The capital loomed in the distance, its towering walls casting long shadows against the morning sun. Evelynn had seen the city before—years ago, in another life—when it was just a place on a map, a symbol of a kingdom she never thought she’d have to face like this. Now, as she and her small escort rode closer, she could feel the weight of what lay ahead pressing down on her like an iron linked chain.
The streets were eerily quiet. No soldiers waited to ambush them, no archers lined the walls. The people of the city, civilians and merchants alike, watched in silence as their procession passed, their expressions unreadable. There were no jeers, no shouts of defiance. Only stillness.
It unsettled her more than any battlefield ever had.
Eric rode beside her, his posture rigid, one hand rest
