Julian looked out the carriage window.
Two soldiers were visible on the nearby street, moving in the sa direction as the carriage for a mont. Their armor was dark blue, bearing the sa symbol he had seen on the gate guards’ armor.
He watched them until they disappeared around the corner.
So those were Liam’s n. Moving through the duchy freely, wearing a crest that had no historical claim to this territory, answering to a man who held his position through blackmail rather than right.
The people on the streets had watched it happen slowly, noticing little changes that added up over ti, until eventually they had grown used to it
Julian turned back to the interior of the carriage.
His father was looking forward, jaw tight, his hands resting on his knees. The man was doing his best to hide the anger flaming within him.
The bustling comrcial streets gradually fell behind them as the carriage rolled forward, and the roads began to widen, signaling the entrance into noble territory.
Here, the buildings were larger and more imposing, each carefully designed with aesthetic detail that spoke of wealth and status. They were spaced generously, allowing gardens, courtyards, and decorative walkways between them.
Then, at the end of a broad driveway flanked by manicured grounds, the Astran castle ca into view.
It was massive.
Not the largest thing Julian had encountered in this world — Easvil’s castle occupied a different category entirely. But it was serious and imposing nonetheless.
Julian looked at it calmly as the carriage moved down the approach.
The gate guards ca into view as they drew closer.
These ones were different.
The armor was the original Astran design — the one Julian recognized from Kraven’s mories. It was older, darker and carried the actual crest on the chest. The n wearing it stood properly, eyes forward, their attention already on the approaching carriage.
They moved the mont they recognized who the carriage belonged to.
By the ti the carriage stopped they were already in position, and as the Duke’s door opened and he stepped down onto the stones, they went to one knee without hesitation.
"My lord," the nearest one said. "Welco ho."
The Duke stood before his own gate and looked at his own n kneeling before him.
He was quiet for a mont.
Sothing moved through his expression before he suppressed it. Julian watched it happen through the carriage window and said nothing.
"Open the gate," the Duke said.
They rose and moved imdiately.
The gates swung inward. The carriage rolled into the castle grounds, and the walls passed on either side of Julian as they entered.
He thought about Liam. About the King’s visit. About the Servant of Death moving sowhere inside all of this.
The ga had just beco considerably more complicated.
**
Julian took his ti.
The carriage had stopped and the door was open, but he remained seated for a mont longer, looking out at the castle grounds through the fra of the doorway. He let his eyes move slowly across the courtyard, noting everything.
His father had already stepped out again and was standing a few steps from the carriage, waiting patiently.
Julian finally rose and stepped down.
The reaction was imdiate.
The knights who had been standing in loose formation near the gate stiffened almost in unison, and then the unity broke apart into individual responses.
One knight near the left was simply confused. His eyes moved from Julian to the Duke and back, as though trying to reconcile two facts that didn’t belong in the sa sentence.
Another — older, positioned closer to the castle entrance — went visibly uncomfortable. His jaw tightened. He looked away briefly, then forced his eyes back.
A few others fell sowhere in between. Not hostile, not welcoming. Just uncertain, waiting to understand what response was appropriate. a
Julian observed all of it without reacting to any of it.
One knight separated from the group and approached the Duke directly. He was broad-shouldered, carrying himself with the ease of soone who had been in service long enough to know when directness was required.
He stopped before the Duke and lowered his voice, though not quite low enough. a
"My lord." A pause. "He is here also."
The Duke looked at him without surprise.
"I went to bring him," he said. His tone was matter-of-fact, as though the explanation required no particular defense. "The King is coming. He must see all mbers of the family."
The knight said nothing imdiately.
"He has changed," the Duke added. He didn’t elaborate on that. He simply placed the statent down and left it there, the way he left most things.
The knight looked at Julian.
Julian t his eyes and held them without expression.
Whatever the man saw — or decided to accept — sothing in him resolved. He turned back to the Duke briefly, then squared his shoulders and walked toward Julian. He stopped a pace away and went down to one knee.
"Young lord," he said. "Welco back."
A beat passed.
Then, one by one, the others followed. Not all of them with the sa conviction, and not all at the sa speed, but they ca down on their knees whether they were comfortable with it or not.
Julian let it settle for a mont.
"Rise," he said.
They did.
The Duke had already moved on, directing his attention to the knight who had approached him.
"What is the condition of the duchy."
The knight straightened. "Lady Olivia is inside the castle, my lord. She is not yet aware of the young lord’s arrival." He paused. "Shall I inform her."
"No," the Duke said. "I will visit her later."
The knight nodded and continued. "As for Lord Liam — he has been passive. No significant movent from his faction since your departure. He appears to be waiting."
The Duke was quiet for a mont. His eyes moved across the courtyard slowly, taking stock of things Julian couldn’t fully read from the outside.
User Comments
0 comments from readers