The words had taken far more effort to say than Darion had expected.
The moment the request left his mouth, he felt his heartbeat rise sharply inside his chest. His palms had suddenly become sweaty too, forcing him to resist the urge to wipe them against his trousers beneath the table.
And worst of all? He had stuttered. It wasn't heavily, not enough to completely embarrass himself, but enough for him to notice it immediately.
That annoyed him in a way.
Before arriving at Thandor, he and Garren had discussed this conversation.
Darion had imagined different reactions King Michul might have, imagined possible replies, possible negotiations and possible refusals.
He had even tried preparing responses ahead of time so he would not freeze up during the actual meeting.
But imagination and reality were two completely different things.
Because now the matter was right in front of him.
Suddenly all those rehearsed thoughts in his head felt much smaller than they had before.
