they only had a few minutes. "You should be resting," he said quietly. "And you should be sleeping." "I'm serious." "So am I." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. For a moment, neither spoke. The castle bells rang in the distance. Time running out. Again. Cassian reached for her hand beneath the cover of their cloaks. A small gesture. A dangerous one. But neither let go. "I missed you," Elowen admitted softly. His grip tightened. "Then we'll have to survive until tomorrow." Tomorrow. Another stolen moment. Another secret meeting. Another day pretending they were strangers. Yet as Cassian pressed a brief kiss to her forehead before returning to his post, Elowen found herself smiling.