جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 8

"Your Majesty, the people are demanding an heir."The words cut through the heavy, stifling air of the council chamber like a dull blade.King Arthur did not move. His fingers merely tightened around the carved obsidian armrest of his throne, the stone biting into his palm. He kept his spine perfectly straight, the heavy, gold-embroidered velvet of his robes weighing down his shoulders and anchoring him to the seat."They are becoming restless," Lord Vance continued, leaning forward over the long mahogany table, his fingers tapping an aggravating rhythm against his parchment. "The northern borders are stable for now, but a kingdom without a secure line of succession is a kingdom inviting civil war. We need a betrothal by the winter solstice.""The King is well aware of his duties, Vance," another councilor chimed in, though his voice lacked conviction.Arthur heard them, but the words were beginning to distort, sounding as though they were being spoken underwater.He kept his eyes fix

Arthur stared at him. The word *no* swelled in his throat, hot and choked, but it died before it could pass his lips.Malakor wasn't even hiding it anymore. The polite veneer of the loyal Regent, the thin layer of courtly deference they had both performed for years, had been stripped away like rotten bark. To demand the Royal Guard was to strip Arthur of his skin. Those three thousand blades were the only wall between the King and the hungry wolves of the council chamber. Handing them over didn't just put a sword to his neck—it handed Malakor the hilt."You..." Arthur's voice cracked. He gripped the edge of the mahogany desk so tightly his fingernails dug into the polished wood, leaving faint crescent scars. "You dare.""I dare, precisely what is necessary to keep your head on your shoulders, Your Majesty," Malakor said. His tone remained perfectly level, flat as a frozen lake, which only made the threat sharper."The Guard answers only to the reigning monarch," Arthur breathed, a col

The heavy mahogany doors had barely closed behind the last of the retreating councilors when Duke Collins fell into step beside Malakor. His silver beard was neatly combed, his expression calm, though satisfaction gleamed plainly in his eyes. "A bold move, Your Grace," Collins said. "The King has entrusted the Royal Guard to you." Malakor continued walking without answering. Collins wasn't discouraged. "The council will think twice before challenging you now." "They already think too much," Malakor replied. Silence settled between them as they crossed the grand gallery overlooking the rain-soaked courtyard. After a moment, Collins spoke again. "The twenty-four-hour condition is troublesome." "It is." "But surely His Majesty cannot refuse every order." Malakor finally stopped. "He can." Collins frowned. Malakor looked out through the towering arched windows, watching the rain strike the palace walls. "He gave me command, but he kept authority." Turning back to the palace

The Great Hall of the North Wing roared with the chatter of a hundred lords, but to Arthur, it sounded like a battlefield. The air hung heavy with the scents of Northern warlords. These were men who had spent their lives on horseback and battlefields. Their alpha pheromones were rough and unrestrained, unlike the carefully controlled scents of the capital nobility. Arthur sat upon the raised dais, his high-collared coat buttoned to his chin. Beneath the stiff silk, the flesh-colored patch against his jaw burned faintly—a quiet reminder that time was no longer on his side. "A toast!" Duke Vance rose from the center table, raising a silver goblet filled with dark ale. "To General Frost of the Iron Reaches! A man who knows how to hold a border—and how to crush a rebellion before it begins!" The hall erupted in cheers. General Frost, a broad-shouldered man with a scar splitting his left eyebrow, stood and emptied his cup in one swallow. He slammed the goblet onto the table before l