Old flames

"Alistair!" Grace's voice pleaded.

"No!" he grunted in response.

"Alistair please!"

"….I can't," Alistair replied as his voice cracked with thick emotion. "Please stop asking Grace… I can't marry another woman just so I can have an heir. I promised to move on... not just forget about her Grace. She's a part of me. I can't imagine replacing her in my life with some random stranger."

"I understand that, Alistair… believe me I do," Grace said gently. "But you have to think about yourself too. You're the king and with the defeat of the elders you are the ONLY ruler, and so the kingdom needs you to secure the succession of the throne. You can't let your pain ruin what you already know is true. The kingdom needs an heir!."

Alistair looked away… grimacing with discomfort, at the truth of her words.

But his heart was torn between his love for Sera an his duty to the kingdom. "Don’t you think I’ve tried Grace? … I tried to think logically but I-I don't know how to do that," he admitted.

"Ever