Then I head for the main gates.
The walk feels longer than it should. My mind is spinning with possibilities, questions and doubts. Who is this man? Why now? What does he want?
And the most pressing question of all…is he telling the truth?
When I finally reach the gates, I see him.
He's tall, actually taller than my father was.
He has dark hair and sharp features. There's something familiar about him, something in the set of his jaw or the shape of his eyes, but I can't place it.
He's flanked by four of my guards, all of them watching him carefully. He doesn't look nervous or hostile, just bored.
When he sees me approaching, something shifts in his expression. I swear I see something that looks like relief flash in his eyes.
I stop a few feet away, keeping my posture neutral and ex
