ROYAL BLOOD
"Then you will hold me accountable for being an enemy of the realms. But verily I say to you, Sir Lamech, if you lose your life while on this conquest, at least you will die as a man with honor."
Sir Lamech's hand trembled around the hilt. For a slow, suspended breath, the two of them remained in silence.
The knight's mouth hardened into a line; pride and guilt warred in his eyes. Finally, with a curt nod that was almost a prayer, he turned and ran, making his way through the door.
His cloak snapped behind him as he vanished into the night, his footsteps swallowed by the corridor.
The chamber door closed with a soft, final click.