"Before her majesty, all. Will. KNEEL!"
Thane's voice echoed through Lothian City, rising amidst a thousand whispering voices from every shadow and dark corner of the city.
Atop the walls, Adala and Charlotte held each other close, keeping the warm blanket around their shoulders as they knelt on the cold stones of the wall.
For once, Charlotte was glad that Adala had insisted on watching from the edge of the battlements. This way, they still had a view of the handsome knight on his dark stallion as he commanded the whole world to kneel… and the world obeyed.
Only Isabell remained standing, seemingly immune to the herald's command, but even she said nothing, ignoring her role as gatekeeper or toll collector or whatever she was and deferring entirely to the Lord General, Thane.
