The walk to see his father was quite uncomfortable for Crow. The guards who had been staring before gawked at him with surprise that he didn’t enjoy. He fidgeted slightly with his overshirt, pretending to busy himself with adjusting the fabric of one sleeve so he could avoid their searching eyes. He supposed he should have expected their reactions though. The knights had probably believed he was going to be executed for him crimes, so to see him walking freely about the castle in the ensemble of a nobleman must have been quite shocking.

[i]The ceremony is going to be even worse,[/i] he cringed at the thought. If the guards who knew he’d been accepted into the castle as the king’s ward were acting this surprised, the noblemen and women who had likely been invited to attend his titling ceremony were going to be dumbfounded. As one who had learned that the center of attention could be a dangerous place to be, he wasn’t looking forward to standing before the countless gazes of people who wanted to see him dead. He just hoped Naida was right that his father’s protection would be enough to keep anyone from attacking him.

Eventually, Hunter and Preston led him down another unfamiliar corridor. He looked around, wondering why they weren’t meeting with Albin in the council room, until he remembered that his father had said something about a throne room the night before. He studied the decorated walls with new interest. This must have been the hall that would carry them to that chamber. Having never seen the king’s throne room before, he found himself a bit curious in the midst of his lingering nervousness.

After a bit of walking, they rounded a corner, and Crow saw his father standing by a door at the end of the hallway. Albin wasn’t alone either, but he was attended by two guards and a woman. Offhandedly, the thief wondered if he always traveled with this much protection or if he was taking an extra measure of precaution since he was about to make an announcement that likely wouldn’t go over well among the other nobles.

His eyes wandered to the woman next. She had curly black hair with a pale complexion that made her look like she hadn’t been outside in years. The dress she wore was crimson and gold—the colors of Brerra, he noted, glancing down at the red overshirt Hunter had given to him—and it flowed well past her feet, trailing behind her on the ground like a waterfall. He had never seen her before, but it wasn’t hard to guess who she was.

The king turned to see who was approaching and smiled when his eyes landed on his son. “Perfect timing,” he said, taking a step towards the three as they walked up. “It sounds like everyone has already gathered inside.” He gestured to the door, and Crow realized he could hear a faint hum of voices on the other side. Albin’s smile was eager, “Now that you’re here, we can get started.”

Crow shifted his weight from his left foot to his right as he remembered that he didn’t have the first clue what to do in a ceremony. However, too proud to admit it, he chose to just mutter a simple, “Right” and averted his gaze.

Albin studied his face. “Don’t be nervous, Collin.” Crow fought the urge to flinch as his father used his name. “This ceremony is in celebration of you. Just relax and enjoy it.”

“It would be more enjoyable if that room wasn’t full of people who hate me,” Crow sighed.

“You have made many enemies here,” his father acknowledged. “But I’m confident they will learn to respect you soon enough. Just give it time.” He rested one hand reassuringly on his son’s shoulder before heading back to the door. He offered his arm to the well-dressed woman—she had been strangely quiet during the exchange—and casted one more glance over his shoulder. “Wait here until I summon you,” he instructed and then smiled again. “It will be over before you know it, and then we’ll all go to the Great Hall for the banquet.”

Crow nodded wordlessly, his mouth feeling dry as he watched the king and queen step through the door. As it opened, he could see that this particular entrance opened up directly to the end of the room where the thrones had been built. It must have been a private passage for the royal family for situations just like this. He could already see his half-brother, Braden, standing next to the throne furthest on the right. Nearby, the other two Mannering children, Naida and Willow, were standing a little further back. It seemed that they didn’t have seats of their own but were still separated from the rest of the room.

His eyes flicked to the other side of the large chamber, where he briefly caught a glimpse of the rows of noblemen and women standing in respect for their ruler. The thought of willingly stepping in front of them all made his throat feel tight, and he backed away from the door, so they wouldn’t be able to see him through it. Fortunately, one of the guards closed the door, and the thief was left in the silence of the hallway with Hunter and Preston once again. He leaned against the closest wall and closed his eyes, taking a slow breath to calm his nerves.

[i]It’s just one ceremony,[/i] he thought. [i]After today, I won’t ever have to do this again.[/i]

“Are you alright?” Crow opened his eyes again to see that Preston had walked up to his side. The boy frowned, “Do you need some water or anything?”

“I’m fine,” he shook his head, glancing back at the door. The room had fallen quiet, so he could hear his father’s voice speaking boldly through the thin wood divider. He caught bits and pieces of a long greeting, in which the king acknowledged the reason why they had all gathered: to instate the next viceroy. His stomach fluttered nervously. It sounded like the identity of the next viceroy still wasn’t known by the audience. He could already imagine their outraged faces when he suddenly appeared to take the job. They weren’t going to be happy when they realized their ruler was giving the position to a criminal.

Crow took another slow breath, fighting the instinct to turn and run. He closed his eyes again and focused on Penelope, the reason why he was doing this. He pictured her kind face and thought about all the things he loved about her. The meditation helped to calm down him a bit, but it certainly wasn’t enough before his focus was interrupted by his father’s loud voice.

“… to introduce your new viceroy, Collin Lockton.”

Crow blanched.

“Sir, that’s your cue,” Hunter said, ushering him to the door when he noticed him freeze.

The thief’s heart pounded in his chest as he forced himself to step toward the door that Preston was now holding open for him. There was no turning back. He had to go through with it. He swallowed the lump in his throat. [i]Here goes nothing.[/i]

Squaring his shoulders, Crow forced himself to walk through the door and into the room where every head turned toward him at once.