Erick
The council chamber had never felt heavier.
Stone walls that had witnessed centuries of rule, war, loyalty, and betrayal now bore silent witness to a turning point in my reign.
I stood at the head of the chamber, my hands clasped behind my back, my expression carved from stone even as my heart thundered inside my chest.
Max stood to my right.
He wore simple black….no royal embellishment, no unnecessary display yet there was something about the way he held himself that commanded attention.
The man ruled in simplicity.
His spine was straight, his chin lifted just enough to show respect without submission. Alan had once stood the same way on his first day.
The memory stabbed.
I inhaled deeply and faced the semicircle of elders seated before me. Their silver hair and ancient
