Newton woke before sunrise. For a few seconds, sleep still clouded his mind. The chamber remained dim, lit only by the dying orange glow of the fireplace across the room. Snowlight crept faintly through the narrow windows while distant waves crashed against the cliffs beneath Green City.
Then the memory returned. Newton's eyes opened fully.
His father.
The thought struck instantly. "My dad must be worried sick right now."
He sat up slowly on the bed and rubbed his face with both hands. Guilt settled heavily inside his chest the longer he thought about it. Edmond would have waited through the entire weekend. He would have checked the gates repeatedly. By now he was probably pacing half the castle in anger.
Newton groaned quietly. "I should have found a way to send words." But there was no time.
Battle, the wounded, the city.
Everything had happened too quickly.
Newton rose from the bed and walked toward the window. Outside, Green City had already begun waking.
Servants hurried through the streets carrying baskets and banners while guards moved between the towers dressed in polished armor instead of battle gear. Colorful cloth had been draped across balconies overnight. Fires burned along the roads despite the cold sea wind sweeping through the city.
Preparation.
Today Kelvin Ezion would ascend the Green Throne officially.
Newton rested one hand against the window frame and stared quietly over the city below. "Yet I cannot simply abandon my injured men."
His jaw tightened slightly. Ally and several others still remained under treatment. Even if Newton ignored his own responsibility as their commander, he could not ignore the loyalty they had shown him.
Three hundred men had crossed the sea because he asked. Some nearly died because of it. Leaving now would feel wrong.
Still, his father's face would not leave his thoughts. Newton exhaled sharply and stepped away from the window.
After bathing and dressing himself, he fastened the blue monastery badge carefully against his chest before leaving the chamber.
The castle corridors already buzzed with movement.
Servants hurried past carrying silver trays and barrels of wine. Nobles from nearby regions had begun arriving earlier that morning, their banners hanging beside Green City's walls.
The deeper Newton walked into the castle grounds, the louder the celebration became.
Music echoed through the open courtyards. Young girls danced barefoot around burning braziers while warriors laughed loudly near long wooden tables overflowing with roasted meat and ale. Some of the monastery knights had already joined the festivities reluctantly, though Tywin still sat stiffly among them like a man convinced joy itself might be sinful.
Newton watched the celebration with mixed feelings. Part of him admired it. Kelvin deserved this moment. The dwarf had spent his entire life being mocked, hidden, underestimated. Now the same men who once whispered behind his back prepared to kneel before him publicly.
But another part of Newton remained restless. Every passing hour carried him further from Snowland. Further from Edmond's growing anger.
"Newton!" The voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Kelvin Ezion stood near the center platform wearing deep green ceremonial robes trimmed with silver thread. A heavy fur mantle rested around his shoulders while the ancient sigil of House Ezion had been painted across his chest.
The throne behind him still stood empty. Kelvin smiled the moment he saw Newton. "Come over here." Several nearby lords turned their attention toward Newton immediately.
Kelvin raised one hand proudly. "You are my honored guest."
Newton bowed his head politely before walking toward the gathering. Though he tried remaining composed, he could feel the eyes following him now.
The monastery knight. The foreigner. The young commander who helped place a dwarf upon the Green Throne.
Newton sat among the lords quietly while servants moved through the hall pouring wine into silver cups.
Music continued for a while longer. Drums echoed. Women danced in circles around the firelight while warriors stomped their boots against the floor in rhythm.
But eventually the music slowed. Then stopped completely. The hall gradually fell silent.
Every gaze shifted toward the entrance as the High Priestess of Green Land entered slowly. The atmosphere changed immediately. Even drunken soldiers straightened themselves.
The woman moved calmly through the hall dressed in flowing green robes covered with ancient symbols. In one hand she carried a silver bowl of water. In the other, a bronze vessel filled with burning fire.
The flames illuminated her face as she approached the throne.
Kelvin stepped forward. Then slowly lowered himself onto his knees before her.
The hall remained completely silent now..The priestess dipped her fingers into the bowl first. Then allowed several drops to fall gently onto Kelvin's head.
"By water," she said calmly, "I wash you clean." The words echoed softly through the chamber.
Kelvin lowered his head further. Then the priestess lifted the burning vessel. Smoke curled upward around her arm as she slowly circled the fire above Kelvin's head.
"By fire," she continued, her voice stronger now, "I empower you."
The flames reflected in Kelvin's wet eyes.
"And proclaim you Warden of Green Land."
The silence afterward felt sacred.
The priestess stepped aside slowly..Then the lords began approaching one after another. Each man bowed before Kelvin in turn. "To you and your descendants," one lord said solemnly, "I pledge my loyalty."
Another followed. Then another.
One by one they knelt before the dwarf who had spent most of his life being told he would never rule anything.
Newton watched Kelvin carefully throughout it all. The dwarf tried maintaining composure. But emotion already burned visibly beneath his face.
When the final lord stepped back, the High Priestess raised her voice once more. "Rise, Kelvin Ezion of House Ezion. True ruler of Green City." The hall seemed to hold its breath.
"Rise and claim your throne."
Kelvin rose slowly. His hands trembled faintly at his sides as he turned toward the Green Throne. The chair itself stood elevated above the hall, carved entirely from dark green stone with silver serpents winding across its sides.
All his life, people told him he would never sit there. Not because he lacked blood. Not because he lacked intelligence, but because he was born a dwarf.
Newton could see the weight of those years pressing against Kelvin now as he climbed the steps toward the throne.
The hall remained silent.
Kelvin reached the seat slowly. Then finally sat. The moment his body settled against the throne, tears escaped his eyes. Not dramatic tears, quiet ones. The kind a man sheds only after surviving years of humiliation.
Newton looked away briefly. Because suddenly the victory felt larger than politics. Kelvin had not simply taken a throne. He had defeated the shape the world forced upon him.
Thunderous applause exploded through the hall. Warriors slammed cups against tables. Music roared back to life.
Servants rushed forward pouring fresh wine while dancers returned to the floor laughing loudly. The celebration resumed with even greater force than before.
Kelvin remained seated on the throne for a moment longer, wiping quickly at his face before finally raising one hand.
Slowly, the hall quieted again. The dwarf's voice carried surprisingly well across the chamber. "I must not fail to thank Newton Ice."
All eyes turned toward Newton instantly. Kelvin smiled openly. "The man who helped me reclaim the Green Throne."
Newton shifted slightly under the attention. Kelvin continued. "And all of you who fought and prayed beside me." His voice softened. "Thank you."
Several warriors raised their cups loudly. Kelvin then turned directly toward Newton. "Green City is forever in your debt.".The sincerity inside his voice quieted the hall again. "If the day ever comes when you need help, or shelter, or protection."
He placed one hand against the arm of the throne. "Do not fail to come to us." His eyes hardened slightly. "We will stand with you." Newton rose slowly from his seat and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you, my lord." Kelvin nodded once. Then the celebration resumed again. By the time night finally settled over Green City, the castle had nearly drowned in music and wine.
Newton left long before the celebration ended. Exhaustion weighed heavily against him now. He returned quietly to his chamber while laughter still echoed faintly through the distant halls.
The moment the door closed behind him, silence returned. Newton removed his sword belt slowly. Then his eyes drifted toward the bag resting beside the bed.
The dragon egg. For a long moment he simply stared at it. Then finally sighed and walked over. "This is ridiculous," he muttered softly.
Yet he still untied the bag carefully and lifted the egg into his hands again. The shell felt cold at first. Newton frowned slightly.
Then waited. Nothing, no warmth, no movement. No fire racing beneath his skin this time. He stared at the egg stubbornly as though willing it to respond.
Minutes passed, still nothing.
Newton let out a sharp hiss of frustration. "I suppose you truly will never hatch." The words sounded strangely disappointing leaving his mouth.
Slowly he lowered the egg back into the bag and tied it shut again. Then finally he collapsed onto the bed. Exhaustion overtook him almost immediately. And before long, Newton slept while the last dragon egg rested silently beside him in the darkness.