A Council of Cowards
Behind him, William paused, fingers touching the door. His face turned, gentle somehow, yet cold enough to freeze breath.
"Gentlemen," he said, voice dropping to a velvet whisper, "let's discuss the future of our kingdom… and the boy who thinks he can rule it."
The door swung forward under his push.
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A soft groan came from the hinges when the door opened, letting golden light spill onto the smooth floor, thick and slow like honey. Not big, the room needed no extra space - weight settled in its walls from years of choices made, paths changed without warning. Authority lived here, silent, long before anyone walked through.
