Heir to the throne: Broken Blood

Clover.

Warm sunbeams filtered through the delicate stained-glass window, rousing Clover from her contented slumber. She stretched languidly amid the tangled sheets, every muscle still deliciously aching from the passionate throes of her trysts with Notah the previous night.

Slipping a silken robe over her lithe form, she made her way to her bathroom . Clover sank into the steaming pool with a satisfied sigh, submerging herself fully to wash away the evening's dewy sheen. As she emerged, she caught a glimpse of her reflection - and the unmistakable love bite blooming like a violet bruise where Notah's ardent mouth had branded her skin.

She hurried to dress and descend for the morning meal, praying her twin Senna wouldn't notice the incriminating mark. But Senna's eyes, so keenly matched to her own in emerald and blue intensity, immediately fixed upon the offending blemish with a salacious grin.

"So who is this lucky man, or Wessex beau, who stakes such a possessive claim?" she purred teasingly.

Clover's cheeks flushed as crimson as her hair. There was no keeping secrets from her other half. She recounted in hushed tones the unlikely yet passionate affair with Notah, Chief Krav's dashing son from the warring Acroans.

To her surprise, Senna's expression remained warm and supportive rather than judgmental. "I'm overjoyed you've finally found the kind of love Mother always talked about - unbridled and true," she smiled, squeezing Clover's hand. "But you must be so careful, sweet sister. If the others discover you've lain with an Acroan savage, they will show him no mercy."

Senna leaned in conspiratorially. "The royal gardens are too exposed for such clandestine interludes. But I know just the place..." She outlined her plan to secretly access and refurbish the storage lofts above the horse stables into a proper lover's den.

The twins embraced joyfully before setting off to procure the hidden keys and necessary supplies. As they stabled their mares, brushing them down with fresh hay, Clover noted the faint swell of Senna's abdomen.

"So the babe grows stronger within you," Clover remarked. "I can only imagine how radiant you must feel harboring new life so preciously."

A flicker of sadness passed over Senna's features. "Yes, the child is the miracle I dreamed of after..." She trailed off, absently caressing her belly. "But Plato, has become so distant of late."

Clover squeezed her sister's hand supportively as they ascended the rickety loft stairs, boarded windows filtering in rays of golden afternoon light. They got to work fashioning the space into a proper sanctum - cushioning bare wood with plush fabrics, artfully draping privacy curtains, even arranging scattered cedar planks into a rustic yet romantic bedframe.

By nightfall, they had created a sumptuous, secluded retreat fit for Clover's star-crossed affair. She embraced her sister fiercely, whispering her gratitude.

"Be happy, my sweet mirror," Senna replied warmly. "And be careful. I cannot bear the thought of that brute's family dooming your love as ours was all those years ago..."

As Clover watched Senna's form, she felt a new determination flare within her breast. Whatever the conflict raging between their clans, she would not allow it to rob her of the transcendent bliss she had found in Notah's arms. This loft, their defiant haven of intimacy, would be her redoubt against the cruelties of their divisive world.

Clover and Senna emerged from the refurbished stable loft, their faces flushed with accomplishment at having crafted such a sumptuous love nest. But their mood quickly soured as a familiar, unwelcome figure rounded the corner.

Zena, their cousin whose bitter jealousy and disdain for the twins knew no bounds.

Zena had always lived in the shadow of her cousins, Clover and Senna. From a young age, she was constantly compared to them, her every flaw magnified in the presence of their ethereal beauty. As they blossomed into young women, Zena found herself falling further behind, her insecurities festering like a wound that refused to heal. Credessa, unaffected by the comparisons that plagued Zena became her confidante and ally in a world that seemed determined to overlook her existence.