To the east

breeze.

To the west

mold, mildew

and intense cold penetrating

regardless of season.

A queen

so very young

desires more than duty

and kingless loneliness.

A servant,

old enough

to remember companionship,

wants to fuel a queen's love.

We perceive a castle

with its length

reduced by at least half.

Yet the whole sustains

only one drawbridge

and portcullis.

We perceive a mystery

no longer surreal

or imagined.

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