Ride through an enchanted forest
Bless the immensely talented @eldar-of-zemlya for illustrating another scene from one of my stories for me.
This scene shows the nightly ride through the forest from Chapter 7 from The Golden King and His Dark Queen.
I love everything about it. The faces! The clothes! The design of the alien horse. The lighting effects. The overall atmosphere. It is just another masterpiece the world is so lucky to have.
She hadn’t realized that the forest was such a magical place. Chris’ hand on her belly began stroking her absentmindedly and Una closed her eyes, gripping her handhold. It was such an intimate gesture, so loving it made her wonder if she had it all backwards. She had assumed that Chris was avoiding her because he dreaded becoming a father, only performing his duty as a Captain with her to save his crew, but too preoccupied in his grief to find his footing again. And she had wanted to support him from the beginning until he had shut her out. But this touch could almost be called loving. Hopeful. As if he wanted it, too. She sighed and put one of her hands on his, caressing it, signaling him that she wanted his touch, craved it. Needed it. She snuggled her shoulder closer to him, emboldened by the calming atmosphere around them. And as much as she wanted him to kiss her neck and her shoulder, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words. This intimacy was the closest they’d had after so many months without it and Una was so starved for a little affection that she didn’t dare disturb what they’d just shared, out of fear of destroying it. And so their ride continued wordlessly on the earthen path through the nightly forest, the canopy of leaves above them, a brook whooshing in the distance, the morning yet far off, just the two of them in a lonely world. Archer had a calm and steady pace, its footing secure and strong, and Una thought that she could remain like this endlessly.
