There was a smile on the queen's face as not one but two lords stood up from their seats immediately after her announcement. A third man stood up as well but he did so more hesitantly.
The fourth person was someone Circe didn't expect. At the center row, Casilo joined the challengers, his expression unreadable. The queen's ladies in waiting gasped in shock but the queen's smile only grew.
Circe didn't know what to make of it. Why was Casilo publicly challenging Ragnar? She thought they were allies, friends even. What was he getting out of it? Was this why he was acting strange last night?
Ragnar's gaze left the queen and settled on his second in command who was now standing up to challenge him. His eyes were still black as pitch as he scanned the rows of spectators for any more contenders.
No one else from the crowd stood and the queen clapped her hand once to get everyone's attention.
