Herbalists' Cache wooden doll

star eater's eyes snapped to him, sharp as the crack of ice underfoot.
"you did not—"
but oh, hadn’t she? hadn't she been shattered to a throttled mess, a twirling rage of defeated thunders.
you put me back together, she murmured, softer now, though no less certain. it was not just war that reforged him. it was not just his own hatred that carried him to power.
her gaze flickered to where his paw hovered over her belly, where the weight of their future pressed between them.
it will be any day now. she breathed, quiet, but knowing. whatever war he wished to rage, he would see it done, for the sake of their sons, for the spirits that watched over them.
but when he spoke of the girl, her breath steadied, and she tilted her head slightly.
xel kon ts'akae, she tested the name, thoughtful. night fire woman.
a fitting title. and yet, as with all things, a claim came with a price.
am i to ready her to be a bride?
her gaze lifted back to his, unreadable but unwavering. was this her fate now? to guide the girl into the hands of another, just as she had once been?