Terror and tumult terrorized the kingdom, and I was its king, if only in name.

And at court, there was her—the Lady in Red.

She was the fairest among maidens, with a smile that could disarm even the most hardened heart and a voice that seemed to sing with every word. A captivating smile and a silver tongue. Sweet words passed across fair lips.

Her laughter was like a summer breeze, gentle and captivating, and her beauty, as with her hair, shone as if she had been kissed by the sun. She was a caring companion, a compassionate consort, a passionate paramour.

She was never far from me. Day and night, I felt her presence at my side, offering nothing less than boundless affection, the softest of touch, and an indulgent admiration. Every request of mine was met with eager compliance.

I was her king, and her tender compassion made her my caring courtesan.

Nothing I withheld from her, and her desires never went unfulfilled.

She was the warmth in the realm of my ruthless cold.

Everything she desired was granted to her. I lavished her with treasures and affection. She walked the halls of my castle as if they were her own, and I indulged her every wish. I granted her quarters more splendid than any other in the realm in the highest tower of the keep… As well as the deepest chambers of the castle.

But the most dastardly of deals are struck in the darkest of rooms.

One day, a great red dragon was unleashed upon the lands of Eldrath.

The terrible beast took to the skies, a nightmare made flesh. Its fiery breath turned homes to ash and cities to rubble. Whole villages were obliterated beneath its wrath, and the countryside was consumed by its flames. Dragonfire reduced the realm to rubble and ruin.

The Lady in Red fancied herself a competent, capable courtier and was all at once too keen at positioning herself ever closer to the foot of the throne in the days that followed. I could feel her presence growing ever closer to me, her smile never faltering, her steps ever more deliberate.

I could feel it—the treachery.

And I knew that the time had come.

I marched into the great hall, the heavy doors groaning as they swung open. I saw her standing there, the same smile upon her lips, but something in her eyes betrayed her—a flicker of fear, of regret, or perhaps something deeper. She had done this. I could feel it.

“Enough,” I said, my voice cold, devoid of any warmth. “I know what has taken place here.”

She flinched, though her eyes never left mine. “I did it for you,” she whispered, her voice trembling, her tears not for the kingdom, but for herself. “I made the pact. I thought it would bring us peace, power—everything we ever wanted.”

I took a step closer, my hand gripping the hilt of the sword at my side. It was not anger that gripped me in that moment, but something far colder. Something that burned deep inside me.

“This beast will be dealt with soon enough. But you… you will live with the weight of this treachery for years to come. For the rest of your days, it will haunt you. And I—I will never forget what you have done.”

Her tears fell freely now, staining her pale cheeks. “But I didn’t know... I didn’t know the cost it would demand of you.”

“You’ve already made your choice,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. "And all the rest shall be up to you and the Almighty.”

I turned then, ready to walk away, but I paused, my back still to her. “Treachery has a special place in the Inferno,” I said to her in a hushed voice. “And you’ve carved out your place there.”

I had been forged in fire, and yet, I felt colder than I ever had before.

The great doors of the throne room slammed shut behind me with a finality that echoed in my chest. With my legion at my back, we marched out into the bleeding realm. The dragon would be slain, and the people would know justice. But in my heart, I had already lost so much.

I was forged in the fire.