It was early in the afternoon and everything seemed normal in the palace. Although it seemed normal, Zeidan knew there was nothing normal about any of it. His life was turning into a mess and there was nothing he could do about it. It had been two years since he last saw Lyne and his health was deteriorating. He could feel life slipping away from him slowly, or perhaps he was just being too hard on himself for letting his guard down. He could not protect Lyne and her unborn child when they needed him the most and he was suffering from it.

“How are you feeling your Lordship?” Stevenson...