Lady of the Lake

A familiar voice, one he had not heard in quite some time, startled him out of his contemplation of the lake's waters. He twisted around to face Epiphron, and for a moment he was caught between his melancholy, and the painfully shy young boy he'd always been in her presence. But the note of playfulness in her voice drew a nervous smile nonetheless, and with a bit of timorousness he made an attempt at returning her playfulness with a courtly bow in her direction. "M-my Queen," he stammered slightly with heat in his face, but then the smile faded, and his gaze dropped to the ground between them. "I'm not a king anymore though. I gave up my pack - gave it back to Katja Finnvi." He tried to say it neutrally, not wanting to make a big deal out of it and seem either... weak, or like he was grubbing for attention, but the unhappy memories he'd been dwelling on constricted his throat, and the words came out tinged with hoarseness, and he fell silent.