Silent Submission
Aden's head dropped further, his veins bulging out against the curve of his neck, his hands digging deep into the ground as if holding on to something tangible within the tempest of his defeat. "I, Aden — Vellore's First Wall, the sworn defender of her people — yield," he stated, the corners of his voice cracking, raw and brittle.
But even in that vulnerability, there remained a stubborn spark, a low flame which would not be extinguished. Slowly, laboriously, he eased himself further down, until forehead scraped against cold, unforgiving earth below him. The noise was faint, a rough whisper of stone against skin. "I lay my sword at your feet, Leon, for the lives of my men… and safety for this city."
