To Make a Kinder Children's Tale

Esme had one big fear in life: being captured as a thief by the city's guardsmen and being executed for her crimes, and that so heavily weighed on her mind that she increased her risks by being distracted in the middle of a heist.

That's when she runs into Althalos Fourthborn: Inner Circle Guardsman, one of the many princes of the realm, an Aelif (Dark Elf, local dialect)...and her betrothed by treaty. (That was something her almost human mind could not handle.)

So she calls off the heist, gets demoted into a far more risky job, learns the true bitter depth of what this treaty's bond is like, and lands safely by her prince's side....sort of. There were people who still wanted to end her life, even if she was in what most people would call a Happily Ever After. That and her prince had his own living fears that were gnawing at any chance they had. That and she might just lose her mind from everyday boredom.

But the one she couldn't wrap her all-too human mind around was that she would one day grow wings and fly away from her almost Happily Ever After to live in a hive with ancestors more alien than a hottie with pointed ears and abandonment issues.

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Yes, there are adult themes in this book, and difficult subjects, but nothing is excessive, as this is probably my simplest story.

So, trigger warnings:
A history of assault. Occasional vulgar language. References to partial cannibaliam. Extremely mild, light, and rare sex scenes. At least one elitist mentality.

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Ages of MC/ML:
Esme: Apparent age of 24, roughly 20 years lived (mostly human).
Althalos: Apparent age of 30, roughly 65 years lived (Elves mature slower).