[center][img]https://i.ibb.co/Wp6Vj9qD/8320ff27-4a2b-45d7-bb2b-b870b0f77e77.png[/img][/center] [color=DDB775]Time:[/color] Evening [color=DDB775]Location:[/color] Castle Throne Room [hr] [color=silver]Edin Danrose sat as though the throne had grown heavier overnight. The carved armrests ended in lions with bared teeth, gilded manes worn dull by generations of royal palms; they held his hands without comfort. Drunkard’s Day, and for the first time in living memory, the King of Caesonia had not dulled himself into ease. No woman. No food. No indulgent grin. Instead, there was only the clean, unflattering sobriety of consequence. The great hall had been cleared as much as it ever could be. Even the musicians had been sent away. Two guards stood flanking the throne. There was unease in their stance; paranoia even. A runner arrived in a desperate hurry and bowed to his king despite his heavy breaths. [color=gray]“Your Majesty,”[/color] he managed between huffs, [color=gray]“trouble in the lower ward. Tough Tavern.”[/color] Edin’s eyes narrowed.[color=DDB775]“Details, boy,”[/color] he demanded. [color=DDB775]“Tell me everything. What kind of trouble, and who is responsible?”[/color] The runner swallowed. [color=gray]“Witnesses report violence, my king. They say the patrons include Lord Roman Ravenwood, Lord Drake Edwards, Lady Ariella Edwards, Lady Charlotte Vikena, and more present… The tavern was overtaken—we believe those named are hostages, your Majesty.”[/color] The nervous runner got as much out as he could before needing another gasp of air. The King’s glare demanded the rest, so he forced himself to continue. [color=gray]“Apparently it’s bandits or brigands, sire. At least one arcanist is confirmed, but there could be more."[/color] Edin did not stand, though his eyes moved about as he pondered a course of action. [color=DDB775]“Seal the lane,”[/color] he ordered.[color=DDB775]“Two rings.”[/color] The runner blinked, then nodded quickly. [color=DDB775]“The first ring keeps the crowd back,”[/color] Edin continued, the words coming clean and certain now. [color=DDB775]“The second ring keeps anyone from fleeing. No one enters that cordon without my mark. No one leaves it without being searched—hands, sleeves, boots, satchels. Weapons seized. Masks removed. I want faces.”[/color] [color=gray]“Yes, Majesty.”[/color] Edin’s gaze flicked to one of the palace guards. [color=DDB775]“You. Make haste to the infirmary ward. Surgeons, bandages, cots, have them gather whatever they can. Tell them it is royal command and they must not delay.”[/color] The guard bowed and went at once. Edin’s orders did not slow. [color=DDB775]“Send the Royal Guard to reinforce the Watch,”[/color] he said. [color=DDB775]“I want them armed and torches bright. I want the streets to see discipline and steel, not panic. I want them to feel the Crown has arrived, that the night will not belong to criminals.”[/color] Another guard shifted, already preparing to leave. Edin leaned forward, [i]just enough[/i]. [color=DDB775]“Someone shall bring me a status report every half hour,”[/color] he said. [color=DDB775]“Hostages. Casualties. Any noble injuries. Any sign of coordinated intent. If someone is using magic in my streets, I want to know who before the sun changes the color of the sky.”[/color] [color=gray]“Yes, Majesty.”[/color] [color=DDB775]“I want the bastards in one piece.”[/color] Edin added, colder now, [color=DDB775]“They are taken alive if possible. Bound. Gagged. Hooded. Kept separate. I want answers, not corpses that cannot speak… Any arcanist involved is restrained first and questioned second. No bargains. No ‘misunderstandings.’”[/color] The runner’s throat bobbed. [color=gray]“Understood, Majesty.”[/color] The king snapped his fingers as more staff entered the room. He pointed at a woman at random. [color=DDB775]“Send word to the Primitus clergy,”[/color] Edin said. He looked to another. [color=DDB775]“Send riders. Find our lead hunters Kilian and Trovee… Torvis… Whatever the hells the woman’s name is. Tell them there is sorcery in the lower ward. I want them there to ensure this savagery is handled.”[/color] The guard bowed and moved. Edin settled back into the throne, expression composed, as if this were already finished and all that remained was to decide how the city would remember it. Then he spoke again to the runner for the last time, quiet and absolute. [color=DDB775]“Tell them this,”[/color] Edin said. [color=DDB775]“Caesonia does not belong to bandits. It does not belong to witches. It belongs to [b]me[/b].”[/color] The king spat the words with every ounce of vile venom he possessed. His orders were given, pieces already in motion, and his will would be done. The expression left on his face was not that of the indulgent and gratuitous man he had come to be known, it was the look of a sleeping beast awoken. This was the scowl of a man backed into a corner, carrying the legacy of the Danrose bloodline on his back. A man who would crush anyone and anything to keep his throne. This was Caesonia’s king unchained, undistracted, and out for the blood of his enemies. [/color]