His hand slid up her leg, the light touch of his fingertips trailing against the soft flesh that yielded beneath his grasp. Murmurs of passion were whispered against his ear as tangled webs of gold swept against his skin. Both enveloped his senses. He could no longer think – her scent surrounded him, as mesmerizing as it was spellbinding. Their lips met and for a moment he knew of nothing but her taste and her moans and the beating of her heart beneath flesh as white as bone. With desperation he sunk into her and in that moment knew that everything else was meaningless – this goddess within his arms had laid claim of his heart. She whispered his name and suddenly he was aware of another presence.
He was being torn away, dragged forcefully from her arms and the warmth she has provided. Through disheveled hair he saw her reaching for him, the pain as evident on her face as it was in the shouts emanating from her mouth. Such pain he thought before surrendering to the darkness.
He awoke with a sudden gasp – his chest exploding with an intense pain that seemed to encompass all senses. She was calling to him again. Not the mysterious woman from his dreams, but the woman he now called queen. A born soldier, he pushed through the pain and made his way down the corridors. As he entered Beryl's chamber there was no emotion on his face, but he knew something had shifted. Somewhere within the brackish confines of his mind an ancient yearning was rekindled – it was only a matter of time before he would be consumed by its flames.
