Vaulted ceilings stretched thirty feet overhead, supported by marble columns carved with intricate depictions of the kingdom's founding battles.
Afternoon sunlight filtered through tall, arched windows of the chamber, casting long rectangles of gold across polished floors.
The walls were lined with tapestries, each one depicting a different era of Grey family rule.
At the center sat an oval table of dark mahogany. Around it, figures of considerable power had gathered.
King Zardric Grey occupied the head of the table.
Mid-fifties, with steel-grey hair swept back from a broad forehead and a neatly trimmed beard that framed a strong jaw. His eyes were sharp blue, like winter ice and missed nothing.
He wore formal robes of deep crimson and gold with the Grey family crest embroidered over his heart in silver thread. No crown today. This was a working meeting, not a public appearance.
To his right sat Queen Vesperine Grey.
