The estate had gone silent.
The all the girls had been sent away earlier, still in their night robes, their eyes full of confusion and despair by sheer absurdityof the task..
The door closed closed in front of them them Alaric's laughter still echoing.
Alaric stopped. He stood alone in the chamber, the soft light of magical lanterns flickering against the marble walls. He didn't move at first. Just breathed. Slowly. Deliberately.
The previous plan was to answer questionswith silence, but it had become clear: silence alone would not carry a kingdom through storm. The crisis would not pass simply by letting ignorance veil truth. No… the world needed something firmer.
A voice.
A name.
A figure to cling to when the light was dim.
***
He waved his hand, and pulled out the garments he had found while looking around the treasury.. Not finery. Not armor. But an idea woven in cloth.
