Bound To The Burdened Bride

"Do not expect a husband, Woman. I have no room in my chest for a heart- only the King's law."
I flinched, my eyes filling with fresh tears at the cruelty of his words. "My Lord, I only-"
"Be silent," he spat, not even looking at me. "You are no wife. Only a burden I must now carry across the kingdom."
He gripped my upper arm with a painful force, his strength bruising and indifferent, as he dragged me toward the towering, battle-scarred warhorse.
"If you have any dignity left in you, stay downwind and out of my sight. Looking at you is a chore I no longer wish to endure."